Tommy Gibbons, Hempitecture’s COO, selected as 1 of 6 across the United States to join the Innovation Crossroads cohort of manufacturing, building, and clean energy technology entrepreneurs in Tennessee.
Jerome, ID — Along with 5 other science and technology innovators from across the United States, Hempitecture’s COO, Tommy Gibbons, will join the fifth cohort of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Innovation Crossroads two-year program in June. As the Southeast’s only research and development program for entrepreneurs based at a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory, Innovation Crossroads provides unique support to science-based startups to help advance game-changing technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.
“These diverse entrepreneurs are developing technologies that will significantly enhance manufacturing, transportation, building technologies and energy applications across the U.S.,” said Moe Khaleel, ORNL’s interim deputy for science and technology and projects, in the ORNL press release.
Read the full press release from Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Sponsored by the Building Technologies Office and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Tommy Gibbons was selected as part of the cohort through a merit-based process and will have the opportunity to design, prototype, and evaluate Hempitecture’s roadmap of bio-based building materials.
“The Building Technologies Research Integration Center at ORNL was designed to test the performance and simulate the conditions building materials face. The researchers at ORNL are from a diverse background of resource fields including building science, material design, and manufacturing. The opportunity to work with these researchers and use the laboratories to test hemp-building products is a long-standing aspiration,” said Tommy Gibbons.
BTO’s technology-to-market manager, Mary Hubbard, told ORNL, “We are excited to sponsor the first BTO innovator at Innovation Crossroads. We look forward to seeing the impact our innovator will have on high-performance, low-carbon building materials. Moving these kinds of materials into highly market adopted products will put the U.S. on the path to a carbon-free buildings sector by 2050.”
In addition to providing resources to help Innovation Crossroads innovators at the lab, they are supported with a network to commercialize their technologies in the region. “The southeast has always been a logical counter footprint for Hempitecture and is already home to a warehouse of our materials servicing that market. There are also significant hemp farming and processing interests in the Tennessee area that make it a compelling region we look forward to partnering with,” said Tommy Gibbons.
This opportunity will provide Hempitecture with the ability to calculate the embodied carbon, perform life cycle analyses of its materials, and design new products while testing and certifying their existing products. “Anytime an Idaho company can advance and innovate their product, it’s a great thing for the whole state. We’re excited that Tommy and Hempitecture will have this opportunity and can’t wait to see what comes next,” said Southern Idaho Economic Development Executive Director Connie Stopher, CEcD.
Find out more about Hempitecture by visiting their website: hempitecture.com.
To learn more about Southern Idaho Economic Development and the Southern Idaho region, please visit us online at southernidaho.org.
About Hempitecture, Inc.
Hempitecture Inc. is a Public Benefit Corporation specializing in the manufacture and distribution of biobased building materials that are healthier for both people and planet. For more information about HempWool® and Hempitecture, visit hempitecture.com.
About Southern Idaho Economic Development
Southern Idaho Economic Development is a joint venture of public and private sectors throughout the Magic Valley, formed to help diversify and strengthen the local economy by retaining and attracting business to the Southern Idaho region. Southern Idaho Economic Development works closely with communities throughout the region to promote economic development through expansion of existing business and to implement a focused consistent program to attract new businesses and talent to the region. For more information about Southern Idaho Economic Development and/or the Southern Idaho region, please visit southernidaho.org.
Media Contact:
Amanda Worthington, Marketing Manager
(208) 732-6459
amandaw@southernidaho.org
