Nanci Hardwick has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years. She has a background in software design, aerospace avionics, and 3D printing.

She is CEO of MELD Manufacturing Corporation, MELD PrintWorks Corporation, and Aeroprobe Corporation.

Hardwick led MELD Manufacturing Corporation from a 3D metal printing concept to commercialization that has received several awards, including R&D 100’s most disruptive new technology worldwide and the Edison award. MELD® has changed the scale of metal additive manufacturing with its solid-state printing process and holds over two dozen patents. The company’s industrial MELD printers are capable of printing aluminum, magnesium, copper, titanium, steel, and more. Due to demand, a spin out company dedicated to making parts with the MELD technology was formed. MELD PrintWorks Corporation serves as a service bureau printing metal parts.

Aeroprobe Corporation, which developed the MELD technology, provides the aerospace industry with avionics and smart air data systems designed to improve safety and performance of unmanned aerial vehicles. Aeroprobe also designs, manufactures, and calibrates multi-hole probes used around the world for design validation.

1. What is your proudest accomplishment over the course of your career?        

Successfully launching businesses and technologies.

Seeing ideas become reality and working with my team and customers to create solutions is exciting and something I'm proud of.

2. What made you interested in engineering?

Designing solutions for advanced or challenging problems. I love innovation, and I love helping people innovate.

3. What lessons have you learned from starting your companies?

Perseverance is required. I've learned not to give up, that failure is a part of the process and that people are a critical part of the solution. And I’ve learned to remember that it's fun.

4. What are some of the ways you would like to explore additive manufacturing in the future?

Within the MELD technology, the things I look forward to exploring next are utilizing MELD for applications that allow for recycled material to be reused as well as portability and manufacturing in space.

5. What do you like most about serving on the GO Virginia Region 2 council?

I love our region, and it's important to me to volunteer to help bolster our region’s economic development. Learning about the initiatives of people and organizations to make our region better inspires me. Serving on the Region 2 council is where I can witness and support innovation. Virginia has many great programs to support communities by growing businesses in them. GO Virginia is another great example of that investment in communities.

6. What are you looking forward to learning or doing as a GO Virginia Region 2 council member?

The work of GO Virginia is important. I am looking forward to helping our region establish an international presence with our expertise in additive manufacturing.

All three of my companies are based in Christiansburg, Virginia, giving us the opportunity to impact our community by bringing international demand to our region – our products are bought around the world.

7. What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start their own business?

Go for it! We need more entrepreneurs innovating novel solutions. We live in a country where entrepreneurs can have so much impact. Starting my own businesses changed my life. There are many places in the world where it wouldn’t have been possible.

8. What’s a favorite place you have visited? Where would you love to go?

Our community, our part of Virginia, is one of my favorite places. My work takes me around the world, and India and Spain have been some of my favorites countries to visit.

9. In your spare time, what hobbies and activities do you like to do?

I love to travel. I love to learn new things. And I enjoy learning to fix things and discover how they were made.