Client Spotlight: Monzyk Innovations LLC

Throughout American history, inventors and innovators have created, shaped and promoted their inventions to shape our lives.  Bruce Monzyk has dedicated his life to industrial chemistry and the purification of water.  His ground-breaking process of recovering useful, strategic metals and nutrients from contaminated, now recyclable, water has become the focus of his start-up. 

After 40-years, Monzyk retired from work in Industrial Chemistry and started his own company with his wife Sally, Monzyk Innovations LLC in Florence, Alabama.  They are located in the Shoals Business Incubator with an onsite shop and lab.  Clients from around the USA send them contaminated water to demonstrate his patented-process, clean the water and recover the nutrients. 

“I started with my sister’s high school chemistry book and experiments in the closet when I was in middle school” says Monzyk.  He graduated from Duke University with a Doctorate in Bio-Inorganic Chemistry.  After 40 years of professional work, with 18 years at Battelle Memorial Institute and 22 years in industry he wanted to put into practice his inventions. 

Monzyk Innovation LLC has been in business 2-years with 3 full time employees, 1 part-time and a student on staff.  All employees are college students earning a degree in chemical engineering from local Universities.  They are all gaining vital hands-on experience that will give them a competitive edge in the marketplace and help resolve world problems.  Bruce’s wife, Sally has a Masters Degree from The Ohio State University and runs the business with Bruce.  They come to work each day with their large and friendly lab, Gal. 

With over 80 patents, Monzyk is “bridging the gap between discovery and demonstration of new technologies and product concepts”.   His inventions range from a fish finder named the “Scout-a-Bout” currently being sold on Amazon to ongoing positive research that will impact COVID-19. 

When looking for operating space for their business, the Monzyks need a site that included space for the shop and lab.  They did not want to invest in a stand-alone building and found the Shoals Business Incubator.  The flexible lease option made SBI an attractive choice but the structural support has kept them at the Incubator.  “It is the best place for entrepreneurs to start a business” says Sally Monzyk.