The Whirl: Grand Opening of The RTI Pilot Xcelerator


On Sept. 10, RTI International opened its expanded RTI Pilot Xcelerator in Research Triangle Park, a $14 million investment that doubles its commercialization infrastructure for energy and industrial technologies. Guests included Congresswomen Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee, and RTI president and CEO Tim J. Gabel led the ribbon-cutting. The facility helps startups and partners bring lab breakthroughs to market.

Mary Elizabeth Wilson, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee, Penny Freer, Tim J. Gabel, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, Alessio Butti, Sameer Parvathikar, David Dausch

This article originally appeared in the November 2026 issue of WALTER magazine.