Technology >> CEO Interviews >> April 21, 2003

Michael Collins – Cem Corporation

MICHAEL J. COLLINS is President and Chief Executive Officer of CEM Corporation. Dr. Collins graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Texas. His research focused on the use of microwave spectroscopy for structural determination of small molecules. CEM Corporation, co-founded in 1978 by Dr. Collins, is the leading provider of microwave solutions for the laboratory and life sciences marketplace, with over 25,000 systems sold worldwide and more than 200 patents for microwave and related technologies. The company has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany, as well as distributors around the world. As one of the original innovators to apply microwave energy to drive chemical processes, Dr. Collins not only helped lay the foundation for increasing the laboratory applications for microwave technology, but also provided momentum for the broad acceptance of its use in a number of disciplines from medicinal and organic chemistry to analytical applications and process control. Dr. Collins has received many entrepreneurial awards since the founding of CEM and in 1990 was named 'Entrepreneur of the Year' for North Carolina by Inc. magazine. He is a current member and former director of ALSSA (Analytical and Life Science Systems Association). He has had numerous publications in various trade journals and was a contributing author in an ACS professional reference book entitled Introduction to Microwave Sample Preparation, Theory and Practice. Profile
TWST: Would you begin with a history of CEM Corporation and an

overview?

Dr. Collins: CEM Corporation is a technology company that

designs, develops and markets microwave instrumentation that