THE RACE TO ZERO IS OVER!

Matthew Riley is the Founder and CEO of Astron as well as the Chairman of the Board. Matthew's latest invention, Astron's Omega 1 engine is revolutionary and will be disruptive to every engine market. Matthew is a creative genius in mechanical propulsion systems. In 2011 at the SAE conference Riley was recognized with one of the greatest achievements as an inventor when he was awarded the “Best of the Best” award for a two-stroke engine design that he invented. Matthew has many patents to his credit and has many new patents, both filed and pending for Astron's revolutionary new technology.

Kelly has a long history and knowledge of the aerospace industry as well as engineering. He is an enabler of client relationships.

Chris is an automotive industry legend. He is a 40 year automotive industry veteran and is known as The "Father of the Ford GT," and the "engineer´s engineer." .

Other Products: 2005 Ford Mustang, Ford 150, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, second-generation Chrysler Minivans, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Delorean Twin-Turbo, Chrysler/Calspan Research Safety Vehicle and numerous Powertrains, among others. Companies:

1. CEO – American Specialty Cars
2. CAD/CAE Design and Analysis
3. CEO – Saleen, Inc.
4. PVP – Ford North American Product Development
• VP North American Car Product Development (including Jaguar and Ford of Australia)
• VP North American Product Development
• VP Advance Product Development
• Products included: Ford GT, 2005 Mustang, F150, Fusion, Freestyle, 500, and advance programs including Flex
5. Senior Vice President Daimler Chrysler
6. VP – Chrysler Platform Engineering
7. VP of Platform Engineering
• General Manager of Minivan and Small Car Platforms
• Head of powertrain engineering
• Products included: 2nd generation Minivan, Neon, PT Cruiser, Prowler and Viper
8. Director – AMC Engine Engineering
9. VP – Cars & Concepts
10. VP – Legend Industries

Mr. Johnson is Astron’s CFO. He has been employed as a tax accountant for over 20 years. He currently is majority owner in a small CPA firm in Derby, Kansas that employs 10 people. They provide tax, consulting and accounting services to a wide range of individuals and businesses. He received his Bachelors of Accounting degree from Wichita State University in 1998. In 2000 he received his Masters of Professional Accountancy degree from Wichita State University. He then sat for the CPA exam and passed it in 2002 receiving his certificate to practice. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Mike Mockry has been in the aerospace industry for over 30 years and is the owner of Mockry & Sons Machine. His career in aerospace began in 1988 as a shipping & receiving clerk at McGinty Machine where he advanced to becoming an accomplished machinist and manager. With this experience, he moved into other managerial roles including becoming the Shop Supervisor and later the Quality Control Manager and eventually a General Manager. In 1994 along with his father he started Mockry & Sons Machine Company where he has spent the last 26 years managing this successful aerospace manufacturing company. During this time, he also gained experience in the automotive industry helping a local business develop and reengineer their fluid exchange machines including transmission, coolant, brake, and fuel systems. He continued to grow his business in the aerospace industry implementing the business systems and certifications necessary that helped his company to become a first-tier supplier to multiple aerospace manufacturers such as Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation to name a few.

Cody Liby has been in the automotive and aerospace industries for over 24 years. He began working in the automotive industry in 1994 at R&L Automotive where he built engines and performed other automotive repairs for all makes and models. In 1997 he began working for a small aerospace machine shop, Mockry and Sons Machine and in 2000 he became the Shop Manager. During this time, he also accomplished several R&D projects including the start-up and design of BG Products transmission fitting kits and brake machines flow transfer block. In late 2005 he took a position as Operations Manager with Wichita Aerospace Spares (W.A.S.I.), overseeing all manufacturing departments including Milling, Lathe, Assembly, Forming, Welding, and Shop Scheduling. In 2008 he went to work for Buffco Engineering to establish a new Multi-axis Mill/Turn Lathe Division managing machine acquisitions, shop layouts, quoting, machine set-up, programming, and training. With these responsibilities, he was also able to work with Super Jet Drilling Systems designing adapter kits for all the different drilling systems producing many custom engine parts and modifications for race cars and off-road motorsports. In 2011 he accepted a role as Senior Estimator for the KMI (formerly Wolfe Machine), where he was responsible for all cost estimating and product valuations. Then In 2016, he accepted the position of General Manager at Mockry and Sons, where he began his aerospace career, taking over all aspects of shop management and operations until he joined Astron Aerospace, LLC in 2019.

Mark Kendrick has been a business owner and a manager of operations for the past 30 years. He was the sole proprietor of Kendrick Farms where he managed all facets of farming operations including production control and equipment maintenance while overseeing all sales and financial aspects of the business. From 2009-2015 he was a member of the Wellington COOP Board of Directors overseeing the administration of product needs for the local farming community and from 1998-2006 he was a member of the Chikaskia TWP (township) board of directors where he helped oversee the maintenance and infrastructure needs of the township. He moved on in 2017 to work for Clearwater Engineering who is a supplier to the aerospace industry. This move provided him experience in high-speed precision milling machining and the operations of a modern machine shop. He quickly moved into shop management and eventually into the expanded role of Operations Manager. With this change, he managed all complex high speed and hard metals milling as well as assembly, maintenance, and facilities. His hands-on experience in machining and shop floor management, as well as other managerial positions, has also led to leading roles in lean manufacturing, production management, and efficiency initiatives including high levels of work in business systems and operations management.

During his tenure as a United States Marine, Steve developed a strong mechanical background. As Technical Director Astron, this background, along with technical data collection and engineering relationships, Steve has been extremely beneficial in the development of the Omega 1 engine with insight into America’s energy and environmental needs.

He has an impressive background. For the last decade, Steve has been involved in numerous projects focused on the modeling of mobile source emissions related to gasoline and ethanol blends. Steve’s influence was instrumental in enabling testing that resulted in the publishing of numerous Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) papers on ethanol’s performance and emission benefits. In 2019, Steve was awarded the High Octane Award by BBI International and Ethanol Producer Magazine for his passion and unstoppable pursuits to benefit the ethanol industry.

Steve has also been instrumental in raising awareness within the scientific community, ethanol industry and general public on the health and emission benefits of ethanol. His dedication to engine and fuel properties has created a new level of research and understanding related to fuel ethanol.

• As an ASTM member, Steve has presented multiple times on fuel property limits and the challenges with modeling ethanol in a gasoline mixture.
• Member of the National Conference of Weights & Measures
• Member of EPA’s MOVES Review Group which reviews and analyzes the emission modeling qualities of EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) model.
• Active member in the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) Association
• Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee, Clean Fuels Development Coalition

Dr. Barnhart is the Associate Dean of Research and Engagement as well as Executive Director- Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus, Salina, KS. He is serving as the executive director of the Applied Aviation Research Center which established and now oversees the Unmanned Aerial Systems program office. He is also responsible for the creation and administration of two research centers, the Applied Aviation Research Center, and the Bulk Solids Innovation Center. There, he is tasked with pivoting a campus with a primary teaching mission to one which incorporates leading research. He is responsible for developing business strategy, maintaining legislative relationships, and working with state leadership as current chair of the Kansas Governor’s Aviation Advisory Board. In this role his current project is development of a strategic plan to leverage Kansas' deep history in aviation manufacturing to global competitiveness in advanced aerospace research operations. Dr. Barnhart is also responsible for managing campus research activities including research seed funding program oversight and undergraduate research showcase development. Dr. Barnhart’s Research agenda has been focused on the integration of Unmanned. Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System. His industry experience includes work as an R&D inspector with Rolls Royce Engine Company where he worked on the RQ-4 Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft development program, Research & Developmental Test Inspector, Allison Engine Co. (Now Rolls Royce), in Indianapolis, IN. where he monitored the build & tear-down of prototype jet aircraft engines. Engines included: 250 (all series), T-56, T-406, T-800, AE 3007 & 2100. Projects included the Citation X, V-22 Osprey, and Saab 2000. Dr. Barnhart is an invaluable asset to Astron in the development and production of this revolutionary new engine.

Bryan is a registered patent attorney, mechanical engineer, and former patent examiner for the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). His practice focuses on all aspects of intellectual property law, with an emphasis on patent prosecution, patent infringement/non-infringement opinions, negotiating and documenting technology-related transactions, strategic protection of intellectual property assets and intellectual property litigation. Bryan regularly handles the procurement of intellectual property in the U.S. and abroad, including in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and numerous other jurisdictions worldwide. He has counseled clients on the analysis of patent validity and infringement, represented clients in patent infringement litigation, and prosecuted numerous patent applications.

Dr. Philip E. Alei is a Ph.D. Mechanical Engineer with over 25 years of experience in designing, building, and testing prototypes. He is a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) and has taught Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced SolidWorks topics at the college level. His education includes a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from The University of California, Berkeley, also in Mechanical Engineering. Along with his design expertise, Dr. Alei owns a full machine shop and eight 3D printers. One of these printers, a Markforged Mark Two, prints with chopped carbon fiber reinforced nylon. It also has the capability to incorporate continuous fiber reinforcement with fiberglass, carbon, or Kevlar yielding parts with tremendous strength and stiffness. These lightweight parts are equivalent to or better than quality purchased components, but custom parts can be designed and produced in a matter of days. This combination of education, skill, experience, and fabrication capability puts Dr. Alei in a unique position to provide ultra-fast design iterations on a large variety of projects. In 1991, Dr. Alei and two other Ph.D. graduates from UC Berkeley founded Berkeley Engineering And Research (BEAR, Inc.), a consulting company focused on design, analysis, and testing of a variety of mechanical devices and systems. More can be found on our website: www.bearinc.com The company is now involved with several COVID-related projects, including a non-invasive ventilator. Using a CPAP, full-face snorkel, and related interface we can provide oxygen to a patient without intubation. Although the United States government has not approved the device, we have successfully employed hundreds of these units in foreign countries, saving many lives in the process. Dr. Alei’s passion is providing fast prototype development, taking an idea “from your head to your hands” A recent colleague has stated: “Dr. Phil, with you, I don’t even need a bar napkin! I wave my hands with design ideas, and you put a working prototype in my hands within days that is even better than I imagined”

Evan is a highly talented, up-and-coming engineer at Astron Aerospace. Evan joined the company as an intern and is completing his bachelor's in engineering.

Monte Clark is a public speaker, author, and co-founder of Abound Social, a sales enablement company. Monte is widely considered one of the foremost thinkers and strategists of marketing on Linkedin. He has owned four other companies including a marketing, real estate, and eCommerce company. He was Vice President of Marketing for Quality Group of Companies in Kansas City before starting Abound Social. Monte is a fractional CMO for three companies including his role with Astron Aerospace, LLC. Monte coaches business owners and executives across the globe on how to unify their marketing and sales teams through brand message and personal brand development. Monte is the host of multiple business podcasts and was a founding board member of the Christian Community Foundation of Kansas City.