A Venture Development Holding Company that launches industrial businesses which improve how the world works
We believe the world needs to discover real, practical solutions to the industrial challenges shaping our future: energy, security, resource scarcity, and the materials that drive human progress.
At Applied Catalysts + Technologies™ (AC+T), our purpose is simple—to honor Jesus Christ and improve lives through the industrial businesses we build. By tackling complex problems with conviction and integrity, we hope that the change we make in the world is reflected in the work of our hands and the strength of our character.
Speed
Faster commercialization from an organization with decades of success instead of individual founders
Efficiency
Reduced capital burden by building where financing is available beyond traditional venture capital and bank pathways
Returns
Financial returns can be found where great need meets few solutions
Every great company begins with a conviction. For Applied Catalysts + Technologies (AC+T), that conviction has been more than fifty years in the making.
The story starts with Dr. Lane Mitchell — ceramic engineer, Georgia Tech faculty legend and founder of ceramic engineering department at Georgia Tech, and a man who believed that materials science was not merely a discipline but an economic engine for communities and industry alike. His influence shaped a generation of engineers and laid the intellectual groundwork for what would become one of the South's most enduring family enterprises in advanced materials and chemicals.
That foundation was built upon in 1967, when Applied Ceramics, Inc. (ACI) was founded in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Lane's son, Robert (Bob) Mitchell, Sr., joined Applied Ceramics in 1976 and served as CEO and Chairman through 2025. What began as a supplier of alumina and zirconia kiln furniture steadily transformed into a global enterprise — diversifying into electronics, emissions control, automotive substrates, and specialty technical ceramics across multiple manufacturing sites and joint ventures. The company's growth was never accidental. It was the product of relentless curiosity, disciplined investment in R&D, and a willingness to tackle problems that others considered unsolvable.
In the late 1990's, Applied Catalysts emerged as an incubated startup within Applied Ceramics, initially focused on air pollution control technologies. Over time, it matured into a full-spectrum catalyst company, expanding into specialty, custom, and refining applications, and establishing an ISO 9001-certified development and manufacturing platform across facilities in Laurens, South Carolina and Doraville, Georgia.
The most recent chapter began in 2025, when Applied Catalysts was renamed to ACI Catalysts and Applied Catalysts + Technologies, LLC (AC+T) was formally constituted as a venture development holding company for the family's chemical and materials innovation businesses. This reorganization was a deliberate act of strategic focus, separating the venture-building function from day-to-day operations and creating a dedicated platform to launch, scale, and steward industrial companies that improve how the world works.
Bob Mitchell, Sr., who holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a master's in Ceramic Engineering from Clemson University, brought not only technical depth but a foundational commitment: to build businesses that honor Christ, honor people, serve customers with excellence, and operate with the kind of character that outlasts any single generation. That commitment found parallel expression in his co-founding of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI), an organization that has since equipped thousands of business leaders worldwide to lead with integrity and purpose in the marketplace.
Today, Bobby Mitchell, Sr.'s sons continue the family legacy. Bobby Mitchell, Jr. is President of Applied Ceramics & ACI Catalysts, Lee Mitchell is President of Applied Catalysts + Technologies, and Chris Mitchell is CEO of ATL. While they operate distinct businesses, each carries that legacy forward with the same spirit of principled entrepreneurship.
AC+T exists to do something specific: build world-class industrial businesses at the intersection of chemistry, materials, and process innovation.
Our portfolio brands, ActiveSite and Recalibrate, represent the first ventures launched under this structure, each addressing a distinct and consequential industrial challenge.
Team & Values
Kind Excellence
We pursue the highest standards while treating others with humility, kindness, and respect. We believe you don't have to choose between results and relationships.
Create Value
We make things more valuable. We move decisively, think long-term, and take full responsibility for outcomes. We steward capital and relationships with discipline and care.
Disciplined Innovation
We pursue bold ideas with focus and grit. True innovation isn't only about chasing what's new; it's about discovering what truly works. We bring imagination and resilience, and we know when to stop, simplify, or say no.
Integrity Everyday
We do the right thing even when it's hard, costly, or unseen. Trust is our currency, and we protect it through quiet consistency and principled conviction, including an unwavering commitment to safety, because integrity means putting people before shortcuts, every time.
Lee Mitchell
CEO - Applied Catalysts + Technologies (AC+T)
Lee builds teams and technologies that reach for what's possible in industrial chemistry. His career began in 1998 at Applied Ceramics, working at the intersection of catalyst technology, manufacturing, and industrial performance while leading Applied Catalysts as a DBA company of Applied Ceramics.
In 2025, Lee founded AC+T to incubate and scale next-generation industrial companies. At the core of his work is a commitment to building strong teams and strategies that create durable impact inside companies and across industries.
Lee holds a degree in Human & Organizational Development with a focus on Leadership & Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University.
Billy Barron
Vice President - Revenue, Strategy & Innovation
Billy leads the revenue generation, strategy, and innovation for the AC+T family of companies. Billy joined Applied Catalysts with over a decade of experience in the energy and chemical industries.
His background includes leadership roles in finance, marketing, and product development. In addition, Billy has held engineering and commercial roles at industry-leading chemical companies. His education includes business, engineering, and innovation from leading institutions including Harvard, MIT, and Georgia Tech and brings a deep understanding of both technical and commercial levers for growth.
Bob Gulotty
President & CTO - ActiveSite
Bob is President & CTO of ActiveSite. Bob has managed the Applied Catalysts Development Lab in Laurens, SC and provided technical leadership for catalyst technology at Applied Catalysts since 2011.
Bob holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago and is an expert in Heterogeneous Catalysis. Dr. Gulotty has 13 US Patents and 17 publications. His accomplishments include the commercialization of emission control catalysts, custom catalysts and activated carbon monolith catalysts for continuous hydrogenation processes.
Kenny Erdoes
President - Recalibrate
Kenny Erdoes is President of Recalibrate, bringing over 25 years of experience leading capital-intensive chemical and bioindustrial businesses through scale-up, transformation, and commercialization.
He has led $100M–$200M infrastructure projects, held CEO and COO roles in industrial biotech, and scaled global engineering and capital programs at Kemin Industries—combining deep technical, operational, and capital deployment expertise to drive Recalibrate’s growth.
We help chemicals and materials companies take their ideas from concept to commercial drawing on deep expertise in catalysis and a hands-on commercialization ecosystem.
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Recalibrate is a sulfuric acid technology company that addresses the inefficiencies, emissions challenges, and capital and operating constraints that have defined the sulfuric acid industry for decades.
Partner With Us
We’re building world-class industrial businesses in chemistry, materials, and process innovation—and we don’t do it alone. At this stage, we’re looking for a small number of thoughtful corporate partners to help us accelerate our two ventures, ActiveSite and Recalibrate.
Partnering with us can look like:
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Piloting our new sulfuric acid technology with Recalibrate
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Co-developing new catalysts that solve hard operational or sustainability challenges
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Supporting external innovation with corporate partners
If you’re an industrial operator who sees opportunities in external innovation in catalysis, continuous processing, or new inorganic materials for the energy and chemicals value chain, we’d like to explore what we can build together.
Let’s talk about how AC+T, ActiveSite, and Recalibrate can help you unlock new margin, new capabilities, and new growth.