Staying Nimble to Serve a Growing Array of Partners: TPACC’s Vision Under a New Leader

When Bryan Ormond walked into the then-Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) as a graduate student in 2007, he had no idea he’d be starting a career path that would eventually lead him to the helm of the world-renowned research center.

“It’s a bit surreal,” Ormond says now, weeks after the two-time NC State alumnus assumed his post on July. 1 as TPACC’s second-ever director, succeeding founder and longtime leader (and his personal mentor) Professor Roger Barker.

“It’s a little daunting,” Ormond acknowledges. “But I’m really excited for what we’re doing.”

A ‘relationship-builder’ takes over TPACC

A fixture of TPACC for a majority of its 31-year history, Ormond sees immense potential for the center — because he’s seen it firsthand.

He feels that enthusiasm both for TPACC’s critical research focused on protecting frontline service members, and for the robust product-testing it offers major brand-name apparel companies — all while staying true to its academic roots on Centennial Campus.

A self-described “relationship-builder,” Ormond has spent the first few weeks in his new TPACC role evaluating where the center’s greatest opportunities and challenges lie.

“Listening to everyone and talking to everyone,” he explains. “Where do we need to put our focus, our attention, our efforts? How do we leverage what we do well and do it for whichever market it ends up being?”

And he’s honing a vision for TPACC, one of the premier hubs of government, industry and academia. 

It’s setting up an exciting new chapter for the only facility of its kind in the U.S., which incorporates the ability to research, test and evaluate the comfort and protective performance of textile materials, garments and ensemble systems all in one location.

Growing TPACC’s testing services 

A top priority for TPACC in the coming months and years will be growing its roster of key industry partners.

“One of the things that we really need to do, and really focus on, is to look for those new opportunities to grow our testing services,” Ormond says. 

TPACC’s facilities offer clients unparalleled access to the equipment, testing capabilities and expertise needed to get answers about a product’s effectiveness. The center is an innovation for the clothing apparel company hoping to see how well their athleisure top wicks away sweat, or the manufacturing firm wanting to protect frontline workers with the best protective gear.

“Are there other models that we need to evaluate to bring more work, to bring more partnerships, more relationships, into those other labs?” Ormond poses. “My hope is to grow the number of things that we’re doing, so that we can have a much bigger impact.”

Doubling down on fire service protection

What won’t change in the coming years, though, is TPACC’s impact in protecting first responders with top-of-the-line protective equipment research, development and education.

After all, it was Barker’s work at the intersection of thermal protection and comfort that first gave rise to the center in 1994.

And Ormond is no stranger to the fire service. 

“My hope is to grow the number of things that we’re doing, so that we can have a much bigger impact.”

As one of the world’s foremost experts in the chemical protection of firefighters, Ormond’s TPACC career has seen him foster partnerships ranging from non-profit organizations to federal, state and local agencies and fire departments. 

In recent years, he’s been laser-focused on reducing firefighter exposure to known carcinogens. 

That work is nowhere near done. 

Lithium-ion battery fires are increasing with the growth of electric vehicles, creating a need for deeper research into protecting first responders from hazardous materials they’re likely to encounter when responding to a call.

Ormond’s TPACC team is also currently seeking funding to study non-PFAS moisture barriers for firefighters and how these alternatives affect heat strain.

He sees that type of work as the core of the center’s future.

“Firefighters are the heart of what we do. And not just firefighters, but also first responders and the military,” Ormond says.“It’s absolutely something we are going to incorporate into all of the work in each of our laboratories: bringing everyone together to focus onthat topic. We need to figure out how to finally separate the terms ‘firefighter’ and ‘cancer’ for good, and make sure that firefighters are exposed to as little hazardous chemicals as possible.”

It’s a mission Wilson College of Textiles Dean David Hinks hopes to double down on in the coming years, too.

“Bryan’s expertise and inspiring dedication to serving these key communities makes him the perfect leader and researcher to continue TPACC’s legacy,” Hinks says. “I have no doubt that under his direction, the Milliken Textile Protection and Comfort Center is positioned to build upon an innovative legacy for a transformative future that continues to save lives every single day.”

Staying nimble over the next 30 years

Last year, when TPACC celebrated its 30th anniversary, Barker and Ormond each spoke of its adaptability, through the years, in meeting the needs of eventual partners.

That nimbleness that saw the center become a vital resource for the federal government in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — and a source of truth on the efficacy of facial coverings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Much of TPACC’s future success, Ormond says, will be its continued ability to provide value to partners based on their evolving needs. And it’s a flexibility he’s planning to prioritize as the center’s first new leader in a generation.

“We’re always listening, always keeping our eyes open, and trying to figure out what’s the next need? What’s the next need that we need help with?” Ormond says. “Whether that’s the end user as a firefighter, soldier, a doctor or someone running down the street in their performance apparel.”

This post was originally published in Wilson College of Textiles News.