Alumni Profile—Sam McCord

posted on Monday, January 9, 2017 in  Alumni Profiles

“Hawkeye has impacted me hugely!” says Sam McCord, CEO and founder of MCG BioComposites, LLC. “It provided a launching pad to get me into the field of soil and materials engineering.

Sam graduated from the Hawkeye Institute of Technology in 1974 with a degree in Civil Engineering Technology. Sam is proud of his degree from Hawkeye, as it provided him hands-on experience and laid the groundwork for his success. He was fortunate to be hired by one of the finest soil and materials engineering firm in the U.S., where he was responsible for multi-million dollar projects with John Deere in Waterloo, Davenport and Moline, Ill.

His success in business expanded to his own companies. He started three, received federal grants for product development, and has received patents and registered trademarks for his products. Sam started MCG BioComposites to handle the growth in bio-based materials. BioComposites materials are a blend of ‘biomass’, i.e., corn cobs, flax shive, coconut fiber, and wood fibers that, when incorporated into recycled plastics through a process of compounding, enhance the strength and durability of the material making for a more robust product.

He developed his own brand of plant identification markers—“MCG BioMarkers®” to be used by arboretums, botanical gardens, public gardens and the lawn & garden markets.

“I love the freedom to do what I choose and have the opportunity to create, build and sell what I do,” he said. “I love the challenge and the risks associated with business ownership.”

His other business, McCord Consulting Group, Inc., provided executive search, business development, and business acquisition search to the plastics industry, was used to launch his current business, MCG BioComposites, LLC.”

Sam offers advice to current Hawkeye students: “Be a sponge and take it all in and help your fellow students. Don’t be afraid of failure, but learn from it and move on.”