Bal Dixit Biography
Bal Dixit is an engineer, founder and current chairman of Newtex Industries.In 1978, he founded Newtex,a hub dealing with the production of non-flammable wall coverings, apparel, fabrics and coatings. He is also credited for inventing a product called Zetex ,the first safe and commercially viable alternative to asbestos in fire safety gear in response to the impending asbestos ban which was known to inhibit side effects such as lung cancer or mesothelioma.
Bal Dixit Age
Dixit was born in the village of Katol in central India in 1938. He is 80 years old in 2018.
Bal Dixit Education
Upon receiving his degree in Textile Technology from Punjab University in India, he relocated to the United States in 1964, joining Union Carbide Corporation as an Advanced Technologist. His tenure at Carbide Corporation saw him assist in the development of carbon fiber for lightweight structural composites that were later incorporated in General Dynamics’ F-111B fighter aircraft.
In 1966, Dixit earned his master’s in Textile Technology from the University of Massachusetts and joined Garlock afterwards, where his mandates included establishing of a modern asbestos plant in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Dixit went on to earn an MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1974.
Bal Dixit Newtex| Zetex
Dixit left Garlock in 1978 to launch his own company by the name of Newtex Industries in Victor, New York. While at Newtex, he developed Zetex, a prototype fiberglass fabric, a safe and viable alternative to asbestos. Newtex had grown to $2.4 Million in sales by 1983.This is due to its environmental friendly product which was an alternative to asbestos in fire safety gear in response to the impending asbestos ban known to inhibit side effects such as lung cancer or mesothelioma. Newtex Industries mandate entailed the production of non-flammable wall coverings, apparel, fabrics and coatings.
Dixit steered Newtex from 1978 until he stepped down to retire in 2006. Dixit’s son-in-law, Jerry Joliet, took over as the new CEO of Newtex.
Bal Dixit Dixit Fixit
Two days before the annual stockholders meeting in the year 1980, a large fire engulfed the Newtex plant causing operational damages however the company under Dixit’s accord was able to make a comeback in three weeks time despite the ordeal. This led to the Newtex employees coining the term “The Dixit Fixit”. Mr. Dixit’s perseverance after the ordeal saw his story documented in two books: ‘Getting it done: The Transforming Power of Self-Discipline’and ‘The Inner Core of the Resilient Manager’.
Bal Dixit Rochester| Bal Dixit Lab at RIT
On June 25, 2018,Bal officiated the opening of the Bal Dixit lab at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) located at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The Bal Dixit Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Fire Protection Research “Bal Dixit Lab” specializes in the testing of advanced materials and Fire Protection. The vision in mind was a laboratory that can quantify the fire, flammability, and mechanical properties of advanced materials and develop new coating and material innovations to improve these properties in pursuit of market competitiveness, human safety, and environmental health.The new laboratory was made possible by a $2 Million grant from Mr. Bal, the founder of Newtex who is also an RIT alumni and former trustee.
Bal Dixit Role in the community
Dixit has positively impacted the Rochester community for several decades. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees at RIT, he served as the Director of the Federal Reserve Bank appointed by Chairman Alan Greenspan in 1996. Mr. Bal also served as Director of the Buffalo branch of the Federal Reserve and sat on the boards at Rochester General Hospital and the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
In June 2018, the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology opened the Bal Dixit Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Fire Protection for innovation, human safety and environmental health made possible by a $2 Million grant from Mr.Dixit.
Bal Dixit Awards
Dixit is a recepient of the Herbert W. VandenBrul Entrepreneurial Award which he received in 1992 and went ahead to be inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame in 2003.
Bal Dixit Interview
Upon officiating the opening ceremony of Bal Dixit Lab on June 25 2018, in a short interview, Dixit commented on the milestones that he’s made over the years and how the new state of the art laboratory will benefit the science community and foster innovation.
“As founder and CEO of Newtex, I encouraged and valued creativity and innovation, along with taking calculated risks,” Dixit said. “I believed in those days that the best way to stay ahead of the competition was to find new and better ways to solve problems.”
“I am hopeful that my gift will enable a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to explore, create and test materials that change their world in positive ways—much the way we tried to do at Newtex,” he added. “I couldn’t be happier that the Dixit Lab came to life here—at RIT, my alma mater—and in Rochester, N.Y., my adopted home.”
source: www.newtex.com