Our Team

CEO & Founder

Rebecca (Becky) Hobden

Becky is the founder and CEO of ECC Test Lab. She received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College and an MS in Renewable Energy Engineering from Appalachian State University. Her experience in project management, regulatory and research labs, and business development has facilitated the early success and continued growth of ECC.

Prior to starting ECC, she worked in the biodiesel industry at Viesel Fuels, a small start-up company commercializing a novel enzymatic biodiesel process. She wore many hats at Viesel, including the set-up of the on-site analytical lab used for monitoring the quality of biodiesel produced against ASTM specifications. Additionally, she developed the Quality Management System for daily operations, led the development and implementation of new technologies, managed personnel, and guided the research and development of projects within the lab. Directly prior to starting ECC, Becky worked for Novozymes in the fields of microbial wastewater and biogas.

Becky has approached the start-up of ECC by taking a deep dive into the details of what is needed financially, technically and commercially to make ECC successful. She is active in the hemp community by participating in regional and national hemp organizations, including the Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition (VIHC), North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association (NCIHA), Women in Hemp, and Hemp Industries Association (HIA). She understands the importance of building the hemp industry in the southeastern region of the US and engages with her local hemp community by visiting regional farms and processing facilities, participating in policy and regulatory development, and networking and presenting at meetings throughout the southeast. Becky is a highly motivated individual and an effective collaborator, which has allowed ECC to broaden its scope of testing to other industries including beer and wine, kratom, and to perform custom testing work for specific customer needs

Laboratory Manager & Microbiologist

Shawn Manns

Shawn is a graduate from Virginia Tech with a dual degree in microbiology and human nutrition as well as a minor in entomology. His work there focused on new plant strain development using advanced molecular techniques to guide strain selection.

In 2013, Shawn was hired to work in the microbial application development group in Novozymes Bio-Agriculture division where he was involved in the development of novel strains of bacteria and fungi that could be utilized in place of traditional, chemical-based pesticides. Shawn specialized in molecular techniques that allowed for identification and quantification of microbes in complex systems. As well as his work with applications development, Shawn assisted in portfolio management for the bio-agriculture division. This gave him the opportunity to work with large customers like Bayer Crop Sciences to develop a product pipeline strategy for transformative microbial solutions in agriculture.

Shawn joined the ECC in August 2019 and has since moved into the role of Laboratory Manager, taking over the daily lab operations. He continues to use his microbiology expertise to lead the path to optimized microbial contaminant detection methods using molecular techniques. He has a passion for problem solving and loves communicating science to a variety of audiences, which is the basis for the trusting relationships he has continued to build with our customers.