EPISODE 19 - 19 Newsmakers sits down with NEO SMART CEO Nick Barendt

So, NeoSmart is a regional innovation ecosystem building activity focused in advanced materials and manufacturing for the region and for U.S. competitiveness.

So our focus is around materials for manufacturing, so driving the critical manufacturing ecosystem we have here in Northeast Ohio, steering research towards industry's hardest problems, converting that research into new products and companies, training workers from entry level through PhD and connecting them to jobs, and then growing the companies we have here and attracting companies to the region that belong to be part of this ecosystem.

That's a big job and that's because of this grant that just came from the National Science Foundation and is it $160 million you're eligible for over the next 10 years? That money has already started flowing to you from the National Science Foundation.

Tell me, you worked a long time to get that grant and now you got it, you have to be thrilled.

It's very exciting, right? We've been working with our partners on this for over four years, and this is the first two years of what's worth up to $160 million, over 10 years, right? To build and reinvigorate this ecosystem.

When

we say ecosystem, we mean researchers and universities and industry partners and startups and job creation, right? This whole set of activities to make this a vibrant region.

All to bring back manufacturing in our region, which you say has taken a hit.

Yes.

So clearly, you know, Ohio is still the third largest manufacturing state in the country.

Many people aren't aware of that.

But deindustrialization has hurt our region like many areas, particularly in the Midwest.

But it's also important to remember that we still have 250,000 workers in the 18 county region we're focusing on in manufacturing jobs right now.

Represents $46 billion of our gross regional product alone.

So while manufacturing has been impacted, it's still really important to our region.

And our focus with Neosmart is rebuilding and reinvigorating that for the future.

And I keep seeing this term advanced manufacturing.

Is that what we're talking about here? Or are we talking about all the manufacturing that's involved? Or is this advanced?

It's advanced and a particular focus in materials, right? So we are focusing in three specific materials clusters that Northeast Ohio has distinctive strengths in.

polymers, especially chemicals and coatings, and metals.

Those materials are the bedrock of all manufacturing, but if you think about companies that are headquartered in our region, the Goodyears, the Sherwin-Williams, the Lincoln Electrics, the Cleveland Cliffs, the Aviants, these companies are connected to supply chains across all critical supply chains for the United States, aerospace and defense, medical, transportation, energy, et cetera.