ZOLT

Zoltek Companies, Inc.

A maker of industrial-grade carbon fiber, Zoltek produces the strong, lightweight material used in wind turbine blades, automotive parts, and infrastructure. Founded in St. Louis in 1975 by Hungarian-born engineer Zsolt Rumy, the company pivoted to carbon fiber in 1988 and now operates under Japan's Toray Industries. Rumy, a refugee who fought in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution as a teenager, named the company after himself—Zoltek comes straight from his first name.