Akron’s Polymer Industry Cluster has a new leader — just as activity begins to ramp up in the research and innovation hub.
Hans Dorfi, formerly Bridgestone’s senior vice president of product development, is now the executive director and chief innovation officer for the cluster. Dorfi said Monday he has been a big supporter of the cluster’s work and is excited to lead it from the inside.
“I’m obviously excited and also humbled to be chosen for this really unique opportunity to build off this proud legacy,” he said. “I’m very excited to be in this role.”
In the past year, the Polymer Industry Cluster has won more than $100 million in state and federal grants to research sustainable polymers, help commercialize them and train locals to work in the industry. Dorfi said he intends to develop the structure for the center’s growth, particularly when it comes to commercialization efforts.
He’ll do so with partners that include Bounce Innovation Hub, whose Synthe6 Material Accelerator starts soon. And a pilot plant, where small manufacturers can test products at a larger scale, will break ground late this year or early next year on a parking lot adjacent to the University of Akron’s National Polymer Innovation Center.
The goal, Dorfi said, is to make Akron an attractive destination for companies searching for ways to scale their technology. He’s also anticipating more industry investment and venture capital funds that will bring dollars to the region.
Dorfi, who first moved to Akron in 1994, replaces Brian Anderson as head of the cluster.
Dorfi said he’s well aware of Akron’s legacy of innovation in the polymer space. His priority, he said, is ensuring the work of the cluster benefits Akron as a whole, in tangible ways.
Dorfi wants to create a ‘Polymer Valley’ in Akron
Both state and federal grants and the polymer cluster’s existing commitments are all in their first year, said Steve Millard, president and CEO of the Greater Akron Chamber. Millard said as the polymer cluster continues to take shape, Dorfi is uniquely positioned to lead it — thanks to his combination of leadership and industry experience, technical expertise and focus on innovation.
“He has a nice combination of capabilities,” Millard said of Dorfi. “It’s the right next step for the cluster.”
Success would mean a “Polymer Valley” like California’s Silicon Valley, Dorfi said, where workers and know-how are focused on the Akron area. Kent State and Case Western Reserve universities, he said, will also play a role.
“We have a lot of strong, intellectual assets we can tap into,” Dorfi said. “What we want to do is create lasting value for the region.”
Local focus, global reach
The cluster’s research focus is on polymer sustainability. Dorfi said that work builds on Akron’s history of innovation and can help the city become a leader in the industry as researchers try to use food and agricultural waste — instead of petroleum — as the basis for making products.
That requires thinking through an entire supply chain, he said, and remaking some businesses.
It won’t happen overnight — the state grants are for four years, while the federal grants are for five — but Dorfi said Akron is ready to continue building on the work that’s already begun to bring together different stakeholders and create an ecosystem of transformation. Through the hub, he said, companies large and small will benefit from collaboration.
Along the way, Dorfi pledged to make the progress researchers are making visible.
“We want to build at scale a polymer industry cluster that can turn this region into a powerhouse,” Dorfi said.”The long-term vision is really about transforming Greater Akron. It’s a local focus with a global reach.”