Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
August 05, 2015 02:00 AM

Rising Stars: Aaron Guan

Jeannie Reall
Correspondent
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Aaron Guan
    Guan

    Aaron Guan, 26

    Boco Technology Inc.

    Title: General manager

    Location: Toronto

    Birthplace: Wuxi, China

    Social media: LinkedIn

    Languages: English, Chinese

    Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in applied science, mechanical engineering, University of Toronto.

    Associations: Society of Plastic Engineers, Thermoplastics and Foams Division. I am the youngest person to serve as a board director and I am on the membership committee, planning contests, scholarships and events. I also moderate our division's LinkedIn profile.

    Q: Tell us about your family.

    Guan: I come from an immigrant family in China. We landed in Canada when I was 12 years old. My father used to be a history lecturer in China, but worked multiple general labor-type positions to keep the family afloat financially during the earlier years of immigration. Now he runs his own legal services business. My mother was a lecturer at a Chinese university, and later became manager of a hotel. After immigration, she went back to school to study nursing at the age of 40 — a field completely new to her. Now she works as a nurse at a long-term-care center in Toronto.

    Q: What was your first plastics job and why were you interested in the industry?

    Guan: I'm still working at my first plastic industry job. I'm fascinated by materials in general, the building blocks that makes the world tick, however, plastics are particularly fascinating. It is very impressive that a brand-new class of material synthesized barely 50 years ago can compete, even excel, against the likes of metals and ceramics with thousands of years of history. I think the plastics industry is the most dynamic.

    Q: What is your greatest achievement?

    Guan: I could cite that I have won multiple national research awards and been featured in evening news and print media. But the greatest achievement has to be the giant leap of faith I took to start my current company.

    Q: What is your biggest failure and what did it teach you?

    Guan: I don't think I can call any particular life event a biggest failure; rather, it is a number of small lessons I've learned along the way. They all teach their unique lessons and contribute to who I am today.

    Q: What is your current challenge at work?

    Guan: I'm facing the same set of challenges any entrepreneur faces: I feel like a one-man army, though I do receive help from a lot of good people. Also, having so much emotional energy invested, I can never leave my work at work. But this is the biggest learning experience I have encountered yet, and it's definitely worth the price to become a better person!

    Q: What emerging technology or market most interests you?

    Guan: We are a company that commercializes a bio-based reinforcing nanofiller, so naturally we look at nanocomposites, especially ones intended for biomedical applications, quite closely. Three-dimensional printing/additive manufacturing is quite a fascinating development. The prospect of rapidly creating a biomedical device/implant uniquely designed for a specific patient is just amazing.

    Q: Who is your mentor, or someone you look up to?

    Guan: Hani Naguib of the University of Toronto, my supervisor during my master's studies and currently my research collaborator with Boco Technology. He helped set me on the right path with sound advice, but also let me take control. Also, Xie Guo Ying, my current investor/business partner. He is just a legendary example of entrepreneurial persistence. When he immigrated to Canada barely 10 years ago, he was almost penniless. Now he runs one of the largest nutraceuticals companies in Canada.

    Q: What job do you really want to have in the future?

    Guan: I'd like to have exactly the same job I have now but with more assistants!

    Q: What do you do to relax?

    Guan: Oh no! You are going to find out how immature I am. I slay dragons and zombies in my free time (video game nerd, I know), but it's one of the quickest ways to take my mind off the stresses. I'm also a car enthusiast, finding some twisty roads to drive on the weekends, occasional track days and autocross events. Hiking is something I do pretty often too — fresh oxygen makes me think a lot better.

    Read an editorial on the need to recruit new workers and find links to other profiles.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    2
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    3
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    4
    Official says Norfolk Southern fire likely started in rail car containing resin
    5
    Commodity prices rise; engineering resins drop
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified