FEATURED COVER STORY | G-Form
Rhode Island Grown G-Form’s founders have a long and unique history based here in RI. CEO Dan Wyner has operated a local family business, Shawmut Corporation, growing it from a few million in annual sales to over half a billion. After leaving Shawmut for new and exciting adventures, he worked closely with another eventual G-Form founder, Dick Fox, in order to start a new R&D lab/testing center named Polyworks. Polyworks, located in North Smithfield, was integral in working with advanced materials, polymers and molding processes. While at Polyworks, Dan, Dick, and Thom Cafaro (currently VP of Innovations) created a revolutionary patent-pending process to mold smart materials - a feat that has never previously been done. This Reactive Protection TechnologyTM (RPTTM) is an advanced composite technology that absorbs impact. Co-founder Danny Warshay, also a Rhode Island native and local entrepreneur, has been instrumental in keeping G-Form connected to local talent. By recruiting directly from Brown, RISD, and URI, G-Form has been able to keep up with their growing staffing needs while providing a great environment for recent college graduates. Along with the personal connections to Rhode Island, geography plays a large role in keeping G-Form local. Our state is the nexus at the center of the G-Form Supply Chain, with fulfillment and prototyping facilities in Fall River MA, chemical sourcing from Rogers, CT and product molds from North Smithfield, RI. In addition to benefits of personal connections and geography, G-Form has benefited from the support of many statewide organizations. The Chaffee Center for International Business at Bryant University has been a valuable resource in helping with any export related issues. They have also provided G-Form with grants to attend trade shows abroad as well as trade missions. The Providence Chamber of Commerce has also showed support for G-Form by helping them stay connected with other local businesses. Sue Stenhouse has taken the initiative to reach out to G-Form to help improve the “Knowledge District” in Providence and increase connections between other startups in the area.
The Technology The G-Form athletic and consumer electronic products utilize RPT™ – Reactive Protection Technology. RPT™ which is a composite blend of PORON®XRD™ material and proprietary G-Form materials and technology that instantly stiffens upon impact and absorbs over 90% of the energy, offering state-ofthe-art impact protection in a lightweight, flexible form.
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