As ChemQuest marks our 50th anniversary in 2026, we’ve enjoyed many celebrations over the past several months. We truly appreciate all of your congratulations and support, both past and present.

The celebrations continue, as we have another major milestone to commemorate this year — Dan Murad’s 30th year with the company. Dan joined ChemQuest in 1996, a year that saw the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, the introduction of the iconic Nintendo 64, and the defeat of international chess champion Gary Kasparov by IBM’s Deep Blue computer. Over the decades, Dan’s vision and leadership as president and CEO have transformed ChemQuest from a small, niche firm into a dynamic, global consultancy with broad expertise across specialty chemicals, formulated products, and advanced materials. In just the past 20 years alone, we’ve supported clients in more than 2,000 projects and special assignments.

ChemQuest is now over 130 minds strong and includes industry experts with deep, real-world experience, including more than 50 Ph.D. scientists. Our teams collaborate across four main business pillars — Business Strategy & Transformation, M&A Advisory, Operational Excellence, and Technology Development — to support global clients ranging from corporate and portfolio companies to industry associations and private equity firms. We also operate the ChemQuest Technology Institute, which now also houses ChemQuest Powder Coating Research, and we’ve launched a strategic partnership with PCI&KM in the Asia-Pacific region.

While all this growth has been substantial and gratifying, Dan also continues to evaluate long-term strategies that will enable ChemQuest to further evolve. Toward that end, he recently tapped industry veteran Robert (Robb) Lovegrove to take on the role of president and CEO. Dan remains actively engaged in his role as chairman, working closely with Robb, who has taken on the responsibility of driving day-to-day operations. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dan and Robb about this transition, as well as their plans for the future.

For the past five years or so, I've been thinking about what the future of ChemQuest could be, as well as what that future would mean for me. I began to look at various options, one of which was to sell the business, and I spoke with several different advisors and close industry colleagues to hear their perspectives.

I also spoke with my family members, of course, many times over the years. However, none of them really knew exactly what we did or how we did it. The situation changed completely when several of them expressed an interest in joining ChemQuest and getting involved. This really cemented the best pathway forward, which is for the family to retain ownership.

I next began to ask myself who would be the best steward to lead ChemQuest into the future. It’s that paradox where the founder or the CEO who gets the company to a certain level is not the same individual who takes it to the next level. I’ve had the time of my life building this company, but I recognize that I’m not the best person to take it to that next level.

Also, as a business owner, my brain is never off. I’m constantly thinking about not just myself and the business but about all our employees and their families. Who would have a similar passion to drive and grow the business? What characteristics would I look for in that individual?

Robb was always my first consideration. He and I have had a tremendous, decades-long history working together on many projects while he was at both Eastman and Milliken.

Robb is a top-notch strategic thinker, which was vital in my mind. He has the ability to take in the facts and devise and articulate solutions, communicating with top management at all levels, as well as investment bankers and advisors. And he has the capability to professionalize our organization, bringing in modern business practices and eliminating certain redundancies.

Robb has strengths and capabilities in areas I don’t have, and his experience at Milliken puts him in a position to manage family dynamics. He just ticks all the boxes, and it’s truly a complementary relationship. I easily trust turning operational aspects of the business over to him, knowing I can continue to follow my passions and really work on the things that ChemQuest needs long-term to accelerate its growth.

I was coming up on the 10-year anniversary of doing the same job, which I had truly enjoyed. As head of corporate strategy/corporate development for a major corporation, the day-to-day is not stale. There were a lot of dynamics to manage that kept things interesting and engaging. But I realized I’d gotten to the point that if I didn’t do something else, I probably wouldn’t — and I had to ask myself if I would regret it.

Dan had said something to me once, and I just kind of hit me: If you love doing what you’re doing for one company, think about how you could do it for 200-plus organizations. We did a really great job over 10 years transforming Milliken. What if I could do that for four or five people each day? What kind of impact could I make then?

I also thought about the passion and respect I’ve had for the ChemQuest organization, and I was intrigued about the possibilities. Milliken is a very successful privately owned company, and with the way it’s professionally managed, it works for generations of family ownership. How could we build the same dynamic for the Murad family and ChemQuest?

The other part of the mindset is that I envisioned a way to create a mechanism for Dan to do what he wants to do for as long as he wants. If I put myself in his shoes, you can’t stop when you build something like this — because of all the relationships and just the fun of it.

His energy and knowledge are integral to our success, and I want him to still enjoy the thrill of the deal or seeing various pieces coming together. So it’s the fun of working together again, as well as building the business and providing an environment where the next generation of Murads gets involved.

Simple: What it could become. When you look at the base that we’re building on, the base capabilities, the brand, the talent, the number and range of people who want to work with us — whether as experts in the organization or as clients — I get really excited about expanding into a more prominent position.

Dan’s had a great system all along, and we’ve begun work on further professionalizing the back office to make sure there’s stability and adaptability. From an accounting perspective, this involves having world-class systems that provide checks and balances while streamlining and improving the speed and efficiency of our operations.

We’re also implementing some new systems relative to SG&A for better insight on travel and similar costs. I’m looking forward to all those systems getting in place and having the change to a little bit more depth in the back-office operations.

I’m also looking forward to exploring ways that AI might play a role. How could that technology add more efficiency in our routine activities and the way we do our work?

There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re going in a great direction. There are so many opportunities for ChemQuest. With every door we open, there are different routes we could be taking. We’ve got to be able to capture the right opportunities quickly and also be able to say no to projects that may not serve us.

As I’ve gotten acclimated and more involved, it’s really impressive how much of the value chain ChemQuest can actually get involved in. The uniqueness here is it’s not that we make a widget, and the widget’s sold to a consumer. It’s the intricate materials value chains in which we work and uniquely understand. To me, it’s almost like being a private detective and figuring out what’s going on with a business. Then based on what’s going on, exploring the best pathways for us to help people grow, improve, and prosper.

I’m looking forward to watching ChemQuest thrive as I transition from the person who was executing to the person who’s cheerleading. As Robb and some of my family members grow into their roles, I can’t wait to watch all of this activity and be grateful that these professionals are doing all this work that I didn’t have time to do.

Of course, on a personal note, I enjoy having an individual in Robb who can be the one worrying about the various business issues, giving me time to relax a little bit while knowing the business is in good hands. I sleep with more peace of mind, and I wake up with less stress.

I’m looking forward to spending more time with family and doing the things that I love to do. Our M&A Advisory work, for example, is an area I’ve always been passionate about. I’m excited to explore ways to substantially accelerate our growth in that area. I’m also looking forward to continuing to work with mid-market companies, other business owners like myself, to grow their businesses.

Robb affords me the opportunity to follow those passions, and he, in turn, then gets the opportunity that I was given to take the organization from one level to the next. One of the things that I learned from Bill Brocksterman, ChemQuest’s CEO before me, was having the humility to just step back, with trust, and get the hell out of the way. Bill’s trust enabled me to build the company according to my vision. I made mistakes, of course, but I learned from those mistakes, and we’ve grown the company substantially.

That’s the future I’m envisioning. I believe Robb is the true natural steward of this business, and he’s going to do things I couldn’t do. That’s the journey he and I are building together.

How can we help you? Let’s start talking: https://chemquest.com/lets-start-talking/