Mani Erfan

Mani Erfan is a chemical engineer, international entrepreneur, and industrial executive with over 33 years of leadership in the global catalyst industry. Based in Houston, Texas, he has built and managed companies specializing in catalyst manufacturing, purification technologies, and recycling. He founded a catalyst company from inception and expanded it into a global operation, generating more than $700 million in total product sales before its sale in 2020. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of a catalyst-recycling business with approximately $8 million in annual revenue. Erfan was born in Iran in 1966. His father was a commercial pilot and logged nearly 38,000 flight hours during his career. In 1983, at the age of 17, he moved to the United States and adjusted to a new language, culture, and educational system. In 1984, he began studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida. He completed 157 credit hours in less than four years and graduated in August 1988 with high honors and a GPA of 3.88. He started his professional career as a Process Engineer in Texas, focusing on evaluating chemical processes and identifying performance improvements. In 1990, he joined a Danish catalyst company as a Sales Engineer responsible for a 26-state territory. Over three years, he grew annual sales from $1.4 million to over $6 million and was promoted to Sales Manager, becoming the youngest person to hold the role at that time. In 1993, Erfan joined a Houston-based catalyst recycling company as International Sales Manager. Under his leadership, international revenue increased from $1 million to $11 million per year. In 2000, he launched a new catalyst company with $50,000 in seed capital and led it to peak annual revenues of $40 million before selling it for $38 million. He also founded a consulting and industrial solutions company that, by 2021, operated in over 10 countries and generated between $7.5 and $8 million annually. Since 1992, he has been deeply involved in ministry, founding a nonprofit organization, launching an online Bible college with 4,500 students, and managing programs supporting 1,500 clients. His charitable giving has totaled several million dollars, with annual contributions ranging from $200,000 to $300,000. Mani Erfan continues to lead with purpose in both the industrial and ministry fields.