MSE innovation helps economy, federal commerce official says

By Robert Struckman - 02/11/2006

A U.S. Commerce Department head touted a Butte company last week, saying companies like MSE Technology Applications Inc. keep innovation a part of the nation’s economy.

Echoing President Bush’s economic talk in his State of the Union address Tuesday, William Jeffrey of the National Institute for Standards and Technology lauded the national economy.

“We are in a position of strength,” Jeffrey said. “We need to look forward to not only maintain America’s competitiveness but to extend it.” NIST, a non-regulatory federal agency within the Commerce Department, promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology. Products and services such as automated teller machines, semiconductors, atomic clocks and mammograms all rely in some way on the agency.

In the case of MSE, the company contracts with the Energy and Defense departments and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop innovative ways to safely store military and industrial waste.

The company also has industrial clients in South Korea and Japan.

The $26 million company has 170 employees, about 155 of which are located in Butte. The remaining 15 are in sales offices located near military installations or other federal sites across the United States, said Neal Egan of MSE.

The company has developed plasma furnaces that can cook waste down to a sludge that hardens into an inactive obsidianlike substance, Egan said. The company also has products and services in the fields of mining waste mitigation and dam and power plant safety and supervision.

A year ago, MSE sent representatives to Ireland, Germany and Spain with a trade delegation led by Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.

As a result, MSE hired an agent in Ireland and has hopes to expand its business into Europe, Egan said.

The potential for growth is difficult to gauge, Egan said. At this point, it’s just that — potential, he said.

While the company markets its existing technologies, partnerships with the U.S. government and Princeton University may yield new commercial products.

One under development is a hypersonic wind tunnel. A prototype is under construction, Egan said. The wind in the tunnel can reach 12 times the speed of sound, he said.

The bottom line, said Jeffrey, is competitiveness and innovation really matter. He presented MSE with an award for small- and mid-size companies that enter new export markets.

“The big picture is something we don’t want to lose sight of,” Jeffrey said. Companies such as MSE will help set the U.S. economy on the right trajectory for the next generation, he said.

NIST has a budget of about $930 million and employs about 3,000 scientists, technicians and other staff.

Reporter Robert Struckman writes for the Missoulian. He can be reached at 523-5262 or rstruckman@missoulian.com.