Dusty Tenney appointed new CEO of TechGROWTH Ohio portfolio company, Stirling Ultracold

Stirling Ultracold, a subsidiary of Global Cooling, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers and a TechGROWTH Ohio portfolio company, recently announced Dusty Tenney’s appointment as the company’s new CEO. 

Tenney brings deep industry experience and a proven track record, having held senior executive positions within PerkinElmer and Brooks Automation for the last 20 years. His most recent role was president of Brooks Life Sciences, where he quadrupled the business from $60 million to $335 million in five years.

“Stirling Ultracold’s technology is well positioned in growth markets and supports a mission to preserve critical biomaterials that enable researchers and clinicians around the world to deliver true health care solutions,” Tenney said.

TechGROWTH Ohio, a program of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, was the lead investor in Stirling Ultracold’s first round of financing. The subsequent growth and successful later rounds of financing can also be attributed to the financial and operational support from TechGROWTH Ohio, as well as the Ohio Innovation Fund.

“The Ohio Innovation Fund and Ohio University are pleased to have Dusty on board and are impressed by the plan he has brought forth to grow Stirling Ultracold to its full potential,” Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis said. “As an early investor in Stirling Ultracold, we are proud of this company that continues to bring important economic development opportunities to our region.”

Stirling Ultracold’s Founder and CTO, Dave Berchowitz, and Neill Lane, now Chief Strategic Officer and member of the Voinovich School Advisory Board, will continue as key executives.

“We are delighted to welcome Dusty on board as the new CEO of Stirling Ultracold. I know the management team is very proud of what we’ve built, and we are excited to have Dusty take us to the next level and enable Stirling Ultracold to fully realize its growth potential,” Lane and Berchowitz said.

As an emerging, world-class manufacturer of ULT freezers based in Athens, Global Cooling has helped to build the economy of Southeastern Ohio and the rest of the state. The company’s proprietary free-piston Stirling engine is used in Stirling Ultracold freezers to help advance life sciences and biotech research, while using 70-75% less energy than traditional ULT freezers. The freezers preserve biological research specimens at extremely low temperatures, -86°C to -20°C, and offer a more compact, environmentally sustainable solution.

One of the Ohio Third Frontier’s entrepreneurial service providers, TechGROWTH Ohio provides technology start-up companies in the 20-county Southeast Ohio area access to business assistance and sources of capital. More than 2,200 area start-ups and entrepreneurs, including Stirling Ultracold, have generated over $590 million in additional local economic activity with TechGROWTH Ohio’s support.

“Stirling Ultracold has been an outstanding example of how TechGROWTH launches and grows technology companies to benefit regional economic development,” Mark Weinberg, Voinovich School Dean, said. “By leveraging investment made by the state of Ohio, along with Ohio University resources, Voinovich School programs have generated nearly $3 billion in economic impact since 2014.”