MemPro Ceramics Corporation, of which John M. Finley II '70 is chairman and CEO, is the recipient of a 2007 NorTech Innovation Award. The annual awards program recognizes companies in Northeast Ohio creating and developing breakthrough innovative technologies.
MemPro Ceramics has combined polymer processing with ceramic production to make a new filtration technology using ceramic nanofibers to capture/filter undesirable particles while removing gaseous pollutants from the environment. The innovation will dramatically reduce the costs of using catalysts in the production of pharmaceutical and biotech products, fine and bulk chemicals, as well as food and beverages. Recently, a working prototype was built in partnership with the University of Akron to demonstrate the efficacy of the filters and the benefits of employing ceramic nanofibers to take advantage of large surface/volume ratio these nanostructures offer.
Finley, who earned his St. Lawrence degree in physics, holds an MBA from the University of Rochester. At St. Lawrence, he was inducted into the leadership honorary society Omicron Delta Kappa and was a member of the lacrosse team. He has served the University as a trustee and a member of the Alumni Executive Council, and has been active in Reunion planning and fund-raising, as well as in volunteering in admissions and career planning.
