EDC’s 2006 Emerging Business of the Year on Growth Track
A ceremonial groundbreaking on October 13th marked the start of work on a 22,000 square foot addition for River Falls-based Interfacial Solutions, LLC (IFS). The expansion will primarily add new office, laboratory, and warehouse space as a result of IFS’s continued growth. The company currently occupies15,000 square feet in Whitetail Ridge Corporate Park, consisting of office space, a material characterization lab, and melt processing equipment. The addition is expected to completed in early 2010.
“We have made the decision to expand our facility to accommodate the rapid growth we have witnessed over the past two years,” said Dr. Jeffrey J. Cernohous, president and founder of IFS.
Interfacial Solutions is a privately held materials development and transfer company. The company is dedicated to helping organizations in the plastics industry successfully address technological challenges by providing timely and effective solutions utilizing Interfacial’s expertise in materials science. IFS was formed in 2003 and has a growing reputation for providing differentiated technology and products to the plastics industry through specialty compounding, plastics additives, composite materials and processing, nano-technology, and interfacial modification.
Dr. Cernohous, a native of River Falls, has spent his entire career developing new polymeric materials for interfacial applications in polymer blends and composites. He has co-authored 23 scientific publications and 43 U.S. patents and patent applications in his career.
Earlier this year, IFS released its new deTerra(TM) product line of bio-based polymers. The first grade in the deTerra(TM) series is a non-halogenated, flame retardant (FR) modified PLA polymer. That grade is a bio-based alternative to many grades of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It offers IFS’s customers an intriguing set of properties, especially for those looking to expand their “green” product offerings using renewable resources. Translated, the term “terra” means earth. It can be considered for sheet and other extrusion applications as well as for injection molded components.
Derrick Commercial Contracting, LLC is the project’s general contractor and Security Financial Bank (River Falls office) is the primary lender. A supplemental loan was obtained from the Regional Business Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides low-interest loans to new and existing businesses in the 7-county region of west central Wisconsin.
St. Croix EDC named Interfacial Solutions its 2006 Emerging Business of the Year, an award given to new, development-stage companies in St. Croix County that have been in business for five or fewer years.
For additional information on Interfacial Solutions, go to http://www.interfacialsolutions.com.
For additional information on economic development opportunities in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, contact William Rubin, St. Croix EDC at (715) 381-4383.
