Heritage Construction + Materials (HC+M) joined The Road Forward, an industry-wide initiative of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to achieve net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements.

Through HC+M’s decades of research into pavement preservation technologies, HC+M has proven itself as an industry leader in sustainability efforts. “HC+M is committed to sustainability because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s smart business,” said HC+M CEO Geoff Dillon. “The Road Forward is an important commitment for us and our industry. It shows that we aren’t afraid to roll up our sleeves and work to build a better tomorrow for future generations.”

HC+M is a part of The Heritage Group, a 90-year-old family of companies employing more than 5,000 people, serving 170 locations, and innovating through science and research. HC+M is comprised of US Aggregates, Milestone Contractors and Asphalt Materials, Inc.

HC+M companies have a long history of involvement with NAPA. Asphalt Materials joined NAPA in 1961. Milestone, a member since 1967, has earned more than three dozen Quality in Construction Awards and one Sheldon G. Hayes Award, signifying the company’s commitment to quality asphalt pavements.

Similarly, HC+M leaders consistently devote their time and expertise to NAPA and the industry. Heritage Research Group (HRG) Associate Director of Research Gerry Huber has served on numerous NAPA committees and task forces for nearly three decades, including the Sustainability Committee and the
Climate Stewardship Task Force. Gerry and HRG Senior Pavement Materials Research Engineer Katie DeCarlo worked on developing The Road Forward. CJ Potts, COO of HC+M Construction, serves as the Indiana contractor representative on the North Central Advisory Council. Milestone Contractors Asphalt Operations Manager Patrick Fox is a member of NAPA’s Board of Directors. Kevin Kelly, former NAPA chair and lifetime member, and many other HC+M employees are active members of NAPA committees.

“Heritage Construction + Materials, through its family of companies, has displayed a commitment to the asphalt pavement industry over many decades,” said NAPA President and CEO Audrey Copeland, PhD, PE. “HC+M’s support of The Road Forward further propels our collective vision for the future: sustainable communities and commerce, connected by net zero carbon asphalt pavements.”

To learn more about The Road Forward and see all sponsors, visit AsphaltPavement.org/Forward.

About The Road Forward

An initiative of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, The Road Forward: A Vision for Net Zero Carbon Emissions for the Asphalt Pavement Industry calls on the U.S. asphalt community to advance technologies, products, and processes to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Launched in January 2022, the multi-year effort will engage, educate, and empower the U.S. asphalt community to produce and construct net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements.

About Heritage Construction + Materials

Heritage Construction + Materials (HC+M) is part of The Heritage Group, a privately held, family-owned business headquartered in Indianapolis that began operations in 1930. HC+M has core capabilities in infrastructure building. Its collection of companies provides innovative road construction and materials services across the Midwest. HC+M companies, including Milestone Contractors, Asphalt Materials, Inc., and US Aggregates, proudly employ 3,000 people at 55 locations across seven states. Learn more at heritagebuilds.com.

About NAPA

The National Asphalt Pavement Association is the only trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the asphalt pavement material producer/contractor on the national level with Congress, government agencies, and other national trade and business organizations. NAPA supports an active research program designed to improve the quality of asphalt pavements and paving techniques used in the construction of roads, streets, highways, parking lots, airports, and environmental and recreational facilities. The association provides technical, educational, and marketing materials and information to its members; supplies product information to users and specifiers of paving materials; and conducts training courses. The association, which counts 1,100 companies as its members, was founded in 1955. Learn more at asphaltpavement.org.

When Indianapolis-based The Heritage Group launched its New Ventures Group in 2018, it did so in the belief that it could leverage its expertise in materials science to boost entrepreneurship, generating benefits both inside and outside the company.

The strategy seems to be working even better than expected for the privately held, family-owned company that has an ownership stake in more than 30 operating companies, including Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, Heritage Environmental Services, Monument Chemical and others.

To date, the company’s venture arm, HG Ventures, has invested nearly $200 million in a total of 30 companies, eight of which had been participants in The Heritage Group Accelerator.

And in 2021, HG Ventures became the first non-Europe-based investor chosen to partner with Innovate UK, a research and innovation funding initiative associated with the government of the United Kingdom.

“I would say the thing that surprised me the most was how strong the market for materials science venture investing turned out to be, and how well-positioned we have been to establish a brand in that area,” said HG Ventures Managing Director Kip Frey. The Heritage Group recruited Frey from North Carolina to launch HG Ventures four years ago.

The venture group has a threefold strategy:

• Invest in U.S. and international companies that focus on materials science (studying the substances things are made of and designing more advanced substances/materials).
• Launch an annual startup accelerator.
• Incubate employee ideas that show commercial promise.

The venture group’s investments focus on areas such as energy, sustainable materials, water, infrastructure and the circular economy—the concept of reusing and recycling materials rather than disposing of them.

HG Ventures’ investment portfolio includes companies like Zionsville-based 120Water, which offers water-sampling kits, software and services for water system management and compliance. It also includes Israel-based Valerann, which offers a traffic-management platform for road operators and traffic authorities.

The accelerator, whose fourth cohort of startups wrapped up last week, has brought a total of 37 startups to Indianapolis since 2018 for a 13-week, in-person accelerator at The Heritage Group’s headquarters just east of Eagle Creek Park. The startups come from around the world; to date, five have chosen to move their headquarters here.

The Heritage Group also decided this year to run its accelerator on its own, after a three-year contract with accelerator operator Techstars came to an end.

The third part of The Heritage Group’s strategy, its in-house incubation process, has already resulted in one new company. That startup, Avenew Inc., is a road-management company that launched in February and is now part of The Heritage Group’s portfolio.

‘Amazing resources’

For The Heritage Group, part of its secret sauce is the expertise and resources it can offer the companies it invests in.

HG Ventures and The Heritage Group Accelerator both operate out of The Center, a 113,000-square-foot building that also serves as The Heritage Group’s corporate headquarters. The facility, in InTech Park, also is home to The Heritage Group’s in-house research and development laboratory, which helps its operating companies develop and test their products.

And The Heritage Group’s 6,000-person workforce includes chemists, engineers, scientists and others with specialized industry knowledge.

“We have 6,000 people. We’ve got amazing resources that we can bring to bear for entrepreneurs that show that it’s not lip service, adding value. It’s truly tangible value that we can bring to these companies,” said Ginger Rothrock, senior director of HG Ventures.

These types of resources can help HG Ventures in multiple ways, said fellow venture investor David Kerr, managing director of Indianapolis-based Allos Ventures.

Allos and HG Ventures are co-investors in 120Water Inc., which is also a graduate of The Heritage Group Accelerator.

A venture firm that invests in the realm of materials science, clean technologies or hard tech—technology that includes both hardware and software—needs the know-how to find and evaluate potential investments.

One way to find this know-how is to work with consultants, universities or industry partners, Kerr said—but The Heritage Group has this expertise in-house. “That’s where I do think it really does give Heritage Group an advantage, having ready access to those types of people.”

‘A complete mind shift’

These are the types of resources that caught the eye of suburban Seattle-based entrepreneur Jason Puracal, co-founder and CEO of ZILA Works. The company was one of seven startups from the United States and Canada who came to Indianapolis for this year’s accelerator.

ZILA, which launched in 2014, has developed a process for using industrial hemp to create bio-epoxy resin for use in products from sporting equipment to floor sealants. The company hasn’t yet started generating revenue but has secured its first paid pilot test, which will take place this winter with Vermont-based Burton Snowboards, Puracal said.

He’d been through three previous accelerators in the U.S. and Canada before coming to Indianapolis for The Heritage Group Accelerator, he said, and this one is different.

“This is the first accelerator program that has had specific expertise that is relevant to our industry,” he said. “It’s been great to have the resources and the muscle of Heritage at our disposal.”

Most of ZILA’s partners before had been universities, Puracal said, so working with an industry-based accelerator has given him a whole new perspective.

“Academia runs at a certain pace, and Heritage has helped us shift our mental framework about, ‘Oh, really we can go much faster in this other setting,’” he said. “It’s been a complete mind shift for us, and we’re trying to scale up as quick as possible now.”

One area ZILA had struggled with, Puracal said, was finding a manufacturer willing to make the company’s product. He said his company had reached out to 40 companies, all of whom said ZILA was too small for them to do business with. But through the accelerator, Puracal is now in conversation with The Heritage Group’s Monument Chemical as a potential manufacturer. “Monument has a different approach because of the accelerator program.”

During their 13 weeks in Indianapolis, Puracal said, he and his fellow founders were also introduced to representatives from Purdue University, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and other startup accelerators, as well as Indiana-based venture investors. The accelerator participants also traveled to events in Pittsburgh; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville.

Being in person for the 13-week program has also allowed Puracal to meet other founders who have become both friends and sources of professional support.

Becoming known

The Heritage Group “seriously considered” 75 applicants for this year’s accelerator cohort, Frey said. Many more companies submitted applications, but the 75 represented the strongest.

New Ventures Group is also gaining traction on its venture investment side.

The Heritage Group’s CEO, Amy Schumacher, said HG Ventures has seen an increase in both volume and quality of investment opportunities that cross its threshold over the group’s four years in existence.

Schumacher is a great-granddaughter of John E. Fehsenfeld, who launched the company in 1930 under the name Crystal Flash. She, along with board Chair Fred Fehsenfeld Jr., had the vision for what became New Ventures Group.

“What has surprised me is how quickly HG Ventures has established themselves as a leader in this space,” Schumacher said.

Some of the investment opportunities are pitched by entrepreneurs, she said. Others come from fellow venture firms looking for co-investors for particular deals.

“They see the value we can bring to an opportunity,” Schumacher said.

The third part of New Venture Group’s strategy is to incubate business ideas that come from within.

As part of this effort, Schumacher said, The Heritage Group launched a year-long Concept to Commerce course, which focuses on how to commercialize an idea. Employees must be nominated to participate, and a second cohort is set to begin early next year.

“It was an overwhelming success,” Schumacher said.

New Ventures Group has already successfully taken one idea from concept to commercialization with Avenew, which quietly launched in February.

The company, which helps local governments manage their road and bridge infrastructure, was born out of an idea from Heritage Group employee Micah Vincent. Vincent, who was director of Indiana’s Office of Management and Budget before joining The Heritage Group, now serves as Avenew’s chief operating officer.

The startup’s CEO is Joe McGuinness, who formerly served as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Before that role, McGuinness served as mayor of Franklin.

McGuinness said leading a startup is altogether different from being a government executive. The Heritage Group has helped him with tasks as big as business strategy and as small as creating and ordering business cards.

“They have provided a lot of support,” he said. “They allow you to sleep at night and not be looking around every corner.”

It took about 18 months to develop Avenew’s initial concept into a business, Rothrock said. Other ideas are now making their way through the incubation process, with anticipated business launches in one to three years, though Rothrock declined to reveal details.

This article was first published in the Indianapolis Business Journal. 

The Biden-Harris Administration awards federal funds to Cirba Solutions, North America’s most experienced battery recycling company, to expand the domestic supply of critical EV materials via its Ohio facility

 

Charlotte, NC (October 19, 2022) – Cirba Solutions, the largest and most comprehensive cross-chemistry battery management and materials processor in the industry, is a recipient of the first set of projects funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and the electrical grid, with a focus on domestic processing of materials and components currently imported from other countries. Responsible and sustainable domestic sourcing and processing of the critical materials used to make lithium-ion batteries will strengthen American supply chains, accelerate battery production to meet increased demand, and secure the nation’s economic competitiveness, energy independence, and national security.

The funding announced today by the Department of Energy is the first phase of over $7 billion in total funding provided by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the battery supply chain. DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) is responsible for strengthening and securing manufacturing and energy supply chains needed to modernize the nation’s energy infrastructure and support a clean and equitable energy transition. MESC will manage the portfolio of projects with support from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office.

Cirba Solutions will receive approximately $75 million in federal funds to expand critical mineral upgrading assets at its lithium-ion processing facility in Lancaster, Ohio. At full operation, the estimated 150,000-square-foot facility will produce enough battery-grade critical minerals used in cathode production to power more than 200,000 new electric vehicles (EVs) annually. It will also create an additional estimated 150 jobs to the greater Lancaster area. The Lancaster facility will become one of the largest commercial-scale battery recycling facilities in North America.

Prior to this federal funding award, Cirba Solutions announced its commitment to invest more than $200 million to expand the Lancaster, OH facility.

The facility will collect, disassemble, shred, and upgrade the critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries to be reused to produce new lithium-ion batteries.

“This is truly a remarkable time for manufacturing in America, as President Biden’s Agenda and historic investments supercharge the private sector to ensure our clean energy future is American-made,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Producing advanced batteries and components here at home will accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to meet the strong demand for electric vehicles, creating more good-paying jobs across the country.”

“The funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help strengthen the United States domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain for the EV market and create a sustainable supply of the critical minerals used to make batteries,” said David Klanecky, President and CEO of Cirba Solutions. “The time and cost to mine and process new materials is significant, and the need for these battery materials is becoming increasingly urgent. Battery recycling is a viable solution to help meet the rising demand for EV batteries.”

In September 2022, Cirba Solutions announced plans to construct a 75,000-square-foot facility in Eloy, Arizona to recycle lithium-ion batteries. The Eloy facility is expected to process enough battery material to power 50,000 EVs annually. The company aims to increase its lithium-ion battery processing capacity by approximately 600% over the next few years and open several new processing facilities throughout North America. Currently, the company has six active facilities processing all battery chemistries.

“The electrification of our transportation system is significantly growing year-over-year. Increasing our capacity to recycle lithium-ion batteries will advance the country’s goal of building a robust EV lithium-ion battery supply chain to help realize America’s electric future,” said Klanecky.

Links:

Biden-Harris Administration Awards $2.8 Billion to Supercharge U.S. Manufacturing of Batteries for Electric Vehicles and Electric Grid

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing Recycling Selections

Factsheets on Selectees

October 18, 2022

 

 

Magment GmbH and Heritage Environmental Technologies LLC have entered into a joint development agreement to explore new technology for dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles. Dynamic charging is the future solution for charging electric vehicles where devices installed in highway pavements will deliver electrical energy to battery electric vehicles on the road using a magnetic field. An antenna mounted to the vehicle bottom passes through the magnetic field generating an electrical current that charges the batteries.

Magment and HET have joined to develop a magnetizable asphalt mixture that can be used for the dynamic transmission of wireless power. Magment and HET believe that magnetizable asphalt will allow efficient and cost-effective construction of electric roads that will supply energy to vehicles of the future. Magment and HET are also cooperating to implement wireless charging technology in China.

Magment and HET believe the need for dynamic, wireless charging will increase as battery electric vehicles are adopted to support the United States’ goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The first step to supporting electric vehicle adoption is the recent National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program created by passage of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  The program will install charging stations along the nation’s designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. The NEVI program is complemented by the ASPIRE initiative (Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification) funded by the National Science Foundation, with the aim of electrifying transportation. As adoption of battery electric vehicles progresses the need for vehicles to charge as they drive will increase. Wireless charging technology will fulfill the need. Magment and HET are proud to support the transition from carbon-based transportation fuels to electricity.

About Magment and Heritage Environmental Technologies

Founded in 2015, Magment is a Germany-based company with operations in the United States that has pioneered magnetizable materials for wireless electric charging. Magment has developed magnetic-based devices for a range of power levels ranging from low power micro-mobility devices such as scooters to high power devices for trucks and buses.

Heritage Environmental Technologies is a subsidiary company of The Heritage Group, founded in 1930. HET is focused on technical solutions that improve the environment. The Heritage Group is an Indianapolis-based company with expertise in road construction materials.

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 12, 2022

Heritage Environmental Services, Inc., a leader in environmental and sustainability services, will be inducted into the 2022 Indiana Manufacturers Association’s (IMA) Hall of Fame on October 19, 2022, in Indianapolis, at the Biltwell Event Center. Heritage Environmental Services was chosen from a select group of Indiana candidates for its the positive achievements and contributions to the industry, as well as an ongoing commitment to its employees and area community.

“As one of the largest environmental services companies, we’re proud to employ over 1,400 people – many from within the state of Indiana where we are headquartered,” said Ali Alavi, Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel for Heritage Environmental Services. “We support business and manufacturing communities in Indiana and across the country through our commitment to sustainability as we work to find innovative ways to transform our customers’ waste streams into valuable products.”

“The Indiana Manufacturers Association instituted the Indiana Manufacturers Hall of Fame Awards in 2015 to help bring awareness and recognition to the many positive contributions of Hoosier manufacturers,” said IMA President and CEO Brian Burton. “We congratulate Heritage Environmental Services for their outstanding work and continued dedication to making Indiana a manufacturing powerhouse.”

As the most manufacturing-intensive state in the nation, Indiana is the number-one wage payer and employer of Hoosiers. Additionally, manufacturing continues to be the number-one job creator in Indiana.

With over 50 years of experience, Heritage Environmental Services works to help customers manage their hazardous and non-hazardous waste management needs, from transportation, treatment, and disposal to training and emergency response. Heritage Environmental services is proud to provide sustainable methods for managing waste that support Indiana communities and help keep the environment safe and clean.

About Heritage Environmental Services

Heritage Environmental Services is a privately held, family-owned environmental services business with more than 1,400 employees across North America. The company provides a full suite of tailored solutions from emergency response, waste disposal, and sustainability services to onsite support and technical solutions to thousands of customers in hundreds of industries. For over 50 years, Heritage Environmental Services has prioritized the safety of its employees while pursuing its purpose of protecting human health and the environment.

About the Indiana Manufacturers Association

Formed in 1901, the Indiana Manufacturers Association is the second oldest manufacturers association in the country and the only trade association in Indiana that exclusively focuses on manufacturing. Manufacturing is the driving force of Indiana’s economy, employing more people and contributing more to Indiana’s gross domestic product than any other industry. The Indiana Manufacturers Association, representing more than 1,100 companies, is dedicated to advocating for a business climate that creates, protects, and promotes quality manufacturing jobs in Indiana. The staff of the Indiana Manufacturers Association are recognized experts in areas including tax, environment, labor relations, human resources, energy, workforce development, and health care. To learn more about how membership can be a be a benefit for your company, visit www.indianamfg.com. 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – July 22, 2022 –

Amy Schumacher is a fourth-generation member of the Fehsenfeld family to lead The Heritage Group, which has a portfolio of more than 30 businesses and 5,000 employees. Schumacher was appointed CEO in 2020 after serving four years as president. In 2008, she co-founded Monument Chemical, the group‘s specialty chemicals business, and grew it into a global company with operations in the United States and Europe. Schumacher serves on the Indiana Economic Development Corp. board as well as the boards of the Women‘s Fund of Central Indiana and Calumet Specialty Products.

Advice for young people: “I like the idea of doing your homework, picking a path, and then making it the very best you can. Sometimes things don‘t work out, you learn and can always pivot.”

Favorite civic contribution: “I am especially proud of the way my family shares our passion for kids, STEM and education with our extended family—all of the employees at The Heritage Group.”

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