Over the years, Equilibar’s technical team has worked with clients to envision new applications and expand into industries I never could have imagined when I first started the company. These new engineering ventures include single use valves for the pharmaceutical industry, massive custom regulators for the defense industry, and cryogenic valves for supercritical CO2 extraction.
To keep up with these ideas and requests, we have steadily added to our engineering department, and I’m happy to introduce our two newest design engineers:
Carlyle Donevant earned a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of South Carolina. Before joining us this summer, he worked for Nephron Pharmaceuticals in Columbia, SC, where he did hands-on work for a large-scale pharmaceutical production. “I was involved in a continuous manufacturing process that formed, filled and sealed sterile vials,” Carlyle said. “I got a lot of experience in a short time as the company grew from 350 to just under 2000 employees in three years.” 
Carlyle was attracted to Equilibar because it is a small, nimble company that can respond quickly to change. “I love to be involved in the design process in an environment where everyone’s thoughts and ideas are heard,” he said.
The outdoor opportunities of Western North Carolina were another big draw for Carlyle. “I started coming here in Boy Scouts and spent almost every weekend in the area when I was in college. I love everything outdoors, but I especially love whitewater paddling. In a way you could say I study fluid dynamics every time I go out on the water.”
While he is already involved in several sanitary applications, Carlyle is also interested in aerospace and other ground-breaking industries. “It’s been surprising to see the depth of the Equilibar technology and how much we can do with our devices.”
Zac Cobb earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. It was during college that Zac began working with a blacksmith and learned the crafts of welding and fabricating metal. He eventually began making sculptural jewelry and other metal artwork and moved to Asheville to work as a professional artist. He later worked as a machinist for Industry Nine, a company that designs and manufactures custom cycling components for serious mountain bikers around the world. 
In his role at Equilibar, Zac says he is able to integrate the hands-on aspect of metal working with a scientific approach to problem solving. “I’ve always enjoyed using my hands to learn how things work but I’ve also always enjoyed math and science,” he said. “Engineering is especially interesting to me because it provides intellectual tools to understand the physics involved.”
Given Zac’s diverse background, it’s not surprising that he has a unique perspective on ways to effectively bridge the gap between engineering and production. “At Equilibar, I’m definitely looking forward to working with customers on applications, but my personal goal is to use my manufacturing knowledge to find clever solutions that will benefit both production and engineering and make the process work optimally for everyone.”
Zac says he is especially interested in fuel cell technology and alternative energy.
In his free time, Zac hikes and mountain bikes in Pisgah National Forest. He also enjoys exploring Asheville’s food scene and he continues to create jewelry and sculpture.
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I feel lucky to work with some of the most on-point people in the fluid control industry, and we all feel lucky to have Carlyle and Zac on our team. If you would like to get in touch with them or any of our engineers, email inquiry@equilibar.com . You may also contact me personally at jeffjennings@equilibar.com . We look forward to hearing from you.
