St. Louis, MO — January 12, 2026 — BioSpan Technologies, a Washington, Missouri-based leader in bio-based pavement and infrastructure solutions, today announced that Lindsey Hermes has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, succeeding company founder Dr. Shel Chesky, who will continue to support the company in an advisory role.
The leadership transition follows a year of significant momentum for BioSpan and reflects a deliberate, multi-year succession plan designed to support continued growth as demand rises for high-performance, low-carbon infrastructure solutions.
Hermes has served as President and Chief Operating Officer and played a central role in BioSpan’s recent acceleration. In 2025, the company doubled its revenues, expanded its national distributor network, and made a notable impact at World of Asphalt, hosted in St. Louis. BioSpan’s presence at the event drew strong interest from contractors, engineers, and public agencies focused on extending the life of existing infrastructure.
“BioSpan was built on the idea that performance and sustainability can—and should—go hand in hand,” said Chesky. “Lindsey has helped sharpen that vision and bring it to the forefront of the industry. Her leadership has been instrumental to BioSpan’s recent growth, and I have full confidence in her as CEO.”
Hermes joined BioSpan in mid-2024 after returning from Hong Kong, where she showed multinational companies carbon-reduction opportunities in their supply chains. She quickly reinvigorated BioSpan’s external voice, positioning the company not only as a technology innovator, but as a thought leader advancing a smarter, preservation-first approach to infrastructure. That message gained broader visibility in 2025 when Hermes was selected as a TEDx St. Louis speaker, challenging audiences to rethink how roads and infrastructure are managed amid rising material costs, extreme weather, and increasing carbon accountability.
“Infrastructure owners are under immense pressure to do more with less,” Hermes said. “BioSpan exists to help them extend the life of what they’ve already built—practically, economically, and responsibly. Preservation isn’t a compromise; it’s a strategy.”
Chesky, a chemist, built BioSpan on the patented bio-based technologies he developed to protect and extend the service life of asphalt and concrete. These chemistries use U.S.-grown soybean oil as a primary ingredient, replacing petroleum-based materials with a renewable, domestically sourced alternative. BioSpan’s solutions are used by public works departments, transportation agencies, contractors, and commercial owners to reduce maintenance frequency, lower lifecycle costs, and improve long-term performance.
As CEO, Hermes will guide BioSpan at a time when infrastructure strategy is evolving. Aging assets, constrained budgets, and climate-driven stressors are forcing agencies and owners to rethink traditional “build-and-replace” models.
“Replacement will always be part of infrastructure management,” Hermes said. “But it should be the last step, not the first. Protecting roads, pavements, and structures earlier is one of the smartest investments we can make.”
Chesky, who founded BioSpan and led its research and innovation since 1993, emphasized that the transition reflects continuity as much as change.
“This is the next chapter of BioSpan, not a departure from its roots,” Chesky said. “Lindsey understands the science, the market, and the responsibility we carry to deliver solutions that perform in the real world.”
Looking ahead, BioSpan will continue to expand its distributor footprint, including internationally, while contributing to growing demand for U.S.-grown soybean oil in infrastructure applications.
BioSpan’s product family includes:
RePlay® Bio-Based Asphalt Preservation Agent – 88% bio-based, PFAS-free, soy-derived formula that penetrates deeply, restores binder, reduces oxidation and cracking, and allows traffic return in about 30 minutes.
OptiSeal™ Concrete Sealer – A PFAS-free, low-VOC sealer that protects concrete pavements, bridge decks, ramps and sidewalks from moisture, salt, and freeze–thaw damage.
About BioSpan Technologies
BioSpan Technologies is a Missouri-based developer of bio-based pavement and concrete preservation solutions designed to extend infrastructure life, improve performance, and reduce environmental impact. For more than 30 years, BioSpan has focused on practical, research-driven chemistries that help public agencies, contractors, and commercial owners protect critical infrastructure assets under demanding conditions.