Buffalo pitched as site for graphene manufacturing

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Keith Blakely, InVentures Group

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David Bertola

Buffalo Business First Reporter- Buffalo Business First

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Keith Blakely is looking worldwide for companies to build a new graphene industry, and to become part of the foundation of the region's new advanced manufacturing initiative.

Throughout the year, he's had discussions with companies from around the world about establishing graphene manufacturing operations in Western New York. In November Blakely, CEO of Buffalo-based The InVentures Group Inc., was named chair of the Graphene Stakeholders Association.

The Association is a 501(c)6 enterprise. Blakely is a longtime veteran of the advanced materials and nanotechnology community.

The InVentures Group sources funding and operational resources for high-tech companies in prototype or early-production stages. InVentures Group helped create the association, a nonprofit to foster graphene-based education, technical collaboration, scientific exchange, and value and job creation through successful commercialization. Click here to read more about graphene.

Blakely said that without health and safety standards, which the association will create, it would be difficult to have the product and technology adopted commercially.

Composed of pure carbon, graphene has the potential to play a vital role in the development of advanced technologies in such industry segments including computing, electronics, energy, defense, health care, telecommunications and transportation.

He said that EWI New York has been working with InVentures Group to find ways for graphene and other companies to develop the product and technology to create interest at companies that would use it on a large scale.

As examples, he mentioned target companies could be those like General Electric and Lockheed Martin. Located at 847 Main Street, EWI New York is leading the Buffalo Billion initiative to operate a new advanced manufacturing institute and support growth of the area's manufacturing sector.

David Bertola covers small business, energy and marketing