Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and Innovation Center

MATRIC (Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center) is a not-for-profit market-driven research company based in South Charleston, West Virginia.^[2]

MATRIC is a strategic innovation partner to industry with customers on six continents. The company’s goal is to enable its customers to move products from concept to commercialization at a speed that creates a sustainable competitive advantage for the customer. The company’s “scientists and chemists work to develop new ideas, processes, systems and products confidentially for customers worldwide.”^[3]

Areas of Expertise

MATRIC prides itself on its uncommon expertise and infrastructure.^[3] The company and its nearly 100 employees have expertise in the following areas:
- Chemical product research
- Product development
- Process improvement
- Process safety
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Advanced software technology

Leadership

- Steven Hedrick: President & CEO^[4]
- Greg Clutter: Chief Operating Officer^[5]
- Parvez Wadia: Chief Technology Officer^[6]
- George Keller Ph.D.: Chief Engineer^[7]
- John P. “Jack” Dever, Ph.D.: Director of Process Engineering & Development^[8]
- B. Duane Dombek, Ph.D.: Director of Process and Product R&D^[9]
- Jane Copley, CRA/SPHR, Vice President of Administration^[10]
- Mark Dehlin, MBA, PMP: Vice President of Advanced Software Technologies^[11]

History

In 2001, the Dow Chemical Company^[12] acquired Union Carbide^[13] and moved much of its research and development work to other locations, such as Michigan and Texas. More than 150 doctorate-level researchers and approximately 900 other degreed staff were released in the four years following the merger. Among them were world-class scientists with a wealth of experience in creating new and innovative technologies. The potential for local brain drain was more than a negligible concern, which generated a vision for MATRIC, a multi-disciplinary nonprofit research and development center built on the facilities and intellectual capital available in the geographical area.

In 2003, MATRIC was established retired scientists from Dow Chemical’s Union Carbide subsidiary along the lines of the Research Triangle Institute (RTI)^[14] at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to preserve the science and engineering talent recruited to the Charleston area by the chemical industry. MATRIC has spun off companies, licensed new technologies to other companies, and completed several research projects for government agencies. The company quickly shifted from the RTI model to a model driven by industry and public demand, continuing its legacy of delivering innovation from the West Virginia chemical valley. In 2013, MATRIC celebrated its 10-year anniversary.^[3] The company has grown significantly since 2003, employing nearly 100 people in its two offices in South Charleston and Morgantown, W.Va., and serving customers located on six continents.

References

External links

• Charleston Area Alliance web site
• Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and Innovation Center web site
• Mid-Atlantic Technical Engineering (MATE) web site
• National Institute of Chemical Studies web site