Breakout Session II
Biobased Business Development 101
Moderator: Steve Devlin, Center for Industrial Research and Service
Steve Siembieda
Steve Siembieda is the Assistant Director for Business Development and Technology Assessment at Kemin Industries in Des Moines, IA. His responsibilities include discovering relevant technology and business opportunities, evaluating and assessing opportunities from both the science and market perspective, and developing and executing plans for implementation of novel products.
Carey Novak
Carey Novak is the program manager for the Technology Commercialization Transfer Group at Iowa State University's Institute for Physical Research and Technology. He works with the Technology Commercialization Assistance (TCA) Program which helps accelerate the movement of new technology to the marketplace. TCA helps entrepreneurs heading up early stage, "high tech" companies create commercially viable products from new technology by offering them technical resources to perform proof-of-concept and initial prototype development and by giving them market feedback to help guide technical R&D and overall business planning decisions. Examples of TCA projects include field tests of organic fertilizer, tests on corn-derived plastic bottles with natural beverage products, and evaluations of new fiber plastics technologies. Novak will discuss using a phase-gate approach to developing early-stage, technology-based products.
Reg Clause
Reg Clause is an agriculture/industrial field specialist with Iowa State University Extension Value Added Agriculture program. He focuses on business and strategic planning, ISO 9000 implementation, grant writing, feasibility studies, marketing and educational seminars and presentations. He also manages a cattle feedlot and grain operation. Clause will discuss the elements of planning a feasibility study.