Meet the innovators
behind Birchtech.

Richard MacPherson brings over 30 years of executive experience from a variety of industries across North America. Serving as President and CEO since 2016, Richard MacPherson oversees the expansion, development, and commercialization of the company’s proprietary emissions control technologies across the fossil-fueled energy sector. Mr. MacPherson founded the Company in 2008 to commercialize the Sorbent Enhancement Additive (SEA®) technologies originally developed by the DOE and EERC. Under MacPherson’s strategic direction, these highly innovative and patented SEA® technologies were launched across the coal-fired utility markets in the United States and Canada starting in 2011. Mr. MacPherson negotiated the full SEA® patent portfolio acquisition in May 2017. Since that time, the Company’s patent portfolio has expanded with additional patents and patent applications in North America and beyond in both mercury emissions capture and water purification technologies.

MacPherson’s corporate vision for Birchtech is focused on sustainable, highly effective environmental technologies that address crucial challenges faced by critical infrastructure.

Richard MacPherson is an active member of multiple professional industry organizations, including the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). As a Canadian national, MacPherson is also recognized as a necessary professional in the top 2% of the mercury emissions control technologies industry by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Mr. John Pavlish has over 20 years of mercury-related experience and is regarded as an international expert on the topic of mercury. His primary areas of interest and expertise include research, technical consultation, and development of mercury control technologies, in particular, for coal combustion and gasification systems. He is an inventor of 70 patented mercury control technologies and has years of experience in development and testing of these technologies for commercial application. Since the early 2000s, he has spent much of his time evaluating the efficacy of a number of different mercury control technologies/approaches and their cost-competitiveness in the commercial market. Mr. Pavlish also has years of power plant experience and has worked for engineering/consulting company Black & Veatch, where he served as Unit Leader/System Engineer.

Michael Mioska (CPA, MBA) is the Chief Financial Officer at Birchtech, bringing over 20 years of accounting, audit, and financial reporting experience across diverse industries in the United States and Canada. As CFO, he provides strategic financial leadership and oversees the company’s financial operations, governance, and regulatory compliance. Before joining Birchtech in 2023, Mr. Mioska worked as an independent consultant providing finance and financial reporting services to public companies, and previously spent 15+ years with a public accounting firm in Vancouver. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from Laurentian University.

Mr. Trettel joined the Company in 2014 and prior to his promotion served as the Company’s Executive Vice President of Operations playing a pivotal role in the early commercialization of Birchtech’s legacy SEA® technology. Mr. Trettel possesses 36 years of experience in the dry bulk material-handling industry, including project management and engineering on numerous multimillion-dollar turnkey contracts. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Trettel oversees Birchtech’s corporate operations spanning financial and administrative functions to technical in-field systems. He develops and refines critical operations for both the Company’s clean air and clean water technologies and designs proprietary equipment across Birchtech’s business segments.

In addition, Mr. Trettel oversees the Company’s Design Center operations and staff, actively collaborating with Birchtech’s research and development experts to continuously improve processes and system design. Prior to joining Birchtech, Mr. Trettel served for 21 years in senior leadership roles at sales, systems, and engineering organizations specializing in bulk material handling, where he oversaw day-to-day operations across a wide variety of industry sectors, including coal-fired utilities. His extensive field experience and technical leadership have given him deep familiarity with Birchtech’s operations, systems, and strategic priorities. Mr. Trettel graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College.

After serving in the US Army, Dr. David Mazyck completed his Ph.D. from Penn State University focusing on activated carbon and reactivation technologies with a degree in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Mazyck was a Professor of Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida (UF) for more than 20 years and held various administrative roles. His research efforts throughout his career have been supported by EPA, NASA, and DOE. He owned and operated an activated carbon company and has commercialized several activated carbons presently in use by multiple international publicly traded and private carbon companies. Dr. Mazyck holds over 20 patents and patent applications in activated carbon technologies and has served as the Chairman of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Activated Carbon standards committee for 10 years, completed a 5-year term on the AWWA Standards Committee, and served a 5-year term as a Trustee for AWWA’s Water Science and Research Division.

Dennis Baranik is a seasoned executive who has provided strategic and operational leadership to startup, early revenue, and Fortune 100 companies. As a corporate leader, he has created and implemented results-oriented campaigns and business plans - positively impacting market share, investment opportunities, and bottom-line results. Dennis has executive management experience in the environmental, activated carbon, automotive, consulting, marketing communications, and investment industries including leading roles in a Fortune 100 company. For the past 10 years, Dennis Baranik has been actively working at a senior level at an activated carbon supply firm where he was responsible for business development, partnerships, sales, and new strategic initiatives. Dennis earned both his BA and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Isaac Post is a seasoned sales professional with over 25 years of experience in the water treatment industry, having worked with leading companies such as GE Water and Calgon Carbon Corporation. He specializes in supplying media, equipment, and solutions for both industrial and municipal customers, approaching every partnership with a focus on driving product innovation to meet the unique needs of his clients. Isaac’s career has been marked by his ability to build strong, collaborative relationships, achieve consistent revenue growth, and contribute to new product development. His expertise extends to shaping corporate strategy and optimizing business systems, always ensuring a strong return on investment while fostering long-term customer loyalty.

Dr. Nicholas Lentz, Senior Analytics Manager for Birchtech, has more than 20 years of experience conducting mercury and water research and tests, both in the lab and in the field with over 75 full-scale test programs and numerous bench- and pilot test projects. Dr. Lentz manages Birchtech’s Analytic Design Center operations, which included the analysis and expert assessment of various contaminant and water sources. Dr. Lentz consulted on the center’s proprietary equipment design and integration, as well as PFAS testing protocols, and plays a critical role in the development of Birchtech’s innovative technologies for contaminant capture and removal. Nick is also an expert in the identification and development of new analytical methods for the advancement of elemental and small molecule analysis in a wide range of matrices including coal and coal by-products, CO2 capture solutions, oil and gas fuels; analysis for combustion flue gas, syngas, fuel oil, and biowaste. Prior to his current position, Dr. Lentz was an Associate Director for Energy Technology Applications in the Institute for Energy Studies at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Lentz also previously was a Center for Air Toxic Metals (CATM) Program Area Manager and Research Scientist at the Energy & Environmental Research Center. Dr. Lentz has a B.S. in Chemistry from Bemidji State University and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Iowa State University. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications.

Stacey has more than 20 years of experience as a corporate steward, supporting C-level executives and strategic initiatives aiding the growth of small to medium-sized companies in both the private and public sectors. In this role, she has been an advocate for corporate branding standards, streamlined sales processes, and driven marketing initiatives across various platforms, and has more than 12 years of experience in the specialty chemicals manufacturing industry. Working closely with Birchtech CEO, Richard MacPherson, and executive leadership, Stacey drives strategic growth projects across the executive Team and manages all areas of corporate communication. Stacey enjoys connecting the dots across the corporate landscape. A native Atlantan and University of Georgia alumni, Stacey resides in North Atlanta, is an active member of her community, and a professed lover of books, knowledge, and nature.