Composites-Industry Veteran Henry Elliot Joins Staff of IYRS

Elliot Brings Depth of Experience to New Composites Technology Program

Newport (R.I.) May 3, 2010 — Composites-industry veteran Henry Elliot has joined the staff of the International Yacht Restoration School as the lead instructor for the school's new Composites Technology Program. A builder and designer, Elliot has utilized composites for marine, automotive, architectural and other applications. His varied background is well matched to the IYRS program, a nine-month program in composites technology that will give students a wide choice of career paths. This new program will be run at the school's Bristol campus, beginning this September.

"Henry Elliot has been using composites to solve structural challenges for over 30 years—from boat hulls to rudder blades, automotive parts, electric vehicles, even acoustical panels for Carnegie Hall," said IYRS Program Director Clark Poston. "Henry brings a vast range of experience to our school and, most importantly, to our students." 

Elliot began his career in the marine industry, at Goetz Custom Sailboats in Bristol (R.I.). He later became president and cofounder of Goetz Marine Technology (GMT), which was founded to focus on high-tech projects for the marine industry. In 2000, he founded Henry Elliot LLC. He has contributed his expertise to numerous America's Cup syndicates and other high-performance sailing campaigns, the U.S. Navy, Bath Iron Works, R&D efforts on electric and electric hybrid vehicles, and architectural firms working on projects as far afield as Taipei.

According to Elliot, graduates of the IYRS Composites Technology Program will be fortunate in this economy to have skills that can transfer to many different industries. "Good composites processes and practices are not specific to the marine industry," he said. "The materials and processes are identical across a wide range of industries."

Although Elliot has designed and built structures for a diverse range of applications, he believes his career of over three decades boils down to one common effort: problem-solving. He aims to transfer that type of thinking to IYRS students and to train a new generation of innovators who will emerge from this new program as valued employees who will know how to solve problems on a shop floor.

A resident of Swansea (Mass.), Elliot holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) and has studied furniture design and small-craft design at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology School for American Crafts and Roger Williams University (Bristol, R.I.).

The IYRS Composites Technology Program, which begins in September 2010, is designed to give students a strong foundation in composites processes, techniques, and technology—ranging from general composites that employ glass fiber and polyester resin, to advanced composites that employ high-strength/high-modulus fibers and advanced resin systems. The program places a strong emphasis on advanced composites, which are generally greener because they produce less emissions in the manufacturing process.

The American Composites Manufacturers Association tallies the U.S. composites industry as a business that employs some 550,000 people and generates nearly $70 billion in revenues per year. A wide range of industries that manufacture structures that need to be light in weight yet strong, durable, and corrosion resistant use composites as a structural material—including the marine industry, aerospace, wind energy, transportation, automotive, construction, and pipe & tank industries.

For more information on the IYRS Composites Technology Program, visit www.iyrscomposites.org.