Nano Magic Inc. (NMGX)

[SuperSquirrel]

Scott E. Rickert, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President, Nanofilm Ltd.

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=100472620&privcapId=51783553&previousCapId=51783553&previousTitle=Nanofilm%20Ltd.

http://www.nanofilmtechnology.com/about_nanofilm/bio-scott.htm

Dr. Rickert is one of Nanofilm's original founders. He was responsible for the original concepts that launched Nanofilm into the nanotechnology arena. Dr. Rickert was instrumental in the development of the company's first coating called "Clarity" and continues to set the vision for the company. Dr. Rickert brings a depth of research expertise to the company from his strong academic background; he was a Professor at Case Western Reserve University from 1980 to 1987. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He currently holds positions on a number of key industry groups, including the Global Advisory Board of the NanoBusiness Alliance. Dr. Rickert frequently lectures and writes on topics in the field. Dr Rickert really enjoys developing technical and distribution partnerships which allows new Nanofilm formulas to be created that are both very valuable and widely distributed.
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Scott Rickert
Founder, president and CEO, Nanofilm Ltd.

By TOM JACKSON

4:30 am, August 20, 2005

Nanofilm Ltd. founder Scott Rickert, 51, says there are two ways to develop a nanotechnology company - the Cleveland way and everyone else's way.

The Cleveland way, or more appropriately, the "Northeast Ohio way," Mr. Rickert says, is to develop a product immediately to produce cash flow and make a company viable in the marketplace.

The other way is to rely on grants, he said.

"There are very few periods of time in Nanofilm's history that we have lost money," Mr. Rickert said proudly. He is Nanofilm' s president and CEO.

Based in Valley View, Nanofilm specializes in placing thin coatings on glass and optical surfaces. Its first products were coatings to keep eyeglasses clean and help them to resist scratches.

More recently, Nanofilm has expanded into coatings to protect the windshields of cars and boats. One of its products, the Clarity Defender, prevents splattered bugs and substances such as rain and bird droppings from clinging to windshields. High-tech magazines such as Wired have noticed it, and it sells on Amazon for about $15.

The company is working hard to get the product on store shelves, a task that is more important to him than developing new products right now.

"Our focus here has to be on getting people aware of the products and their value," Mr. Rickert said.

To aid those efforts, the company hired John Swett, a former employee of the fibers, additives and rubber division of Bayer Corp. in Akron, to aid with Nanofilm's marketing. Mr. Swett said he is working to get national retail chains and automotive supply stores to carry Clarity Defender.

Mr. Swett said he was attracted to work at Nanofilm by Mr. Rickert's track record. "Somebody who has a profitable business in the nano-technology business speaks for itself," he said. "It is very exciting to come to work every day."

Mr. Swett said a possible source of new product development for Nanofilm will be films to protect the displays on devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants. People rely upon such devices, and they don't want to look at scratched-up, dirty screens.

"People are going to want to see those problems go away," Mr. Swett said.

Sales in the first quarter of 2005 were strong, Mr. Rickert said. He declined to release figures but said sales "were across the board very high" in optical and automotive products.

"Nanofilm is in a good stage in its life to grow," he said.

Mr. Rickert was a professor at Case Western Reserve University about 20 years ago when he decided to leave and start his own company. "Most of my colleagues thought I was crazy, especially since I had just gotten tenure," he said.

But he had made up his mind that if he didn't start the company, no one would know if his technology for covering surfaces with very thin films could be turned into a commercial product. "I think that's the big thing. If I didn't do it, nobody was going to do it," he said.

Nanofilm has about 70 employees. That number has been steady for about the last two years, but Mr. Rickert contends "there's no relationship between success and the number of people you have.

It bothers Mr. Rickert that many people worry about job numbers in Northeast Ohio. In other areas of the country such as Silicon Valley, the measure of success is whether new companies are being created, he said.

"I don't know anywhere else that focuses on job count as a measure of success," he said.

Scott Rickert
Photo credit: MARC GOLUB


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http://www.industryweek.com/emerging-technologies/seven-words-advice-epa-chief-gina-mccarthy