Magneco/Metrel Establishes Charles & Ann Connors Advanced Research Facility. Dominic Pautler Tabbed to Lead.

Ann & Charles W.B. Connors

Magneco/Metrel announces the creation of a new research and development facility dedicated to the advancement of next generation refractory products.

The Research Facility, named in memory of company founder Charles William Baldridge Connors and his wife Ann, will be based in Walnut, Illinois, in the heartland of America.

The Research Facility will be headed by Dominic Pautler, VP Advanced Research & Intellectual Property.

“Our goal is to pioneer sustainable, environmentally friendly manufacturing methods that provide greater control of refractory properties,” said Chuck Connors, Magneco/Metrel Chairman & CEO. “We’re excited that Dominic is coming back to the US to oversee this facility and apply his expertise to producing higher performance refractories.”

Pautler has been part of the Magneco/Metrel team since 1989, when he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Pautler has served as Quality Manager, leading Magneco’s ISO 9000 certification efforts. He later became plant manager for the Negley facility, then went on to lead product development at company headquarters in Addison, Illinois.

From 2006-2024 Pautler was the Plant Manager for Magneco/Metrel in Tianjin, China. He was charged with setting up operations from scratch and provided training to installers of Magneco’s material and technical support to the China team.

Dominic Pautler

Pautler grew up on the family farm in Chester Illinois raising livestock and became an Eagle Scout at an early age. Pautler met his wife Kai Kang in Tianjin in 2006, and they married in 2008.

Kai Kang had an illustrious career as a singer for the China Tianjin Song & Dance Theatre from 2003 to 2016. She began working as an Administrative / Research Assistant for Magneco Metrel (Tianjin) Refractories Co. Ltd. In 2016. She will continue her work as a Research Assistant at the new facility in Walnut.

The Charles & Ann Connors Advanced Research Facility is projected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026.