Meet our team

DAVE ZAMARIN
FOUNDER / CEO

Sneaker-head, serial entrepreneur, thrill-seeker and proud founder of DetraPel, David Zamarin is the chief visionary behind his company which he brought to life in 2013 at the young age of 15.  David’s passion and urgency to disrupt the growing trajectory of global challenges directly caused by irresponsible manufacturing, is the driving force for the company’s philosophy and purpose which is rooted in a commitment to develop innovative formulas that reduce environmental impacts and negative health effects. While David spends most of his time working on developing DetraPel, he recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Babson College where he received the Entrepreneurship Award. A member of several youth entrepreneurship advisory boards, David seeks to give back to the entrepreneurship community and ignite the minds of young aspiring leaders. 

TAREK TABBARA
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

As COO, Tarek is a key member of the DetraPel executive team, responsible for driving growth and efficiency across multiple disciplines. With his vast experience spanning from startups through scale-ups and turnarounds/restructurings, Tarek is known for being both a strategic and tactical thinker with a roll-up-his-sleeves approach to getting the job done. His proven track record in growing businesses and creating shareholder value is just one thing to brag about, he’s also lived in 8 countries, speaks 3 languages and is an avid skier.

JUAN JARUFE
CHIEF R&D OFFICER

Juan brings more than 35 years of experience in the chemical industry. With skills in research & development, chemistry, polymers, resin, and additives, Juan is fundamental in leading DetraPel’s innovative development. As a resourceful and goal-driven scientist, Juan drives results in developing new technologies. When he’s not enthusiastically formulating in the lab, you can find him scuba diving or entertaining his pets. Juan loves “all 3 of his pets equally… but his dog Leo is his favorite.”  

JENNIFER SWANTON
FINANCE MANAGER

Jennifer brings her love of numbers and their unique ability to tell a story to her position as Finance Manager. After graduating from college, she had the opportunity to work on an assembly line which made her an enthusiast for manufacturing products in the USA and combined with her love of the environment makes working at DetraPel the perfect job for her. Jennifer comes with 25+ years of Finance experience and in her “free” time, she enjoys playing a round of golf, cooking, camping, traveling, reading, hiking with her dog, doing jigsaw puzzles, and most importantly spending time with her adult children. 

CASEY WETZEL
CHEMICAL ENGINEER

Driven by hand-on experimental design, execution and data analysis, Casey also known internally as Dr. DetraPel, is fundamental in bringing DetraPel’s innovative formulas to life. With extensive experience in material science research, including membrane development and polymer science, Casey is the go-to guy around the office for all our scientific questions. His Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and BA in Physics are just the tip of his educational iceberg, Casey also studied Music and can rouse a crowd by playing a beautiful ballad on the piano.

MELISSA JARUFE
RESEARCH CHEMIST

Melissa is an integral part of the DetraPel team. With over 20 years in the field of chemistry, she brings technical expertise as well as analytical and problem solving skills with her to the lab. Her passions for healthy living and well-being are what drive her to assist in product development with a focus on innovative solutions that reduce negative health effects.  Previously, Melissa owned a Massage Therapy practice. She also makes a mean gumbo that her coworkers always look forward to having her bring in.