The People Who Work Here: Robert Smalling, Chemist

A laboratory can be a lot like a concert hall and work there is as if it were a musical composition. Arrangements can be complicated.

Robert Smalling is as serious about his work at A Brite Company as he is about his creative endeavors outside of his work.

“Everything has to follow a prescribed process, a score,” Robert told us recently. “While there is room for variation, it really has to be clear where things originated and where they are going.”

Just like a musical composition or a short story.

Robert is a chemist in the R&D lab at A Brite. He is responsible for quality control and also works with the company’s chief chemist, Dr. Chalo Aoun. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“I met Chalo when I was earning my BS in chemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas, "Robert said. “After working together in the lab, she called me one day and set up an interview at A Brite. I interviewed and was hired just after I graduated.” Robert has been with A Brite since 2008.

“Chalo thought I would be a good fit for the company,” Robert said.

Interested in science, chemistry and physics since he was a child, Robert also has a creative side.

“I write music, poetry and short stories,” Robert said. “The creative process is similar to the scientific process in that it has steps and formulas but you can still have the freedom to make judgments. To me, it is the best of all worlds.”

Robert and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.