Built to Last
Keene Building Products sets itself up for long-term success by marketing pioneering products.
James Keene hopes that his company's products put an end to neighbors stomping on their apartment floors and yelling, "Turn down that music!" Founded in 2002, Keene Building Products Inc. in Mayfield Heights manufactures products for noise and moisture control in construction projects such as multifamily apartments and condominiums.
Its Quiet Qurl and Acoustical Assurance products stop noise from passing between floors and ceilings. Driwall products offer moisture drainage and ventilation.
Also Keene Building Products — which holds two patents and has five others pending — is one of only two U.S. manufacturers of entangled net materials: It uses a variety of polymer materials, including polypropylene and polyethylene, to create 3D products that allow buildings to breathe, drain and vent properly. The company's unique manufacturing process is simplistic and cost efficient, he adds.
The company has 15 employees and sales approaching $10 million. Early on, Keene imported materials from an Italian firm and marketed them to construction companies. Through experimentation, Keene learned how to make the products and began manufacturing in Ohio. "That's contrary to the stream of invention in the U.S.," he says.
Keene's products have been installed everywhere from high-end condominiums in San Francisco to loft apartments in Pittsburgh. "We are innovative, we understand the final applications, and we get products to construction sites as inexpensively and quickly as possible," says Keene.
— SKF
Technology Transfer
Sherwood RTM brings advanced composites components to market.
Collaboration is the key to success in the advanced composites industry, says Donald Matthews, project developer for Sherwood RTM Corp. in Louisville. "You can't do anything on your own," he says.
So prime contractors such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin must collaborate with researchers and small businesses such as Sherwood to get things done.
Founded in 1967 as Sherwood Pattern and Plastics, it now focuses on manufacturing advanced composites and partners with groups ranging from the University of Dayton Research Institute to the Ohio Aerospace Institute.
For example, Sherwood earned a contract with the U.S. Navy for stealth torpedo propulsion components. Sherwood teamed with Penn State University's Advanced Research Laboratory to create the graphite and carbon-fiber epoxy advanced composite components that reduced weight by 10 percent and costs by 75 percent compared to traditional steel and aluminum. More importantly, the components could not be detected by sonar. "The Navy could launch torpedoes from ships without [the enemy] knowing they were under attack or knowing the direction from which the torpedo came," he says.
That project led to several other groundbreaking jobs for Sherwood, which has annual net revenues of $3.5 million. Today the company is developing applications for high-temperature polymers and nanocomposite materials. "We take cutting-edge materials and find a more cost-effective way to put them into components," says Matthews.
— SKF
Eco-friendly Innovations
OMNOVA introduces recyclable wall coverings.
With the green movement blooming, it's no surprise that OMNOVA Solutions Inc. has introduced an eco-friendly wall covering. Last fall, the Fairlawn company launched ECORE Advanced Wall Technology. The 100 percent recyclable wall coverings have low volatile organic compounds emissions, are made from a non-PVC substrate, and are printed with water-based inks.
"The overall goal was to create a brand-new substrate that had equal or greater performance to an existing vinyl wall covering," says Roger Oates, OMNOVA's general manager of contract interiors. "Everything else introduced to date by our competitors has had some compromise — it doesn't install as easily, you can't emboss it, it isn't as easy to clean." The ECORE technology is designed for commercial applications, including office buildings, stores, restaurants and hotels.
OMNOVA Solutions applies expertise in emulsion polymers and specialty chemicals to manufacture commercial wall coverings, upholstery fabrics and laminates for furniture, walls and vehicle seating.
The company has 2,850 employees worldwide and annual sales of about $746 million. "There are three legs to the stool of our growth platform," says Kevin McMullen, CEO of OMNOVA. "First and foremost is technology and product innovation. Second is penetrating new markets. ... And third is globalization. Clearly, new-product development plays a role across all three."
So ECORE, which is available in OMNOVA's Scion and Avant brands in five patterns and up to 18 colors, is just the latest offering. More are sure to follow.
— SKF