company profile

A Visit to Scribner Associates

On March 12, on our way driving from the middle of Pennsylvania to Fort Lauderdale for the annual International Battery Seminar &Exhibit, we went a bit out of our way to stop at Scribner Associates, Inc. in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Believe me, the visit was worth the effort.

Scribner advertises in FCT and had some news for us to spread around. This year, on January 1, Louis L. Scribner, who founded and incorporated the company in 1981, turned the presidency over to 39-year-old son Jason who had been working there for nine years (see page 2).

Continuing the family ties, Louie's wife, Pat, retired in 2008 as CFO after working with Louie for 17 years. Jason's wife, Heidi Scribner, now handles finances.

Technician Julie Embree runs the MTS740 through its paces.

Two other long-timers and now part owners of the company are Dr. Kevin Cooper, principal scientist, and Matt Smith, vice president and director of engineering.

Proud of making everything in the USA, Scribner Associates continues with its newest product, the Model 740 Membrane Test System (MTS740). It is the first commercial instrument designed specifically for easy, rapid and accurate measurement of the through-thickness resistance and conductivity of ionomer and polymer electrolyte membranes.

"Through-thickness measurements are preferred over in-plane methods because the measured property is in the orientation of interest," noted Dr. Cooper, co-inventor and principal scientist at Scribner Associates.

Technician Ann Hopkins calibrates the 850e fuel cell test station.

Recently, Scribner Associates, Inc. and a team of North Carolina State University researchers took direct aim at fuel cell research with a neutron beam from NCSU's PULSTAR reactor. The team investigated the feasibility of using neutron radiography to study water management in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell.

"We were very pleased to be able to work with NCSU on this," says company president Jason Scribner. "We have a long history of collaborating with academia and other research institutions. When researchers at NCSU approached us about the project we saw it as an opportunity to further our academic collaborations and help out with some neat and interesting research. It's not every day that you get to work near a nuclear reactor. And, having the University just up the road from us, made it easier to do, too."

The team used Scribner's 850e Fuel Cell Test System. Over the course of two months nuclear engineering and textile researchers at the University studied the influence of gas diffusion media type and operating conditions such as temperature, reactant humidification and flow rate on water droplet formation in the cell. Such neutron radiography studies may lead to improvements in water management methods, including optimization of flow fields, gas diffusion media and operating conditions.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Louie enjoys living in Southern Pines which he calls an upscale town for retired people. His company at 150 E. Connecticut Ave. is only minutes from Pinehurst Country Club, but he's not a golfer.He is now looking for his own replacement.

After finishing our building tour, we walked around the corner to That's A Deli which had a food case with boxes of sticky buns from Ye Olde College Diner, State College, PA, home of FCT. There's a story behind that too.