Mar 18 2010
Keith Blakely has been selected as the new Chief Executive Officer of NanoMech, a Springdale-based designer and manufacturer of application-specific nanoparticle additives, coatings and coating deposition systems.
Blakely has a history of successfully transforming startup companies into major technology enterprises. He spearheaded development of one of the leading advanced ceramic companies in the United States, Advanced Refractory Technologies, building it from a one-person startup to a multinational operation with multiple manufacturing facilities and over 325 employees.
Following this, he orchestrated the creation, development and growth of what at the time was one of the world’s leading nanotechnology companies, NanoDynamics. Under Blakely’s leadership the company developed over 120 patents and patent applications and brought three products to commercial viability in five years.
Blakely has delivered strategic executive consulting services to a number of other technology-driven organizations and has led successful turnarounds at several companies, resulting in their acquisition by major US corporations.
Blakely has served as the Director of the Center for Competitiveness for the Niagara Region of New York, and Chairman of the Board for the Western New York Technology Development Center. He was named the New York State Export Entrepreneur of the Year.
“I am extremely impressed by NanoMech’s accomplishments to date, the tremendous momentum that the company’s proprietary technologies and products have established, and the significant commercial interest in NanoMech that major companies have exhibited. This is clearly a company poised for major growth in exciting markets, and I am very happy to be joining the team to help accelerate NanoMech’s transition to a commercially focused enterprise,” said Blakely.
“I am very pleased to have Keith on board at NanoMech. He has a great track record and I am confident in his ability to lead the company to the next level,” said Jim Phillips, Chairman of the Board at NanoMech. “We are already seeing tremendous interest from world class businesses around the country in partnering with or investing in NanoMech, and Keith’s vast experience just adds to the excitement in what we can accomplish here.”
“NanoMech is one of the crown jewels of Arkansas in terms of its potential for economic development and creation of high-paying jobs,” said Ruth Whitney, a NanoMech board member and former Chief of Staff for Governor Mike Beebe when he was the Attorney General for Arkansas. “I am pleased that we have a seasoned executive at the helm who will continue building on the significant progress already made at NanoMech in establishing a world-class nanomanufacturing operation in Arkansas.”
NanoMech’s scientists and engineers design a wide variety of nanocomposite materials and coatings that have properties such as extreme wear resistance, self-lubrication, antimicrobial action, biocompatibility and other attributes that benefit multiple industries. NanoMech’s suite of nanomaterials and manufacturing technologies holds numerous patents and patents pending.
“Keith’s background is very well matched to NanoMech in terms of his advanced materials and nanotech products experience,” said Dr. Ajay P. Malshe, NanoMech’s co-founder and chief technology officer. “With Keith’s leadership I fully expect that we will accelerate our progress in creating high-value products based on world-class research in nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing.”