KLAW Industries, a business focused on recycling glass into a product used in concrete manufacturing, has been named the Best Student Innovation Award winner by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
KLAW Industries is co-owned by Jack Lamuraglia ’21, an electrical engineering major, Tanner Wallis ’21, a mechanical engineering major and Jacob Kumpon, a junior at Binghamton University. The company turns recycled glass into a pozzolan that is used in concrete manufacturing.
According to Lamuraglia, KLAW Industries submitted their product called Pantheon™ for the contest, which can be used to replace 30% of cement in concrete. This makes the concrete 11% stronger, more chemically resistant, and very sustainable. Using five tons of Pantheon™ in concrete has the same CO2 savings as taking a car off the road for a year.
Receiving the Best Student Innovation Award bodes well for KLAW Industries’ future.
“Winning the Best Student Submission award from the ASCE Innovation Contest is a huge milestone for KLAW Industries,” Lamuraglia said. “It validated a key part of our business model and shows that the industry does have an interest in what we are doing.”
This is not the first external business plan competition KLAW Industries has won. The company also took first place in Tiger Tank, a business pitch competition sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business. KLAW Industries also finished in second place in NYSERDA’s Energy & Environment category and also won the concept stage award at the 11th annual New York Business Plan Competition.
“Participating in external competitions whose purpose is to develop a springboard for forward-looking innovations, and winning those competitions proves that KLAW is on track for success,” said Ashley Sweeney, Associate Director of the Shipley Center for Innovation.
Looking to continue with their momentum, the owners of KLAW Industries are currently working on raising funds to open a pilot plant this summer. The plant will be located in Broome County and will serve two recycling facilities and two concrete facilities. To learn more about KLAW Industries, visit klawindustries.com. If you are in a field that this technology could be applicable and would like to speak to these students, please reach out to Ashley Sweeney at asweeney@clarkson.edu.