Frank Brian Mercer (22 December 1927 – 22 November 1998) was an English engineer, inventor and businessman.
[1] He was born into a Blackburn family, which for generations had been involved in the textile industry and which owned and controlled companies engaged in spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing, and educated at the Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn.
With his inspiration, leadership and drive, he founded Netlon Ltd in 1959 to manufacture the products but most importantly to commercialise the concept.
Throughout Brian Mercer's career, he strongly believed in the importance of cooperative research and development through instigating discussion and debate through international commercial and technical conferences.
Modern Tensar geogrids were invented by Dr. Mercer in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the construction industry to provide stabilisation and reinforcement with the underlying concept of simplicity, flexibility and strength.