[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 178 (Monday, October 19, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S6071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                  RECOGNIZING ADVANCED CERAMIC FIBERS

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, as a member and former chairman of 
the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each month 
I recognize and celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit by 
highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho. 
Today, I am pleased to honor Advanced Ceramic Fibers in Idaho Falls as 
the Idaho Small Business of the Month for October 2020.
  Prior to founding Advanced Ceramic Fibers, Dr. John Garnier enjoyed 6 
successful years as the armor program lead for the National and 
Homeland Security Directorate at the Idaho National Lab, INL. As part 
of his work, Dr. Garnier co-invented a process for converting carbon 
fibers into an alpha silicon carbide for military use and found that 
the product could have numerous applications in the infrastructure, 
energy, and aerospace industries. Recognizing its potential, Dr. 
Garnier retired from INL and teamed up with businessmen Ken Koller, 
Shawn Perkins, and David Harrell to commercialize his invention and 
establish Advanced Ceramic Fibers. With the help of the INL technology 
transfer program, the Idaho Small Business Development Center, and 3 
years of self-funding, the startup was able to expand operations, hire 
additional employees for research and development, and secure contracts 
with several government agencies.
  Since its founding, Advanced Ceramic Fibers has become a leading 
example of small business driven innovation in Idaho. Its clients, 
including the Department of Energy, U.S. Navy, and NASA, have utilized 
its production of heat and abrasion resistant fibers in the development 
of aerospace and stationary power generation turbines and nuclear 
propulsion engines. They have expanded their innovations to include 34 
different kinds of novel metallic carbides in both fiber and nano-
particle forms. It is no surprise that the company was awarded the 
Early Stage Innovation of the Year award for 2015 by the Idaho 
Technology Council and the 2016 Excellence in Business Award from the 
Idaho Small Business Development Center.
  With the slogan ``Transforming the Reinforced Materials 
Marketplace,'' Advanced Ceramic Fibers continues to be a catalyst of 
innovation in the Gem State. Today, the company employs nearly a dozen 
employees and owns the rights to nine different patents. With its 
continued growth, the business is now expanding into a larger facility 
and expects to provide more than two dozen jobs to the local community. 
Advance Ceramic Fiber's ingenuity and cutting-edge product designs 
exemplify how Idaho small businesses continue to lead the country in 
technological development.
  Congratulations to John, Ken, Shawn, Dave, and all of the employees 
of Advanced Ceramic Fibers on being selected as the Idaho Small 
Business of the Month for October 2020. You make our great State proud, 
and I look forward to your continued growth and success.

                          ____________________