Breakout Session III
Critical Steps for Entrepreneurs Commercializing Biobased Products
Moderator: Carey Novak, IPRT Company Assistance ProgramThese four speakers will discuss common business elements that influence start-up technology businesses. They will talk about their experiences in starting bio-products companies.
Jim Pollack
Jim Pollack, PE, is an environmental business manager with Omni Tech International. Omni Tech provides technical, commercial and organization development services to the chemical and manufacturing industries, and to non-profit organizations, including renewable resource development and commercialization of biobased products. These services are provided by experienced professional associates with broad expertise in process and product technology, research and development, quality and environmental training, business management, sales and marketing, expert litigation support, finance and plant operations. Polack will discuss issues faced by small businesses commercializing United Soybean Board sponsored technology.
Craig Shore
Craig Shore is the president of Creative Composites in Brooklyn, Iowa. The company was started in 2002 and is commercializing composites materials made
from natural and plastic fibers. These materials can be formed into a variety of
parts and have novel features such as improved acoustic properties. The company
launched its first product in 2006: an acoustic panel engineered for targeted
frequencies and is being used as the internal core panel in acoustic doors. The
company has also won a Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research
Grant from the National Science Foundation.
Bill Horner
Bill Horner is president of Naturally Iowa, in Clarinda, Iowa. The company was started in 2003 and is commercializing organic dairy products packaged in polylatic acid plastic (PLA) bottles. PLA is the corn-based plastic and bio-degrades for this bottle application. The combination of organic dairy products in PLA bottles gives the company a truly natural product. As Naturally Iowa says: "we milk the cows and grow the bottles."
Delayne Johnson
Delayne Johnson is president of Four All Seasons in Holstein, Iowa. The company was started in 2004 and is commercializing a natural fertilizer for use on lawns, golf courses, and gardens. The fertilizer uses a co-product generated from a nearby ethanol plant and performs equal to or better than current petroleum-based and other natural fertilizers.