A lifelong innovator in the field of materials science, Bal is the founder and chairman of Newtex Industries, a Victor, N.Y.-based global leader and pioneer in the production of advanced fabrics and engineered systems for thermal management and fire protection and containment. He established the company in 1978 after inventing the fire protection industry’s first safe and commercially viable alternative to asbestos (Zetex fiberglass fabric), and led the company as CEO until 2006.

Outside of his leadership role with Newtex, Bal has been an active member of the Rochester community. He has served on the boards of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester General Hospital, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Upstate New York Export Council, and is a past board chairman of the Buffalo branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. He was inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame in 2003.