In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Calumet was once the epicenter of the world’s copper industry. Today, Calumet-based Loukus Technologies is mining intellectual property instead. The family-owned company “designs and manufactures custom alloys out of aluminum, magnesium, composites and high temperature alloys; but the focus is always on transitioning developed technologies into products, not just doing research for the sake of research,” said Adam Loukus, the company’s founder and CEO.

An R&D company with a strong commercial predisposition, Loukus Technologies deploys innovative material technologies to industry through partnering, licensing and contract manufacturing. Its unique capabilities are in developing and manufacturing custom alloys tailored to solved unique challenges. The company has multiple patented metal casting and process technologies and components for use in the energy, defense and automotive industries.

Loukus Technologies has grown quickly and projects sales and revenues to more than double in 2024. The company now has 12 full-time employees plus 8 part-time employees, including several student interns from Michigan Technological University in Houghton.

According to Adam, “I met the Michigan SBDC when we had developed a lightweight composite brake rotor we thought was transformative in the braking industry, but we were struggling to take that product to market. Michigan SBDC Tech Team Business Consultant Kayo Ramirez introduced me to the Accelerate Michigan competition where we fine-tuned our business model and pitch.” “I am consistently impressed by the innovativeness of Adam and his team,” said Kayo. “They accomplish so much with limited resources.” Since that introduction, the company has worked together with the SBDC for over five years on numerous projects. 

Adam continued, “What’s interesting about the folks I’ve met at the Michigan SBDC is that they have such broad experience in a variety of areas.  Thank you to the Michigan SBDC for all the marketing, business and contractual support they’ve offered.”