NEWS RELEASE
SARNIA, Ontario – Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) is a nationally focused not-for-profit business accelerator that provides critical strategic investment, advice and services to business developers of clean, green and sustainable technologies. In 2015, BIC established the Centre for Commercialization of Sustainable Chemistry Innovation (COMM SCI) initiative, which acts as a hub for the commercialization of sustainable chemistry and bio-based innovation.
BIC is pleased to reinforce its continued support for the development of a second hybrid chemistry cluster in Eastern Ontario with its new partners; the St. Lawrence Corridor Economic Development Commission and St. Lawrence College.
In support of this work in Eastern Ontario, BIC will open an office in Brockville Ontario and welcomes Ben George to the BIC management team as an Engineer-in-Training to work alongside BIC’s Eastern Ontario Project Manager, Joe Hendriks. Ben will be responsible for executing projects with internal and external organizations, assessing technical details of potential projects and conducting due diligence on potential investments. Ben holds a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a M.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnique Montréal. During his graduate schooling, Ben worked on a MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) ion propulsion system for a CubeSat, as well as abundant metal oxides in electrolyte-gated transistors. He also has R&D experience with elastomers, bio-based additives in polyurethane chemistry, and metabolomics. “I am very excited to be part of the BIC team in Eastern Ontario,” says Ben. “The opportunity to work with the St. Lawrence Corridor Economic Development Commission (SLCEDC) to develop and commercialize green technologies within the hybrid chemistry cluster, provides a very unique and rewarding experience. I am privileged to be a part of BIC’s vision to catalyze sustainable chemistry development and accelerate innovative start-ups using these technologies while helping to mitigate environmental impacts from traditional chemicals manufacturing.” Ben can be reached at the BIC Eastern Ontario office: 100 Strowger Blvd, Brockville, ONK6V 5J9 Email: bgeorge@bincanada.ca Tel: (226) 778-0020
For more information please contact:
Joe Hendriks,
Project Manager
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada
Email: joeh@bincanada.ca
Tel: 1.613.340.8940
About Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC)
Creating jobs and economic value sustainably for Canada is the vision driven by Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC). BIC is a not-for-profit business accelerator for sustainable chemistry, who has created a successful foundation to support an emerging hybrid chemistry cluster in Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario. BIC recognizes that the expansion and development of the bioeconomy in Sarnia-Lambton can grow alongside the petrochemical industry. BIC further focuses on critical strategic capital investment in SME’s with compelling business plans where innovation in science and engineering can bring about major advances in sustainable chemistry. Sustainable chemistry is playing an important role in the development of solutions to the impacts of climate change, peak oil, energy security, the need for safe water, and the use of scarce natural resources. The increasing global demand for green and safer products offers the opportunity to create thousands of new jobs for Canadians. BIC’s proven approach for clean, green and sustainable chemistry-based companies offers an ideal platform for the investment necessary to advance hybrid chemistry value chains, providing not only regional economic development and job benefits, but access to global markets.