Delaware, OH (April 2, 2020) – necoTECH, a sustainable infrastructure technology company headquartered in Delaware, OH, was recently awarded an AFWERX Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I contract to examine necoTECH’s Hot Patch On Demand (HOTPOD) product for critical infrastructure repairs for DoD applications STTR is a highly competitive awards-based program enabling small businesses to explore technology potential within the defense arena.
“For being less than a six month old startup, we’re extremely humbled to have the opportunity to contract with the U.S. Air Force!” said Steve Flaherty, Founder & CEO. Flaherty is a past Berlin township Trustee, owner of Yumii Kettle Corn, and an Entrepreneurial Advisor at the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University.
necoTECH collaborated with Ohio Wesleyan University as its research institution partner and is utilizing community members at the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center to assist in the Phase I efforts. necoTECH is working on a better solution for repairing infrastructure pavement with better execution, performance, and turn-around time. necoTECH’s HOTPOD, is a system comprised of a portable heating unit used to rapidly heat Hot Mix Asphalt material. Unlike any product on the market today, this quick-ready material is used as a patch repair for asphalt and concrete pavements in all ambient temperatures. HOTPOD provides strong, durable and fast repairs and lowers operating costs for maintenance of critical pavement infrastructure including all airport tarmac surfaces, runways, roads, and parking lots. Additionally, the proprietary pre-mixed hot patch compound has a nearly unlimited shelf life, that can be quickly deployed, conveniently stored in a small amount of space, and successfully applied in nearly any environmental condition and location.
Through a competitive awards-based program, the STTR program enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization. AFWERX, in partnership with Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), and the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), developed the STTR Open Topics to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and transition rate of the STTR program. With the initiation of open innovation topics, through work with AFWERX, Air Force STTR contracts are being issued with unprecedented expediency. Since the introduction of the Open Topic in late 2018 through March 2020, they have received more than 4000 submissions, awarded more than 1,300 contracts worth a combined total over $250 million.
necoTECH started the contract in March and will complete their work with Phase 1 in June. The goal is to move on to phase II and phase III contracts over the next two years.
necoTECH, LLC is a startup company out of Delaware, Ohio with offices at the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University. Their focus is on serving Government and private industry with sustainable innovative technologies for the construction and waste operations market. Their Hot Patch On Demand Product (HOTPOD) is a pavement patch system that lasts over 10X’s longer than a conventional cold-mix asphalt (CMA) patch product without introducing any added risk for pavement repair. While performing better then CMA, HOTPOD also is equivalent to conventional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) without the downsides of needing large trucking equipment, time-sensitive application windows, or access to a batch facility. Additionally, the HOTPOD system utilizes pre-packaged containers that have nearly an unlimited shelf life (unlike CMA’s two-year shelf stability), that can be stored or shipped to any location.
Additionally, necoTECH’s necoPlastics division is working on a cutting-edge technology that is on the forefront of revolutionizing plastics recycling. They utilize a patented technology to create a 100% recycled plastic aggregate that is used in asphalt roads to increase durability and longevity of the roadways utilizes a patented technology to create a 100% recycled plastic aggregate. This patented technology enables them to recycle unsorted mixed-plastics that currently have little or no value and are being disposed of in landfills. This aggregate then gets put in the hot mix asphalt process for paving roads, resulting in better performance, lower total cost of ownership, all while being more environmentally friendly. This product, named necoPave, allows road owners to protect the environment while increasing the durability and longevity of the roadways.
AFWERX serves as an entry point for industry to do business with the Air Force. We support the mission of making the Air Force more innovative by uncovering ideas and opportunities to improve the service, connecting ideas with legitimate solutions, and transitioning tools to the warfighter. Because AFWERX is fueled by people with a diverse set of skills, passions and roles in the Air Force, the list of initiatives and resources we have access to is always growing. The following outline of resources for Industry is not all-inclusive, but it is a starting point for understanding the AFWERX ecosystem and how to approach doing business with the Air Force. We’re ultimately a network of people who want to help create a better Air Force for all Airmen and part of that requires us to partner with innovative minds from industry.
www.afwerx.af.mil
