SoyaWax Intl. Showcased at Iowa State IPRT Legislative Breakfast

SoyaWax Intl. President and Chief Scientist Mike Richards chats with State Senator Jack Hatch at the IPRT Legislative Breakfast.

3 March 2009, Des Moines, Iowa – SoyaWax International was one of six companies invited to attend this year’s annual Legislative Breakfast hosted by Iowa State University’s Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT). About 55 Iowa state representatives and senators came to see firsthand how state funding provided to IPRT programs provides essential assistance for new and developing Iowa businesses and positively impacts the state's economy.

The SoyaWax International management team had an excellent opportunity to showcase its first generation soywax products and to excite our visitors about the next generation of soywax products that are being commercialized through our company’s collaboration with the University. SoyaWax International has been selected to receive an Iowa Department of Economic Development Demonstration Fund award to help fund this commercialize initiative. The IPRT staff has been instrumental in coordinating the research, technology transfer, and commercialization activities that have resulted in SoyaWax’s new products.

The hands-on nature of the breakfast’s "meet and greet" conversations turn an otherwise routine line-item budget item into a living story of jobs created, businesses succeeding, and communities benefiting from the often overlooked role of the University’s support for its non-student constituents and local communities. Legislators were particularly interested in the impact of IPRT services in support of businesses, like SoyaWax International, which are dealing with post-flood recovery in addition to the challenges of small businesses competing in a global economy.

The Institute for Physical Research and Technology is a group of scientific research centers at Iowa State University. IPRT’s mission includes helping Iowa manufacturers and entrepreneurs solve technical problems, create new products, and increase productivity and quality. We encourage you to visit the IPRT web site to learn more about this valuable state asset. And for our Iowan neighbors, we encourage you to let our state legislators know how important it is to sustain and hopefully increase the funding for IPRT programs and services.