» Our Staff

Bill Stokes - CFO

Bill has over 25 years of experience in commercial financial services and has an in-depth understanding of strategic goals and financial matters. He came onboard in 2009 and has brought profound changes to BIO-CAT’s bottom line. Bill graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. As a member of the executive team, he is responsible for developing company goals, objectives and strategic planning. Bill is proficient in understanding our current strengths and planning for the future. Bill also serves as a Director on the Board of Blue Ridge Bancshares.

Chris Schuler - President & Co-Founder

Enzymes have been a part of Chris’ life since he was a kid. He began helping his father with his business when he was a senior in high school. With years of historical knowledge and a broad understanding of the enzyme industry, Chris controls all aspects of the company’s operations. After graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology, Chris worked in the production department at Amano International Enzyme Company. When BIO-CAT was formed, Chris was in charge of customer sales and production. A decade later, he was promoted to president. As the leader of the executive leadership team, Chris plays a pivotal role in the overall strategic direction of the company’s future.

Mark Walin - President of Sales & Marketing

Mark has over 30 years experience in nutrition science, medical device/diagnostics and prescription and over-the-counter drug markets. He has experience in sales strategy, product development, portfolio management, strategic partnerships and team development. Mark has continually pursued growth opportunities that have led him to live in metro New York, Seattle, Columbus, San Francisco, Chicago, Corona Del Mar, California and Columbus, Ohio. Mark has resided in the Charlottesville, Virginia area for the past seven years. Mark is a native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of South Florida – Tampa.

Julie Litz - QA/QC Director

Julie brings over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology field. Most of her career has involved basic science research focusing on treatments for cancer and high cholesterol. She has also served as a project manager at a CRO and was the QA/QC Director and general lab manager at an environmental testing laboratory. Julie also works as an adjunct professor at South University, where she teaches Microbiology. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Master’s in Anaerobic Microbiology.

Erin Steva - Technical Sales Representative

Erin graduated from Virginia Tech in 2014 where she majored in Food Science and Technology with a Business concentration. She is a Charlottesville native who worked briefly in the wine industry before joining our sales team.

Marc Jensen - Senior Technical Sales Representative

Marc brings 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with experience in product development, clinical laboratory operations, clinical research, sales and marketing with International Genetic Engineering, University of Virginia, Miles Inc., and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals. Marc earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and is a certified health coach.

Michael Hammond - Technical Sales Representative

Michael brings over 15 years of business, purchasing and sales experience. He worked as the purchasing manager at PBM Products, the leading global supplier of store brand infant formula and baby/toddler foods. He was director of sales for firstSTREET, a consumer goods marketing company and also spent two tenures with Gold Violin, a multi-channel retailer selling products for independent living, as the inventory manager and director of wholesale. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Radford University.

Elaine Cooling - Regulatory Affairs Manager

Elaine has 20 years’ experience in quality, regulatory and manufacturing support roles in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently with Allergen Pharmaceuticals International. She has a master’s degree in Industrial Pharmaceutical Science, an honors degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Coventry University, UK and a diploma in Pharmaceutical Science from Sligo IT, Ireland. Elaine oversees regulatory needs, defines regulatory requirements for our strategic plan and interfaces with key regulatory agencies. In August 2017, Elaine relocated from Ireland to Virginia.

Stephen Schuler - Technical Sales Representative

Stephen has worked over a four-year period in various departments at BIO-CAT including Production, Quality Control, R&D, and Sales. He graduated from Towson University in 2014 with dual bachelors of health science degrees and a psychology minor. After graduating from Towson, Stephen worked in the financial services industry for several years in Colorado.

Ed Schuler - CEO & Founder

Ed has been in the enzyme business for over 40 years. He’s been a pioneer his whole life, bringing innovative ideas for practical use into the field for commercial success. “Mr. S” as everyone calls him, often initiates new product ideas and has them tested in our applications laboratory. Ed graduated from the University of Kentucky and worked as a certified master brewer for a brewing company that used enzymes in their brewing process. Subsequently he relocated to an enzyme company where he managed all enzyme products as an international chemical product manager. Ed started his first company in 1979. A few years later he formed a joint partnership with Boheringer Ingelheim of Germany and Amano of Japan and eventually sold his share of the company to Amano International Enzyme Company. He remained Amano’s president until 1988 when he left the company to form BIO-CAT.

Katie Lecker - Senior Technical Sales Representative

Katie brings over 11 years of experience in the biotechnology field. She began her career at BIO-CAT in 2007 as a biochemist in the lab. Katie is now a Senior Technical Sales Representative and has been instrumental in developing and maintaining relationships with customers by providing product and industry knowledge, innovative technical information and exceptional customer service. She also has extensive international business experience. Katie worked for Biocatalysts, Inc. for 2 years, where she facilitated their growth of specialty enzyme food products and enzyme design for manufacture services in the U.S. market. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics: Veterinary Business Management, and a minor in Animal and Poultry Sciences from Virginia Tech.

Jenn Daughtrey - Technical Sales Representative

Jenn began her career at BIO-CAT in 2010, working in the customer service department. In May 2016, she was promoted to the sales department. Prior to joining BIO-CAT, Jenn worked for over 10 years at Yves Delorme in Charlottesville where she started in production, was promoted to customer service and finally to the IT department. Jenn studied Sports Medicine at the University of Georgia.

Daniel Montero - Quality Control Lab Manager

Daniel joined BIO-CAT in 2006 as a biochemist in the quality control lab. In 2014, he was promoted to Quality Control Lab Manager. Daniel has an acute understanding of the unique set of tests that ensure the quality and safety of every product manufactured at BIO-CAT. He is responsible for reviewing the biological and chemical evaluation of final product and raw materials, overseeing the entire quality control lab staff and ensuring general cleanliness and maintenance of the lab. Since 2013, Daniel has participated in the Enzyme Technical Association (ETA) committee as Specifications Committee Co-chair. Daniel studied biology with a genetics concentration at Stony Brook University in New York.

Kelly Tinker - Senior Research & Development Manager

Kelly brings over 21 years of experience in the biochemistry field. Kelly began her career at BIO-CAT in 2008 as Quality Control Chemist. With her dedication and profound understanding of enzymes, Kelly has been promoted throughout BIO-CAT and is currently the Senior Research & Development Manager. Kelly is responsible for managing all research and development applications and customer projects, providing innovative enzymatic solutions to our customers and exploring groundbreaking ideas for novel use of enzymes across the board. In addition, Kelly often collaborates with the Minnesota based BIO-CAT Microbials team to develop unique combinations of enzymes and probiotics. Prior to joining BIO-CAT, Kelly worked in the pharmaceutical field where she held positions at Lancaster Laboratories, Corning, Inc., and Advion BioSciences. Kelly studied biochemistry at Elmira College in New York.

Patrick Woodson - Vice President of Operations

Patrick manages the day-to-day operations of the company including inventory, purchasing, and scheduling in both customer service and production arenas. Patrick is knowledgeable about the enzyme industry having been exposed to it since the early 1980’s while working at Amano International Enzyme Company. He later worked in the printing industry for several years and returned to the enzyme industry when BIO-CAT began to expand in the mid-1990s. He was promoted to Production/Purchasing Manager in 2002 and General Manager in 2009.

Charlie Pettygrove - Sales Manager

Charlie brings over 30 years of experience in real estate finance and printing industries. In his former position as president of American Press, he was responsible for the operational and financial management of the company as well as directing sales and marketing. Charlie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Oregon and completed a graduate program in real estate finance at the University of Wisconsin.

Dan Little - Business Development

Dan joined BIO-CAT in 2014 after graduating from the College of Charleston with a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. While obtaining his biochemistry degree, Dan conducted extensive research in crystallography of the enzyme structure. Dan is an expert in the enzyme industry and pharmaceutical industry. He regularly performs market analysis and research to identify new business opportunities, strategic partners and new products. In addition, Dan designs and oversees all aspects of BIO-CAT’s clinical studies, often collaborating with contract research organizations (CRO). He also has extensive international business experience. Dan is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the International Probiotics Association (IPA).

Our Staff

Click a member’s photo to learn more!

Ed Schuler

CEO and Founder

Chris Schuler

President and Co-Founder

Bill Stokes

CFO

Patrick Woodson

Vice President of Operations

Mark Walin

Vice President of Sales & Marketing

Julie Litz

QA/QC Director

Elaine Cooling

Regulatory Affairs Manager

Katie Lecker

Director of Business Development

Marc Jensen

Technical Marketing Manager

Charlie Pettygrove

Business Development Manager

Michael Hammond

Senior Account Manager

Stephen Schuler

Business Development Manager

Jenn Daughtrey

Account Manager

Dan Little

Product Development Manager

Kelly Tinker

Senior Research & Development Manager

Daniel Montero

Quality Control Lab Manager