Washington Business Summer 2019 | Washington Business | Page 42

how i did it
Flexible Strength
How a young entrepreneur is taking the world
of carbon fiber in a new direction.
Brian Mittge
Carbitex founder and chairman Junus Khan took the old story of tinkering in a garage and brought
it into the carbon fiber future — his company’s flexible materials are revolutionizing the shoe
industry, and he’s just getting started. Hear his story of entrepreneurship, including building his
manufacturing facility from off-the-shelf parts, in this latest edition of How I Did It.
Background
the job:
Founder and chairman of Richland-
based Carbitex
originally from:
New Jersey
education:
Rutgers University
next step:
After a brief experience working
in finance, went to work in the
auto industry, gaining experience
in manufacturing and in high-end
auto events.
second act:
While living in Richland and work-
ing for a Swedish-based “supercar”
manufacturer, he began tinkering
in his garage. The flexible carbon
fiber he developed became the
basis of Carbitex.
what’s next:
Since late last summer, Khan has
been based in Hong Kong, to be
closer to his customers in the
footwear industry
Carbitex:
www.carbitex.com
42 association of washington business
“The premise essentially
was, carbon fiber is this
advanced material, it’s
still new. I think we can
harness its properties in
a different way. Let me
just try to prove that.”
— Junus Khan, Founder and
chairman, Carbitex
With his startup company’s first major order finally signed — for several thousand sheets
of high-tech flexible carbon fiber due for delivery in three months —Junus Khan looked
out over his large new factory floor.
It was completely empty.
No machines, no product lines, nothing.
Working nights and weekends, he and his core team quickly built their manufacturing
equipment and process from scratch, using off-the-shelf parts. Their three-person team
made the delivery date.
At dinner with the customer representative to celebrate, Khan showed him a picture of
what their factory floor had looked like just three months before. The rep’s jaw dropped,
and his eyes widened.
Khan asked what he would have said if he knew about that when the company made the
order. “There would have been no order to place,” the rep said.
That customer is still with the firm, along with global customers who make cutting-edge
products from the unique material created by Carbitex and its 36-year-old founder.