USB Partner BioSpan Wins Small Business Honor for Biobased Companies

July, 2010

One longtime partner of the United Soybean Board (USB) recently won the Best of Business Washington Award from the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA), earning recognition from the White House. BioSpan Technologies, which uses soy in its RePLAY product, won the award for biobased research product development and marketing.

Each year, the USCA identifies companies that achieve exceptional marketing success in their local business communities and prove to be good examples of small businesses that exemplify service to their customers and communities. The award, which BioSpan won for the second consecutive year, came with a White House reception in May to honor excellence in small business.

USB remains committed to funding research and development of new soy-based products as a way of increasing demand for U.S. soy. Every year, dozens of new soy-based products that USB supported reach the marketplace.

USB provided funding to BioSpan to develop RePLAY, an asphalt sealer and preservation agent that can extend the life of a paved surface. RePLAY contains 88 percent biobased content, including soy. Since being commercialized, RePLAY has been applied on a variety of surfaces throughout the country, including highways, parking lots and even U.S. Air Force base runways. Additionally, USB supported BioSpan in developing 23 new soy-based solvents, which the company continues to push through the patent process.

According to BioSpan President and CEO Sheldon Chesky, these products would not have been possible without support from USB on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers.

“USB helps make the impossible possible,” Chesky said. “USB provides support – both physical and fiscal – and guidance to help small businesses research, develop and, ultimately, commercialize soy-based products.” Like USB, BioSpan believes soy can play a major role in developing more sustainable biobased industrial and consumer products that generally outperform their more hazardous petrochemical-based counterparts.

“We’re very committed to biobased products that are friendlier to the environment and the people using the products,” Chesky said. “When properly formulated, many biobased products bring improved performance over petrochemical products.”

To learn more about RePLAY® and other