One area of expertise where Lignetics Group is truly a stand-out in the industry is in Research and Development. With a dedicated Innovation Lab at the company's Broomfield, Colorado headquarters, we’re always looking for new ways to improve on our existing products and develop new ones.
The Innovation Lab is the brainchild of our Director of Innovation Frank Kvietok. With a career in product design and consulting, Kvietok developed the ideal skill set for taking on the creative problem-solving, innovation, and experimentation that comes with pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with wood residuals.
After obtaining his undergraduate degree at Cornell University and completing his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry at The Ohio State University, he worked as a Product Designer, Technologist, and Consultant with several companies, including Procter & Gamble, Orange Glo International, and American Recreation Products (ARP).
Alongside this work, he started his own consulting business, and one of his clients happened to be the Lignetics Group. When Brett Jordan became CEO of Lignetics, he approached Kvietok about putting together a collection of higher-value products that could be developed from our company’s vast access to wood residuals.
Soon after, Kvietok was brought on full-time as the inaugural member of our new Product Development Department—now known as the Innovation Lab.
In his role, Kvietok works with product and brand managers, the operations team, and a steady stream of enthusiastic interns. His team is always working three to five years ahead on new products and ideas, while diving into near-term opportunities for the brands under the company’s umbrella.
Kvietok strongly believes in a collaborative “open innovation” approach. His team uses their collective knowledge and also collaborates with outside suppliers, universities, and other labs, which has led to beneficial partnerships and even funding from government grants. The team’s hard work and ingenuity has resulted in the creation of several new products across our consumer brands.
Thanks to Kvietok and his team, the sky's the limit for what we as a company can achieve today, tomorrow and beyond.
The second-most abundant naturally occurring bioplymer, lignin is found in the cell walls of vascular plants, acting as a glue that holds wood fibers together. The compound is a good candidate to combine with other materials to make strong and sustainable products that look and feel similar to plastic. This opens up a range of possibilities for new products and expanding sustainable possibilities.
Biopolymers are polymers produced from sustainable sources. The Innovation Lab is collaborating with several companies to create bio-composites for products ranging from straws to 3D printing filaments. Wood flour is an obvious example of a polymer additive that maintains its sustainability profile and has been proven to enhance biodegradation. Our work in biopolymers is also allowing us to pursue compounding, the process of mixing polymers with fillers, as a possible new business model.
We knew sawdust litter could be a disruptor in the pet market and, after extensive research and testing, Catalyst Pet cat litter was born. Engineered from upcycled softwood pine, this high-performance clumping litter is completely sustainable, naturally absorbent and odor neutralizing. With this innovative product, we’re able to show our customers, retailers, and the pet community at large that you can care for the environment while offering a high-performance product at the same time. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.
We are working to improve pellet performance by extracting fatty acids in coffee grounds—another natural substance considered to be waste— and adding them to wood pellets. This additive helps increase the heat of pellets, making them more efficient and reducing emissions. We’re also researching ways to remove water from pellets to improve efficiency and reduce production energy costs and emissions even further.
Wood flour can be used as an additive or filler in a variety of products, such as wood plastic composites. We currently sell wood flour into the wood plastics market, where it’s commonly used as a functional filler in certain types of decking. More applications are on the horizon as we experiment with ways to improve the performance of wood flour.
Our successful Bear Mountain BBQ brand has introduced us to a world of natural wood flavors—in the form of pellets, chips, and chunks, and Smoke ‘Ems™—that enhance the taste of grilled food. And this is just the start. We’re working toward being able to deliver wood smoke anywhere at any time. And we’re researching ways to broaden the flavor profiles and expand past traditional hardwood.
