Sustainability : Innovation + Job News

Someday, perhaps, we'll power our ever-growing number of personal electronic devices with something sustainable like biofuels or sunlight. Until then, the nPower PEG (personal energy device) will do nicely. Tremont Electric's clever gadget converts the motion of walking or running into energy, which it stores in a battery until you're ready to recharge your cell phone or iPod.
 
Cool, right? The only problem to date has been getting hold of one.
 
"The last 18 months have been pretty challenging," says vice president Jill LeMieux. The supplier of the custom battery used in the original design proved unable to keep up. At present there are about 2,000 nPower PEG's in use -- and 5,000 on back order. That's an encouraging but precarious situation for a small company.
 
But things should improve in late March; that's when Delta Systems in Streetsboro begins mass-producing nPower PEGs. Would-be owners' reward for waiting will be greater energy efficiency in the new models -- which Tremont Electric founder and CEO Aaron LeMieux attributes to advances in microprocessors -- and a standardized battery that holds twice the charge of the older ones.
 
Delta Systems has been "very supportive," Jill adds, fronting the tooling costs until sales ramp up. She expects to sell at least 1,000 units per month. In the near future they'll only be available through the website, but some retailers already are expressing interest. The product is a natural for stores serving runners, hikers and campers.
 
"What we've seen since the rollout of this product is overwhelming demand for it," says Aaron.
 
The company hears frequently from users who "love" the PEG, including servicemen in Afghanistan, who report that it has worked "flawlessly." And like the deal with Delta, a military order would be another big, energy-generating step forward for the tiny company. The PEG is also a finalist in the Edison Awards, which will be announced April 26. Tremont Electric also continues to work with universities and others on deploying buoys that would convert the motion of waves into large-scale energy production.
 
Notes Aaron, "It's going to get interesting around here, I can say that much."
 
 
Sources: Jill and Aaron LeMieux
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

With a strong manufacturing infrastructure and more than 630,000 skilled workers, Ohio has the opportunity to become one of the most attractive states in the U.S. for clean energy manufacturers, according to the Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance. Yet while Ohio has created policies to make clean manufacturing a priority, it needs to create further incentives to spur growth, according to The Ohio Green Manufacturing Action Plan (GreenMAP), a report by the Alliance.

“Successful renewable energy programs and energy-efficient projects over the past few years have proven that there’s significant potential for Ohio to meet the growing demands of the clean energy sector,” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio senior coordinator of the Alliance. “Ohio can’t afford to stand on the sidelines while other states and countries compete to win good jobs in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.”

The report praise Ohio’s new incentive programs for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency projects, as well as the new Alternative Energy Portfolio standard. However, it recommends renewed efforts targeting clean energy manufacturing.

“The state has lost over 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000 and needs to reassert itself as a manufacturing hub,” the report states. “The infrastructure and expertise remain in place … Ohio policymakers should bolster the manufacturing sector by doing more to support those trying to compete in the growing clean energy industry.”

The GreenMAP report outlines specific recommendations to help ramp up Ohio’s growth in clean manufacturing. These recommendations include expanding financing and incentives, prioritizing support for small to mid-size clean energy manufacturers and increasing support for research and development. Other recommendations include broadening workforce development programs to train more employees for these new industries, expanding Ohio’s demand-side clean-energy policies, and pushing for improvements in clean-energy manufacturing policy at the federal and regional levels.

The report emerged from a special task force comprised of representatives from the business, investor, labor, policy and environmental communities. The group aims to provide a blueprint for Ohio to win the competition for future clean-energy jobs.


Source:  Shanelle Smith, Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

As part of a global environmental concern about trash, a University of Cincinnati team proposed the “Renew Trash Compactor,” a new product and service that reduces trash, increases recycling, improves sanitation and generates income for the Padli Gujar village in India.
 
Mark Schutte, Carmen Ostermann, Morgen Schroeder and Autumn Utley, all University of Cincinnati students, headed to Minnesota to present their compactor in the next round of the Acara Challenge.
 
The competition is organized by the Acara Institute and administered by the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, with the mission to mold students into a new generation of leaders by providing them with insight into global issues and how to influence change.
 
The environmental challenge given to students came through “Take The Challenge for Sustainable Design and Development,” a multidisciplinary course offered as part of the University Honors Program at UC. The course is taught by Rajan Kamath, associate professor of management, and Ratee Apana, associate professor-educator of management/international business.
 
“The course encourages students to think boldly and break with convention and rules,” Apana says.
 
First-round winners from all competing universities are fine-tuning business plans in the second-round of the competition, where four winning teams will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to attend the University of Minnesota Acara Summer Institute in Bangalore, India.
 
The UC team, one of six in the country from colleges such as Duke University, Cornell University, Arizona State University, is paired with industry mentors to create business plans for their ideas.
 
“The compactor was designed to be simple and affordable,” Utley says.“The waste collection service, which accompanies the compactor, will generate 29 well-paying jobs for the community and additional household income.”
 
If the team makes it to the summer institute in India, members will meet with top entrepreneurs and capitalists to further develop their idea and help secure funding.


Source: Ratee Apana, Autumn Utley
Writer: Evan Wallis

Conservation has always been a major concern for zoos, from habitat conservation to protecting animal populations with dwindling numbers. Two Ohio zoos, though, are leading the way into another branch of conservation--energy conservation.
 
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens and the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium have both made headlines in the last two years for their green technology efforts, investing millions while enlisting help from the state's green industry to become leaders in the field.
 
Over the past five years, the Cincinnati Zoo has invested $1 million in energy improvements, upgrading 73 buildings--including elevating five to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and other initiatives like switching to energy-saving LED lights for its annual holiday display.
 
The biggest splash in the Ohio zoo green movement is just starting to pay off, though. Earlier this year, the zoo completed construction on an $11 million, four-acre, 15-foot high "solar canopy" that covers 800 spaces in its parking lot. The system, billed as the largest, publicly accessible urban solar array in the country, consists of 6,400 panels that generate 1.56 megawatts--providing nearly 20 percent of the zoo's energy requirements.
 
Along with saving the zoo millions in energy costs, the project also includes education benefits. It funds 10 scholarships at Cincinnati State's Green Workforce Development Program and includes an onsite kiosk that shows the array's performance and extolls the virtue of solar energy. The zoo began using the array in April, soon after completion.
 
Melink Corp., owned by green technology activist Steve Melink, designed the structure and served as developer. It also secured the financing for the array, and will operate the array for the zoo. The Milford-based company jumped onto the "green bandwagon" early, specializing in high-efficiency restaurant exhaust systems since 1987 before moving into solar projects over the past decade.
 
Thane Maynard, executive director of the zoo, said there was no better place to showcase solar technology.
 
"As the greenest zoo in America, there is no better place to showcase this technology and to help the public understand that not only is this technology the right thing to do for our energy future," he said, "but it makes absolute financial sense as well."
 
The Cincy Zoo might have a battle on its hands for the "greenest" title, though.
 
Just up I-71, the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium announced in October plans for a solar array to surpass its Cincinnati counterpart. Construction starts next year. 
 
"We're excited about the solar array," says zoo director of planning Barbara Revard. "Everything's still in the planning stages, but I think we're comfortable in saying that we think it will be somewhere between a 2.5-to-3 megawatt system."
 
Taking the lead in the project is Athens-based Third Sun Solar, one of the state's fastest-growing solar firms. Founded in 2000 by the aptly named Geoff and Michelle Greenfield and operating out of the Innovation Center at Ohio University, the company has become a regional leader in implementing solar technology. It's been named to Inc. magazine's “Inc. 5,000" for three years in a row.
 
The planned solar array isn’t the only trick in Columbus zoo's green hat, however. Three years ago, it opted to utilize geothermal technology in another of its projects, the Polar Frontier exhibit. Opening this past May, the $20 million exhibit circulates 300,000 gallons of water to a tank that serves as home to polar bears. The mostly underground system keeps the water at a constant chilled temperature, using a fraction of the energy of other options.

The zoo has also "gone green" in other areas, from pioneering use of new Flux Drive pump products that have led to a 40 percent reduction in energy costs, to recently installing "smart skylights" in one of its buildings.
 
The skylights, produced by Ciralight Global out of Corona, Calif., consist of motorized mirrors and sensors that rotate the mirrors to catch sunlight and reflect it inside, where its needed. The result is an electricity-independent, natural light source that provides better light at less cost.

"We joke that we're finding things in the warehouse that we didn't even realize were there," says Revard.
 
Columbus-based Energy Solutions Group worked with the zoo on bringing the "flux drive" and skylights into the fold.
 
Both the Cincinnati and Columbus zoos are leaders in implementing green technology, but they're far from alone. Every few months, representatives from all Ohio's zoos get together to talk about moving toward more environmentally friendly initiatives. The group, called the Ohio Zoo Green Consortium, consists of about 30 representatives from around the state, said Revard.
 
"The fun thing for us all is working together and talking about what we're doing, what's working well and what's next," said Revard. "It's our hope that we can not only share that information with other zoos in Ohio, but also serve as a model to zoos outside the state."

A new intermodal freight facility near Toledo already employs 200 but could result in as many as another 2,600 indirect jobs down the road.

CSX, one of the nation's leading freight logistics service providers, recently opened a new container yard in North Baltimore, Ohio. One study suggests 2,600 jobs could spring up in the area as a direct result of the new yard.

An intermodal yard is basically a high-volume loading dock, where large cranes load and unload train cars. The North Baltimore Facility will load double-stack trains to run along the interstate National Gateway rail lines. CSX began constructing the facility in the third quarter of 2009. It opened for business in February and held a public open house in late June.

The $175-million North Baltimore Intermodal yard is the latest CSX operation in Ohio. CSX operates intermodal terminals in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Marion; TRANSFLO terminals in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, major rails yards throughout the state; and automotive distribution centers in Cleveland, Warren and Walbridge.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission cites the new development as a sign of Ohio's continued growth as a central shipping corridor in the Midwest. The North Baltimore intermodal yard will service CSX's National Gateway Project. The National Gateway Project is a double-stack train corridor initiative between CSX, the Ohio Rail Development Commission and the Federal Highway Administration Eastern Federal Lands Division, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The public-private partnership will require clearance creation on 40 bridges, tunnels and tracks, will increase shipping through the state while reducing the carbon emissions as it decreases tractor-trailer logistics.

In keeping with the eco-friendly qualities of the National Gateway Project, the North Baltimore facility is equipped for sustainable productivity. Eco-friendly features include Hans Kuenz GmbH cranes designed to reduce energy consumption and reduce emissions.

High-sodium bulbs light the terminal and the yard will utilize recycled NARSTCO steel ties. CSX emphasizes the eco-friendly qualities of the North Baltimore facility as well as the overall benefits of the benefits of the National Gateway Project. Ultra-efficient cranes installed by Hans Kuenz GmbH will reduce energy consumption, improve efficiency and significantly reduce emissions.

Sources: National Gateway, CSX
Writer: Kitty McConnell

The words petroleum and green are seldom mentioned in the same sentence.

But an industrial recycling company near Cleveland is working to change that perception by inventing processes that allow the refining industry to re-use some of its chemical by-products, saving both money and the environment.

Metaloy or Metal Alloy Reclaimers Inc., recycles non-hazardous equilibrium catalyst material, a by-product of the oil refining process that is necessary for turning crude oil into useful fuels. The catalyst contains chemicals needed by other manufacturers, such as the steel, abrasives and cement industries, making it valuable as a commodity that Metaloy can market.

Recycling the material, which is about the consistency of fine sand, saves money for the refineries by lowering their costs of disposing of the catalyst, and for Metaloy customers, by allowing them to use a recycled substance rather than a virgin material, says Metaloy CEO Claude Kennard. It also prevents thousands of tons of the stuff from ending up in landfills throughout the U.S.

"It's really a win-win situation," he says. "The real value proposition for our customers is that they are getting a recycled material at about 50 percent of the cost of a virgin material."

Metaloy was founded in 1983 by the late Aaron Berlin. The company has seen steady growth recently due to increased interest in recycled manufacturing materials. Kennard says he expects sales to be roughly $2 million this year, up from $1.4 million last year. This trend could continue as Metaloy finds more markets for its recycling, he estimates.

In addition, Metaloy has spun off two new companies that show significant potential in similar marketplaces, MAR Systems, an industrial water purification company, and MCAT Services, a catalyst separation technology. Both enterprises have received significant early stage funding and show strong growth potential, says Kennard, who is a founding principal in both.

Kennard says he expects to hire three to four new employees in both technical and clerical positions at Metaloy this year. He is currently the only employee as several former workers left to join the spin off ventures.

Source: Claude Kennard, Metaloy
Writer: Val Prevish

Tremco has built a successful business by providing solutions to clients looking for more efficient buildings. Now it can point to one of its own buildings as a showcase of sustainability.

The Cleveland-based company will open its newly renovated headquarters to the public on June 17 to demonstrate a myriad of green building technologies, many of which come from its own product lines or those of sister companies.

"We've been in our headquarters building for 20 some years," explains Randy Korach, president of the RPM Building Solutions Group -- Tremco's parent company. "The building was built for single tenant in 1969 or 1970, and like many buildings of that era, it was built with a different level of technology, and many of the components were beyond their useful life. Though we were providing these products and service solutions for our clients, we weren't eating the dog food, so to speak."

Last October, Tremco began a $5-million renovation to incorporate more energy efficient roofing, fa�ade, windows and building controls, Korach says. Today, the building is a model of sustainability and is working toward LEED Gold certification.

"There are lots of extraordinary features and components," Korach says. "A truly high- performance and integrated fa�ade, new modern building controls, and fantastic sustainable and green elements, including four different roofing systems."

One of those roofing systems is a vegetative roof with 14,000 plantings and several climate zones. While not part of the building, the company also installed a 1.8 kilowatt-rated wind turbine and solar arrays on its parking canopy. For employees who decide to buy electric cars, Tremco has supplied three charging stations.

"We're going to consume about 84 percent less gas and realize a 43 percent electricity reduction. The renewables will lead significantly to that. As far as total electricity consumption we expect maybe about 12 percent can be provided by our solar and wind energy that's being co-generated here on site."

Those who attend the company's open house -- and visitors or employees any time -- will be able to learn more about the green components of the renovated building.

"We've made it a learning environment, so we've got interpretive slides throughout the property so our neighbors and employees can very quickly and easily see what features are incorporated and what they're doing and much interactive information," Korach explains.

Source: Randy Korach, Tremco
Writer: Gene Monteith

Cleveland's Sharie Renee is passionate about unused magazines, annual reports and brochures.  The founder and CEO of Cosmic Bobbins uses them to do something positive for people, the planet and profits.

Renee gets old publications from companies and organizations. "I then 'upcycle' the paper by getting it transformed into one-of-a-kind accessories with parts of the organization's logo and design appearing on them," she explains.

The transformation is done for Cosmic Bobbins by residents of a small, low-income town in Mexico, using an indigenous technique of folding and weaving decorative paper. Renee first learned of the traditional craft while visiting Mexico.

She has had the residents create pencil holders for University Circle from its old annual reports and make scissors cases for Paul Mitchell hair stylists using the company's old brochures. The Cleveland Botanical Gardens sells Cosmic Bobbins' purses -- made from the organization's old newsletters -- in its gift shop.

"We're giving organizations back their paper waste remade into something beautiful and desirable," Renee explains.

Cosmic Bobbins isn't just about upcycling paper into colorful accessories, however.

"We're giving back to the world one magazine at a time," she explains.

Renee does so by paying the Mexican artisans a fair wage for their work. She also employs up to 38 clients of United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland, who sort the paper by color or size in a sheltered work environment. By providing fair wages to both groups, she's helping relieve poverty and create jobs.

Renee has a clear vision for Cosmic Bobbins. "We're committed to creating a global community with a focus on sustainability and social good, where people are meaningfully employed and there's a spirit of hope," she explains.

Source: Sharie Renee, Cosmic Bobbins
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Seeing her dog's paws discolored and irritated from harsh lawn chemicals, Chris Scott realized that she wanted to make changes to her own cleaning products business to make it friendly to the environment.

Res-Q Cleaning Solutions developed GOBioBased cleaning products in 2002 using plant-based solutions that contain no petrochemicals. Over the last year sales have jumped more than 100 percent as awareness of green products has increased.

"Our sales were strong even during the downturn," says Scott, who has owned the Reynoldsburg-based business with her husband, Steve, since 2000. "But this year it's really snowballed. We will exceed our sales goals."

The company makes cleaning solutions for industry, households, and zoos. They also manufacture all-natural shampoo for small pets and livestock. All packaging is recyclable as well.

In addition to selling their GOBioBased brand, Res-Q also manufactures cleaning solutions for independent labels.

GOBioBased is distributed across the U.S., says Scott, and she is investigating requests from European businesses to sell the brand as well.

Scott says she expects continued growth over the next several years as awareness of green products rises further and government regulations prompt more businesses and consumers to purchase green cleaning products.

Scott plans to add at least two more employees to her current five by the end of the year.

Source: Chris Scott, Res-Q Cleaning Solutions
Writer: Val Prevish

When it comes to sustainability, we are all lifelong students. Cleveland's higher education institutions are not excluded from this learning process. In fact, area colleges and universities spent a year reflecting upon on-campus sustainability initiatives and ways to improve current practices.

The Collegiate Sustainable Practices Consortium (CSPC) brought together six local colleges and universities to talk about best practices regarding energy, water, food, building and other areas of sustainability. Led by David Kruger, director of Baldwin-Wallace's Institute for Sustainable Business Practice (ISBP), the group included B-W, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, John Carroll and Oberlin.

Kruger noted in a summary of the consortium that "with its highly industrialized, manufacturing base, [our region] carries a long legacy of sustainability-related challenges: slowly declining employment in several economic sectors; a large environmental and carbon footprint from our manufacturing base; continued population decline in our urban core and in our region at large; and an aging infrastructure."

A recently released report shows what some local higher learning institutions have implemented regarding sustainability:

Baldwin Wallace's Ernthausen Residence Hall became the first residence hall in Ohio to have a geothermal heating and cooling system. . B-W has gone so far in its green initiatives to remove light bulbs from vending machine to conserve energy.

Cleveland State University has been investing in efficient lighting, solar power, mechanical upgrades and recycling programs. The school has been promoting student involvement in its sustainability efforts.

Cuyahoga Community College has six commissioned projects aiming aim for LEED Silver Certification. Tri-C has also developed its own customized green building standards for new construction and renovation projects.


Sources: B-W, CSU, Tri-C, Institute for Sustainable Business Practice
Writer: Diane DiPiero

This story originally appeared in Fresh Water Cleveland.

Ohio's green building boom has been good to a Westlake company that has grown on the strength of its expertise in green building strategies.

Humanity's Loom, founded by Laura Steinbrink in 2008, attempts to fill the knowledge gaps between architects, engineers, construction managers and owners who are pursuing LEED-certified building projects, says Steinbrink, the company's president.

Steinbrink says the need for a green construction consulting company became apparent five years ago.

"I was at University Hospitals (in Cleveland) as they were launching their building campaign and it became clear to me that there was a breakdown in (helping) the owner articulate their sustainability goals into a project that made sense," she explains. "The architects and construction managers and owner's reps had a hard time hearing what the owner was saying -- and then rearticulating the value proposition of certain improvements or certain design elements they might make."

Humanity's Loom helps uncover the operational impacts of a building and how they affect project decisions. For example, nearly three-quarters of a building's long-term costs are in its operations. That's a key fact that can illustrate the value of green construction, help demonstrate a return on investment and help the owner operate a business sustainably over the long term, Steinbrink says.

As more green buildings are constructed in Ohio, Steinbrink's company has grown as well -- by 300 percent last year alone, she says.

While things like state mandates for LEED-certified school construction have helped, two other factors have contributed to growth, she says.

"Owners have wised up and realized LEED is not just a plaque on the wall, it's a tool they can use to evaluate the way they run their business. And the second thing is many architects have come to recognize they're good at designing buildings but this LEED process is very time intensive and they are better serving their clients designing rather than documenting LEED."

The company has three full-time employees but expects to add jobs as it grows.

Source: Laura Steinbrink, Humanity's Loom
Writer: Gene Monteith

When Holly Harlan first started talking to people about Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) ten years ago, "people looked at me like I had three eyes. But I said, 'I think they're going to get this and they're going to love it.'"

Today, Harlan notes that the E4S network has been growing by more than 20 percent every year since it was founded. "We've attracted nearly 10,000 people from all sectors," Harlan says. "We've helped over 50 companies create a strategic plan for sustainability."

The organization has also created a foundation on which Greater Cleveland can build a successful approach to sustainability.

"We've gotten much better known since Mayor Frank Jackson has stepped in and held sustainability summits the last two years," Harlan says.

E4S is a networking organization that unites professionals interested in sustainability for their businesses and their community, but its scope goes beyond that. "We're an economic development group that sees sustainability as way to create value in the world," Harlan says.

Harlan steps down from the post of president and founder of E4S this month to take on new projects. Mike Dungan, president and CEO of Bee Dance, a Cleveland business that repurposes materials classified as waste, will take over as interim president of E4S.

Harlan looks forward to visiting other cities and gauging their take on Cleveland's sustainability efforts. "We were one of the first business networks in the country focused on sustainability," she says. "The buzz is that Cleveland is known for innovative sustainability ideas, particularly in the area of local foods."

Source: Holly Harlan
Writer: Diane DiPiero

This story originally appeared in Fresh Water Cleveland.

Two years ago, Michael Frankhauser was a burned out college student studying biology at the University of Toledo.

Today, he's having fun while standing the northwest Ohio tree industry on its head with sustainability practices he hopes will help his young company grow into a successful business.

Frankhauser says that when trees are trimmed or cut down, some of that wood is sold, but often it's given away just to get it off a tree-trimmers hands -- or, simply thrown away.

"The same thing with wood chips," Frankhauser says. "A lot of guys in Toledo dump them illegally. You go down a country road and there will be a big chip pile that goes completely wasted."

Now, some of those companies are giving Frankhauser their high-grade logs. He has friends cut the logs into lumber and then dries it in a solar kiln. At first, he was simply trying to re-sell the lumber, but notes that "there's already a lot of lumber out there."

More recently, he's been giving the wood away to craftsmen who turn it into fine furniture. They bring the furniture back to Frankhauser and he sells it, splitting the profits with the craftsmen 50-50.

But Frankhauser takes it one step further -- he requires those who make the furniture to bring him the scraps. Not only does that solve a disposal issue, but it's allowing Frankhauser to amass a volume of sawdust and scrap that he eventually hopes to sell to biomass plants as feedstock.

Frankauser says he's finally doing something he loves. He says he's helping the environment. And, with 35,000 board feet of kiln-dried lumber already in storage, he says he's poised for growth. He has one employee, but says he anticipates adding more next year.

"Every step I've taken, I've made money on. I absolutely see it growing."

Source: Michael Frankhauser, Woods to Woods
Writer: Gene Monteith

Biobent Polymers, a new division of Marysville-based Univenture, has launched a new line of bioplastics that it says replaces up to 40 percent of the petroleum normally used in plastics manufacturing.

The key ingredient: soybean meal.

With funding from the Ohio Soybean Council, Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus developed new technology and collaborated with Univenture on the revolutionary new family of bioplastics.

"We named our new division 'Biobent' because we are definitely bending biology, taking a standardized way of producing a polymer and bending science to incorporate a biological component," explains Keith Masavage, chief of strategy and operations for both Univenture and Biobent Polymers.

The name of the new bioplastics line is Panacea. It's the industry's first bioplastic resin to maintain the characteristics of the base plastic while replacing up to 40 percent of the petroleum normally used in plastics manufacturing with soy meal, an unrefined agricultural co-product. According to Masavage, bioplastics -- plastics that incorporate renewable agricultural sources, such as vegetable oil, corn starch, algae, or pea starch to make them more environmentally friendly -- have been around for decades. Until now, however, desirable characteristics of the base plastic material, such as strength or flexibility, were compromised when agricultural co-products were added to the mix, and that adversely affected performance.

Masavage says the new material "is the only bioplastic that offers enhanced sustainability, high performance and a competitive price."

Univenture has the exclusive license to manufacture Panaca bioplastics.

Univenture, which has about 110 employees, has started purchasing equipment and hiring new people for its Biobent Polymers division.

"We plan to get up to 25-30 people in the areas of engineering, sales, marketing and general and administrative staff in the next 12-18 months," Masavage says. Biobent will occupy Univenture's available space, so there are currently no plans for a new or expanded facility.

Source: Keith Masavage, Univenture, Inc. and Biobent Polymers
Writer: Lynne Meyer