Meet The Founder
Paul SerVaas
Founder of Abradem®
President of SerVaas Laboratories
Engineer, Innovator, Purpose-Driven Leader
Paul SerVaas is the founder of Abradem® Corporation and a lifelong innovator known for his dedication to quality, people, and problem-solving. As the former president of SerVaas Laboratories, Paul led the company behind the iconic Bar Keepers Friend® brand, a household cleaning staple with a reputation for performance and trust. His leadership style is rooted in a quiet passion for doing things better—whether it’s designing a new product or making the workplace more human-centered and efficient.
A trained engineer with a heart for people, Paul has always focused on solutions that serve others. His work at SerVaas Laboratories included improving factory ergonomics, investing in sustainability, and prioritizing employee well-being. The result: a workplace culture where innovation thrives and employees are treated like family.
With Abradem®, Paul has turned his attention to solving one of the most complex challenges in cleaning: reaching confined, non-disassemblable spaces in critical industries. In collaboration with leading researchers, he helped bring a scientific breakthrough to life—creating a product that not only performs, but improves lives.
A Human-Centered Approach to Innovation
Paul’s work has always been more than technical; it’s about meaningful impact. At Bar Keepers Friend, this showed in everything from reducing employee strain with robotic lifting systems to cutting commute times by implementing a four-day work week and running a company shuttle. At every turn, Paul looked for ways to support people and processes.
Even in product development, his focus remained on real-world usefulness. A telling example: when asked to cut costs in product formulas, Paul instead directed his team to make them better. That same mindset guides Abradem® today, a commitment to performance without compromise.
A Culture of Pride, Purpose, & Ingenuity
Engineering a Cleaner, Smarter Future
From Bar Keepers Friend to Abradem®, Paul SerVaas has built a career around practical innovation with a human focus. Whether showcasing BKF’s rainwater recycling system or sharing stories of customers restoring family heirlooms, Paul’s pride runs deeper than product performance; it’s about creating tools that genuinely improve people’s lives.
He believes the best products speak for themselves. That’s why BKF never needed a mascot, its reputation grew through millions of real user testimonials. Abradem® follows that same principle: a solution born from science, driven by purpose, and designed to solve real-world problems in spaces where traditional cleaning fails.
With Abradem®, Paul combines his engineering mindset with a passion for useful, meaningful solutions. In collaboration with Dr. Joon Kong and the University of Illinois, he helped bring a groundbreaking scientific invention to market—transforming complex research into a powerful tool for critical industries. At every step, Paul’s mission remains the same: don’t just clean better—make life better.