Client Spotlight – Resurgent Innovations
HOUGHTON, MI – February 17, 2025 – The Innovation Journey, powered by MTEC SmartZone, is a series that highlights some of our standout clients. This week, we highlight another one of our graduated companies from our 2024 AMMP Accelerator program. As the world faces an ever-growing plastic waste crisis, one Upper Peninsula entrepreneur is revolutionizing the way with groundbreaking technology.
Dr. David Shonnard, a Chemical Engineering Research Professor at Michigan Tech University, has long focused his research on sustainable biofuel production for alternative transportation. Over time, his work has evolved to address the growing need for advanced solutions in recycling waste plastics. Dr. Shonnard brings a wealth of expertise, holding a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Davis. His postdoctoral research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, coupled with a sabbatical at BASF Corporation in Germany, has shaped the innovative methods that drive his work today.
Resurgent Innovations was founded with the urgency to help provide technical solutions to the problems surrounding waste plastics and increase recycling rates. “I always had an interest in wanting to solve environmental problems,” added Dr. Shonnard. “Resurgent’s goal is commercializing technology invented at Michigan Tech to benefit local communities and the environment. This technology will provide the means to recycle waste plastics while simultaneously producing high-value products.”
The AMMP Accelerator played a pivotal role in helping Dr. Shonnard lay the foundation for commercializing his research. Over the course of the 14-week program, Resurgent refined its commercialization strategy and honed its pitch to investors. Collaborating with other entrepreneurs allowed Dr. Shonnard to deepen his understanding of both the innovation landscape and the commercialization process. Since August, Resurgent has made significant progress, achieving a major milestone: the successful demonstration of their recycling technology that converts military waste plastic mixtures into valuable products—such as food, lubricants, and fuel for power generation—directly at the point of need for remote military deployments.
While Dr. Shonnard and Resurgent are still early in their innovation journey, they have a clear roadmap to success. With a focus on demonstrating both technical and commercial viability, their vision is to transform waste plastics from the Upper Peninsula into valuable products, all produced locally in Houghton, Michigan. MTEC SmartZone is excited to continue supporting Dr. Shonnard on his path to bringing this transformative technology to commercialization.