Executive / Managing Director, Drayton Weissenfels Inc. / Clean 15, Toronto, ON. Born: Toronto, ON.
With the world facing the ramifications of declining resources, reduced food production, water scarcity and climate change, world governments have found it increasingly difficult to set targets that can change our current course. Perhaps many of the leaders have not read about the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Meet Dwayne Matthews, whose approach to this theory has the potential to get many major companies and governments moving in the right direction.
Dwayne is the Managing Director and passionate spokesperson behind the Clean 15, a brand owned by Drayton Weissenfels Inc., a leader in open innovation and clean technology proliferation. The Clean 15 connects sophisticated large Global 1000 company clients, small and mid-sized companies, joint ventures and licensing opportunities to clean tech providers and companies with a focus on fast proliferation of cleaner, greener technologies worldwide. Prior to his role at the company, Dwayne, a graduate of the University of Windsor, was a Chairperson for the Toronto District School Board, and formerly an international teacher in Lima, Peru.
He created the Clean 15 with the single objective of starting platform paradigm shifts in the way we use global resources. The Clean 15 leverages the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, which states that approximately 15% adoption of an innovation is needed to shift entire social systems. Dwayne decided that a 15% adoption rate of clean technologies and sustainable practices into industrial and social systems would create the environment and the focused momentum for a paradigm shift to a more sustainable global future. The concept of the Clean 15 uses entire social and industrial systems themselves to create change.
He also led his company in the creation of the Clean 15 Cleantech Competition, which is currently partnered with one of the largest Canadian business publications online with approximately a half million readers every month. The Clean 15 competition was recognized by Cleantech’s Top Ten author, Shawn Lesser, as one of the “top 10 cleantech competitions in the world” for its unique model with regard to technology adoption, and received an endorsement from Ben duPont of the duPont family. The Clean 15 Competition is exclusively partnered with the world’s largest technology scouts for the Global 1000.
Dwayne is one of the pioneers of open innovation in Canada, a process that enables companies to have wider distribution of research and development initiatives by accessing global expertise through licensing, purchasing intellectual properties and processes. With access to senior level decision-makers at many of the world’s Fortune 500 who engage his direct network for the specific purpose of finding new technology or presenting existing and new intellectual property his company is connected to over 140,000 registered users of one of the largest technology transfer marketplaces, much of the Fortune 500, approximately 40% of the global R&D capacity, and unique insight into “market pull” demands of companies seeking new technology.
Through the Clean 15 competition and his company’s exclusive partnership to one of the world’s largest technology scouts for the Global 1000, Dwayne has facilitated connections and relationships of clean technologies to major Global 1000 companies that have the potential to create changes to the platforms of society as it relates to global resources, water, food, energy and air.
As a regular contributor to Canadian Business Journal with a branded article called “The Clean 15 Series,” Dwayne writes about clean technology, limited resources and paradigm shifts to change the way business adopts clean technology and sustainable practices. He is also a judge on the CBJ” Company of the Year Award” panel.
Favourite book? The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade. The concept of the sacred and profane, in my opinion, links us beyond religion, creed and physical attributes. I believe it to be at the core of human experience and it provides direction and position, while connecting us to each other.
Favourite quote? “The animals regard themselves differently when there is less water in the watering hole, so make sure to add water.”
Given the chance, what would you do that you haven’t done yet? Snowboarding in Whistler for a month with my family.
Who or what inspires you? My son’s laugh keeps me very focused on the objectives of my company.
Why do you do what you do? Clean technology and sustainable business is the starting point of paradigm shifts to solve many of the world’s problems. I believe aggregation of solutions and global collaboration at a rapid pace is not a choice but an imperative.
Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Clean 15-CBJ