Doug Lawyer, vice president of economic development for the Knoxville Chamber, gives a Composites Coalition brief at the first quarterly meeting.

BY: JESSICA GUTMAN

More than 60 people gathered on Feb. 28 for the first Composites Coalition quarterly meeting, hosted at the Knoxville Chamber.

Industry partners and companies had the opportunity to learn more about the statewide composites initiative, hear about industry progress throughout the region and speak casually with each other about shared pain points and opportunities.

Speakers included Doug Lawyer, vice president of economic development for the Knoxville Chamber; John Hopkins, CEO of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI); Craig Blue, director of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); and Dr. Uday Vaidya, UT/ORNL Governor’s Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing and chief technology officer for IACMI.

During the event, attendees took part in an informal, open dialogue about private sector needs and what the Composites Coalition can do to address those needs. They also had the opportunity to tour the University of Tennessee’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility and Engineering Annex.

The next Composites Coalition meeting will take place Wednesday, May 16.