At Avista® Technologies, we focus our vast knowledge and varied experience on a singular goal: improving your membrane system performance. Our scientists, engineers and support team are committed to finding smart solutions. Their dedication and exacting approach bring a tremendous amount of added value to our proprietary formulations and process support services.
Avista is led by professionals who have dedicated their careers to the water treatment industry. Their combined experience covers every aspect of membrane technology and pretreatment, including system design, operation and maintenance, membrane manufacturing and chemical formulation.
Today, the seasoned experts at Avista lead the way, sharing their expertise and knowledge, to cultivate long-term partnerships with Avista customers.
Avista Technologies, Inc.
DAVE WALKER
President and CEO
As one of the original founders of Avista Technologies, David Walker’s expertise and leadership have established Avista as a leader in providing specialty chemicals to the membrane separation industry. Dave was Director of Sales for Argo Scientific Inc. and Regional Sales Manager for Polymetrics Inc. With almost 30 years of experience in the reverse osmosis and high purity water treatment industry, Dave’s experience compliments the Walker family legacy which includes his father, Don Walker, who is a recognized Pioneer in membrane separations.
KAREN LINDSEY
Vice President of Operations
Karen Lindsey is one of the original founders of Avista and serves as Vice President of Operations. With more than 30 years of experience in the membrane separations industry, Karen is recognized for managing an RO point of use membrane element manufacturer and for establishing key distributors in territories throughout Latin America while working for Purification Products and Argo Scientific respectively. In 2013, she received the Presidential Award for significant contributions to the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA).
DAN COMSTOCK
Vice President of Research & Development
Dan Comstock is the Vice President of Research and Development and a co-founder of Avista Technologies. He began his career in water treatment in 1967 as a Research Engineer at Burnes and Roe, an architectural and engineering firm. In the late 1970’s he took a position with Neptune Microfloc researching membrane fouling mechanisms. He worked for Desalination Systems and then as R&D Director of Argo Scientific where he formulated specialty chemicals for reverse osmosis membranes. In 1999 he co-founded Avista and is responsible for all of the chemical formulations as well as the R&D department and laboratory.
DOUG EISBERG
Director of Business Development
Doug Eisberg is a water treatment applications veteran and Avista’s Business Development Director. Prior to joining Avista, Doug worked for Energy Recovery Inc (ERI) as a Product Director where he created the ERI pump strategy. At Advanced Structures Inc., the makers of CodeLine (Pentair Water) membrane housings, Doug was instrumental in setting the industry standard for composite housing features. He was also Founder and President of PROTEC (Bekaert Progressive Composites) membrane pressure vessels. Doug is the Chairman of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section X Subcommittee, active Director of the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and serves as a board member of the International Desalination Association (IDA).
LEE DURHAM
Director of Technical Services
Lee Durham is Director of Technical Services for Avista Technologies and has over 33 years experience in the membrane separations industry. He began in 1980 working for Desalination Systems (DSI), then worked in the specialty chemical field with the newly founded Argo Scientific. Lee’s tenure at Koch Membrane Systems and Toray Membrane as Global Product Line Manager for Specialty Separations provided experience in a variety of water treatment applications including; municipal waste water and membrane technologies including Reverse Osmosis, Ultra filtration, Nano filtration, Hollow Fiber Micro Filtration, and Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) development and design.
MELISSA KAYSEN
Director of Marketing
Melissa Kaysen is the Director of Marketing for Avista with over a decade of experience in strategic market planning, branding, and execution. Melissa led Avista’s highly successful market re-branding project and continues to guide the company’s worldwide market expansion, support for a global distributor network, execution of marketing communications, and maintain a consistent international identity. She has worked for both start-up organizations and Fortune 500 companies across a variety of business to business and business to consumer industries.
SARA PIETSCH
Director of Laboratory Services and Research & Development
Sara Pietsch is the Laboratory Services Manager at Avista Technologies in San Marcos, CA. After completing her degree in Chemistry from California State San Marcos, with an emphasis on inorganic and analytical chemistry, Sara joined Avista Technologies and now leads the laboratory and R&D team. Sara and her team correlate laboratory findings with on-site field data to help solve membrane fouling issues and identify ways to prevent future performance declines. In addition to laboratory services Sara oversees research and development efforts, ensuring Avista meets today’s water challenges and membrane compatibility requirements.
Avista Technologies (UK) Ltd
MIKE JEFFERIES
Managing Director
Mike Jefferies is the Managing Director of Avista Technologies UK Ltd. He has over 25 years experience as a process engineer in industrial water treatment as both a system designer and chemical supplier. His career encompassed water treatment research and design with Permutit before he specialized in chemicals after joining Argo Scientific. Founding Avista Technologies UK Ltd in 2000 he continues to apply his diverse knowledge of water treatment applications to provide EMEA distributors with technical support and business guidance.
NEIL LOVE
Operations Director
Neil Love is the Operations Director for Avista Technologies (UK) Ltd with over 25 years of experience in membrane chemical field service and operations. Early in his career, Neil worked for a general chemical distributor before specializing in membrane chemical supply at Argo Scientific and going on to found Avista Technologies (UK) in 2000. He now manages the chemical manufacture and distribution of the UK operation for customers throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.