4 Minutes with…Katrina Cornish, CEO, EnergyEne

Tell us about your company and it’s role in the Advanced Bioeconomy.

EnergyEne is a start up materials/energy company with technology licensed from the Ohio State University. EnergyEne’s CapEx & OpEx light guayule biorefinery model produces high value latex, natural rubber, and suite of high value bio products from integrated breakthroughs in harvesting, processing, conversion, and product applications.

Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.

As CEO I am looking for grants and investments to move beyond our pilot plant scale to a guayule-based IBR in the south western US. We will continue fund raising while simultaneously developing high margin niche applications which can then fund expansion. I am also the Ohio research Scholar and Endowed Chair, Bioemergent Materials at the Ohio State University, and a consultant with Lee Enterprises,so am kept very busy!

What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?   

We must establish rubber crops in the US

If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the Advanced Bioeconomy, what would you change? 

Financial and investment decisions based on the quarterly report! This is a ridiculously short time period and completely unsuitable for development of a sustainable and resilient bioeconomy.

Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?   

The total economic meltdown that will occur if natural rubber supplies are compromised or collapse

Where are you from?

Beccles, Suffolk, England.

What was your subject focus (e.g. major) in university (undergraduate and/or graduate, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?

I graduated with a First Class Honors BSc in Biological Sciences and then with a Ph.D. in Plant Biology (stress physiology),from the University Of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK. UB is a red brick school and at that time was in the top three schools for genetics. I was struck at a young age that plants do everything animals do but can’t run away.

Who do you consider your mentors – could be personal, business, or just people you have read about and admire. What have you learned from them?  

I have always admired people with vision, honesty and perseverance.

What’s the biggest lesson you ever learned during a period of adversity?   

Stay on the high road, maintain your self respect and belief, and persevere.

What hobbies do you pursue, away from your work in the industry?   

reading, music, gardening, hiking, kayaking, arts and crafts

What books or articles (excluding The Digest) are on your reading list right now, or you just completed and really enjoyed?   

I mostly read for escapism these days. Favorite authors include Alastair MacLean, Georgette Heyer, Isaac Asimov, and many more.

What’s your favorite city or place to visit, for a holiday?  

Places with beautiful scenery