Vistage Member Company MycoWorks’ co-founder Philip Ross Nominated for Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum People’s Design Award
San Diego, CA, September 22, 2014 –Philip Ross, Co-Founder and CTO of Vistage member company MycoWorks, a biomaterials design and engineering company based in Silicon Valley, has been nominated for the prestigious Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum People’s Design Award for 2014. The nomination was awarded in recognition of Ross’s innovative mycelium-based building blocks, which are cultivated from the root structure of mushrooms to create a superior alternative to many common non-organic materials.
“I’m honored to be nominated for the People’s Design Award,” said Ross. “This is a very nice nod to the work that we have been doing and a great opportunity to educate a broader audience about the possibilities and the potential of mycelium-based design.”
The People’s Design Award is part of Cooper-Hewitt’s largest annual public education initiative, National Design Week. Previous winners of the People’s Design Award include the Katrina Cottage, the Zōn Hearing Aid, the Trek Lime Bicycle, and the Braille Alphabet Bracelet.
The building blocks that Ross has been nominated for are one of the many mycelium-based materials that MycoWorks is developing. These materials use a variety of wood and agricultural byproducts as the core substrate; this diverts these biomaterials from the waste stream and converts them into useful products. Mycelium-based materials also have the advantage of being durable, lightweight, free of toxic additives, naturally fire resistant, and easily compostable at the end of their product cycle.
“Regardless of whether Phil is fortunate enough to win this award, we are very happy that he has been nominated by such an iconic and historic institution,” said Eddie Pavlu, CEO and Co-Founder of MycoWorks and a Vistage member since 2008. “This award offers further affirmation of the groundbreaking potential of mycelium-based materials.”
The People’ Design Award contest, which is determined via online voting, runs through October 6th and the winner will be announced live at the National Design Awards Gala in New York City, and on https://www.smithsonian.com, on October 9th.
About MycoWorks, Inc.
MycoWorks is an early-stage biomaterials development company based in Silicon Valley. The company employs proprietary techniques and technologies to create natural alternatives to engineered wood, cork, and synthetic plastics. These new biomaterials provide designers and manufacturers in a wide range of industries with the ability to create more durable, lightweight and eco-friendly products. For more information, visit the company online at https://www.mycoworks.com
Vistage is the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize businesses. For more than 65 years, we’ve been helping CEOs, business owners and key executives solve their greatest challenges through confidential peer groups and one-to-one executive coaching sessions. Today, more than 45,000 members in 35 countries rely on Vistage to help make better decisions for their companies, families and communities. The results prove it: Vistage CEO members grew their annual revenue on average by 4.6% in 2020, while nonmembers with comparable small and midsize businesses saw revenue decrease by 4.7%, according to a study of Dun & Bradstreet data. Learn more at vistage.com. Media Contact Katie McWeeney | Vistage 858.523.6875 | katie.mcweeney@vistage.com