Arthur P. Haag, owner and founder of Neutrex Inc. and creator of Purgex purging compounds, died Jan. 18 at the age of 93.
Haag was born in Chicago, the youngest son of a German mechanical engineer. In 1966, he developed his first business venture, PureChem Corp., where he co-developed new methods and equipment for producing high-purity titanium trichloride. He was co-awarded four U.S. patents.
After PureChem was sold to Dart Industries in 1970, Haag managed all catalyst operations at Dart and later at Phillips Petroleum when the division was sold to the latter company.
He then used his chemical engineering background to develop Purgex purging compounds and found Neutrex, where he served as president until 2021. Purgex compounds are used to improve purging efficiency for injection molding, extrusion and blow molding applications.
He is survived by his wife, five children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
“Our dad will be remembered as a kind and brilliant man, and a great leader and mentor to all of us at Neutrex,” said Ken Haag, operations manager, and Kathleen Jarvis, national sales director.
“It’s because of him that Purgex has become a global leader, and we are committed to achieving his vision for the future,” President Jason Pizcazotowski said.
