The big deal about TiFiber

Fort Smith business leaders and officials with the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce were challenged a few years ago to do a better job connecting with the commercialized technologies that were emerging and could emerge from research at the University of Arkansas.

To their credit and our benefit, they accepted the challenge. The Fort Smith group worked with Ron and Calvin GoForth at VIC Technology Venture Development. Fayetteville-based VIC is a private, for-profit, technology venture development firm that works to form new technology companies with the purpose of commercializing licensed technologies. The result of this work is that TiFiber will move its operations to Fort Smith.

TiFiber and the chance for up to 100 good-paying jobs in the Fort Smith area is what we hope becomes the first of several instances where the gee-whiz research on potentially sector-altering products and processes at the University of Arkansas becomes a job-creating operation in the Fort Smith area.

More to their credit, a private and anonymous group of these Fort Smith business folks ponied up $300,000 to make a bet on TiFiber, and on a larger bet that Fort Smith can be hospitable to advanced manufacturing and/or leading-edge companies.

As have many innovative companies, TiFiber was borne out of a need to solve a problem before you, Kind Reader, and I knew it was a problem. The problem in this case is that triclosan and other ingredients in most anti-bacterial soaps, lotions, body washes and other human-interaction uses is resulting in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

Research at the University of Arkansas resulted in the development of anti-microbial polymers that essentially block the transference of bad bacteria without creating an environment in which the bacteria can develop resistance.

Finding new anti-bacterial products has attracted a large audience. It could be a multi-billion dollar a year market and TiFiber is likely to be one of many companies pursuing commercialized options.

However, TiFiber is working with West Warwick, R.I.-based Bradford Soap Works to develop soap formulations using TiFiber’s patented products. This is important because Bradford is an established, respected and well-managed company in the area of manufacturing bar soaps, liquid soaps, lotions, specialty chemicals, and bath accessories. This is akin to developing a unique automotive component and partnering with Ford.

Possible uses of TiFiber’s products include soaps, disposable and non-disposable medical plastics, dental cements, wound care (acute and chronic wounds), medical devices (biofilm protection), cosmetic preservatives, and textiles.

TiFiber is in a critical part of its timeline. Many things could go wrong. A lot of things could go right.

One of the commenters on The City Wire posted a great response to the story: “This is perfect. Exactly the thing that's been needed for so long in the FSM region. Even if TiFiber falters, this possibly puts the region on the map for other startup ventures.”

Bingo.

The TiFiber announcement has three positive angles.

The first is the obvious. Fort Smith business leaders stepped up and successfully recruited a company to the region that could create a good number of good-paying jobs.

The second angle is that which the commenter noted: Fort Smith has leadership willing to prove to University of Arkansas researchers that the city known for its history is interested in becoming a home to products and processes that can change the future.

A third angle is that the University of Arkansas is just one of many research universities around the country with professors, grad students, investors and others looking for fertile ground to grow their new research into a successful business. If Fort Smith leaders can prove they are willing and able to be a consistent player in this type of economic development, we may in the next decade take pride that downtown Fort Smith or a campus at Chaffee Crossing or an infill development in north Fort Smith or a collection of buildings in downtown Van Buren or all of those areas are home to many companies that are national leaders in whatever unique product or process they offer.

This successful effort to recruit TiFiber causes me to find yet more comfort in a statement I pushed several years ago: What’s wrong with the Fort Smith regional economy is no match for what’s right with the Fort Smith area. Within our people and within our many public and private entities, we have the potential for great things; we have the potential — through better leadership — to direct overwhelming people-power on whatever problems and obstacles we face. We are a great people, in a great place, and we are capable of great progress.

We should all thank those who made the $300,000 investment, and offer our best wishes to the brains behind TiFiber.