Paul Sandstrom counts among his many accomplishments the development of a polymer used in artificial hearts and finger joints.
The longtime Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. polymer chemist, a research and development fellow, has about 1,400 patents to his name.
And it was largely due to his 46 years of work at Goodyear that Sandstrom was picked to represent the tire maker’s employees at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony that dedicated Goodyear’s new corporate headquarters.
While he didn’t have a speaking role, Sandstrom, an Akron resident, said he was proud and happy being able to represent all of his co-workers.
“It is an honor, no doubt about it,” he said.
He works in Goodyear’s Innovation Center that is connected by a bridge walkway to the new headquarters. He is a five-time winner of the company’s inventor of the year.
“I have a passion for my work,” the 69-year-old Sandstrom said. “I get in here early, by 5 or 6 [a.m.] every day. I enjoy what I do. I dread the day I can’t come to work.”
As part of his workweek, he said he spends five to six hours a week mentoring and training younger employees. “I try to teach new people the science that I know,” he said.
Sandstrom noted that he looks to develop polymers for use in tires, not artificial hearts or finger joints. But sometimes polymers turn out to be impractical for tires but useful in other applications such as medicine and health, he said.
His more recent tire-related work has been incorporated into Goodyear’s Fuel Max tread, Wrangler sidewalls and more.
“In the end of the day, we have to work on what marketing is trying to put out,” Sandstrom said.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.