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[Page S6071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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RECOGNIZING ADVANCED CERAMIC FIBERS
Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, as a member and former chairman of
the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each month
I recognize and celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit by
highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho.
Today, I am pleased to honor Advanced Ceramic Fibers in Idaho Falls as
the Idaho Small Business of the Month for October 2020.
Prior to founding Advanced Ceramic Fibers, Dr. John Garnier enjoyed 6
successful years as the armor program lead for the National and
Homeland Security Directorate at the Idaho National Lab, INL. As part
of his work, Dr. Garnier co-invented a process for converting carbon
fibers into an alpha silicon carbide for military use and found that
the product could have numerous applications in the infrastructure,
energy, and aerospace industries. Recognizing its potential, Dr.
Garnier retired from INL and teamed up with businessmen Ken Koller,
Shawn Perkins, and David Harrell to commercialize his invention and
establish Advanced Ceramic Fibers. With the help of the INL technology
transfer program, the Idaho Small Business Development Center, and 3
years of self-funding, the startup was able to expand operations, hire
additional employees for research and development, and secure contracts
with several government agencies.
Since its founding, Advanced Ceramic Fibers has become a leading
example of small business driven innovation in Idaho. Its clients,
including the Department of Energy, U.S. Navy, and NASA, have utilized
its production of heat and abrasion resistant fibers in the development
of aerospace and stationary power generation turbines and nuclear
propulsion engines. They have expanded their innovations to include 34
different kinds of novel metallic carbides in both fiber and nano-
particle forms. It is no surprise that the company was awarded the
Early Stage Innovation of the Year award for 2015 by the Idaho
Technology Council and the 2016 Excellence in Business Award from the
Idaho Small Business Development Center.
With the slogan ``Transforming the Reinforced Materials
Marketplace,'' Advanced Ceramic Fibers continues to be a catalyst of
innovation in the Gem State. Today, the company employs nearly a dozen
employees and owns the rights to nine different patents. With its
continued growth, the business is now expanding into a larger facility
and expects to provide more than two dozen jobs to the local community.
Advance Ceramic Fiber's ingenuity and cutting-edge product designs
exemplify how Idaho small businesses continue to lead the country in
technological development.
Congratulations to John, Ken, Shawn, Dave, and all of the employees
of Advanced Ceramic Fibers on being selected as the Idaho Small
Business of the Month for October 2020. You make our great State proud,
and I look forward to your continued growth and success.
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