Applied Catalysts™ Rebrands as AC+T™, Launches New Holding Structure and Names Next-Generation Leadership

Bob Mitchell, Sr. Transitions to Chair Emeritus as Sons Assume Leadership of Expanded Platform

ATLANTA, May 12, 2026 — Applied Catalysts™ today announced a strategic restructuring and rebrand as Applied Catalysts + Technologies, LLC™ (AC+T), marking a significant step forward for the family-owned industrial business.

The new structure positions AC+T as a venture development holding company focused on building, scaling, and supporting industrial businesses across chemistry, materials, and process innovation.

Alongside the transition, Bob Mitchell, Sr., who has led the company as CEO and Chairman since 1976, will move into the role of Chair Emeritus.

Leadership of the business will continue under the next generation of the Mitchell family:

• Bobby Mitchell, Jr., President/CEO of Applied Ceramics™ & ACI Catalysts™
• Lee Mitchell, CEO of Applied Catalysts + Technologies
• Chris Mitchell, CEO of ATL

“The restructuring has been years in the making and is the result of careful, deliberate planning. Lee, Chris, and Bobby have grown into exceptional leaders, and the time is right to hand them the reins while we position the company for its next chapter of growth. I am proud of what this family has built and even more excited about what comes next.”
— Bob Mitchell, Sr., Chair Emeritus

A Platform Built for What’s Next

The reorganization separates venture development from day-to-day operations, creating a focused platform to incubate and scale industrial companies. AC+T believes in creating value through kind excellence, disciplined innovation, and everyday integrity.

AC+T will target some of the most pressing challenges facing global industry, including:

• Energy transition
• Resource scarcity
• Emissions reduction
• Advanced materials manufacturing

Launching the Next Generation of Companies

AC+T’s initial portfolio includes ActiveSite™ and Recalibrate™, the first ventures launched under the new structure. Both will continue serving existing Applied Catalysts partners while expanding into new markets.

ActiveSite helps chemical and materials companies advance their technologies from concept to commercial scale, combining deep heterogeneous catalysis expertise with a hands-on commercialization model including engineering & equipment.

Recalibrate focuses on providing advanced sulfuric acid production technologies to improve economics and reduce sulfuric acid productions’ environmental impact.

Carrying the Legacy Forward

“We are building on a foundation that our father and grandfather spent decades laying. The new structure gives us the clarity and the platform to move faster, serve our partners better, and tackle industrial challenges through flexibility and innovation. AC+T exists to build great companies with integrity, and that will never change.”
— Lee Mitchell, CEO, Applied Catalysts + Technologies

The Mitchell family’s involvement in industrial materials dates back to the 1940’s, when Dr. Lane Mitchell led the School of Ceramic Engineering at Georgia Tech for more than 3 decades.

Bob Mitchell, Sr. followed in his father’s ceramic footsteps and joined Applied Ceramics, Inc. in 1976, first as a consultant, and later acquired the business over time. Bob Mitchell, Sr. grew the company into a global enterprise spanning electronics, emissions control, automotive substrates, and specialty ceramics.

Applied Catalysts emerged in the 90s as an incubated venture within Applied Ceramics, ultimately becoming a full-spectrum catalyst company with ISO 9001-certified facilities in South Carolina and Georgia.

About Applied Catalysts + Technologies (AC+T)

Applied Catalysts + Technologies, LLC (AC+T) is the new venture arm of the Applied businesses. AC+T builds upon the family’s fifty years of experience in advanced materials and industrial chemistry, to build and scale companies that improve how the world works.

Its portfolio includes ActiveSite and Recalibrate. ActiveSite helps companies take their process catalyst chemistry or materials technology from concept to commercialization. Recalibrate is helping modernize sulfuric acid production with a new technology that reduces emissions while improving economics and flexibility.

For more information, visit appliedcatalysts.com.

Media Contact

Billy Barron, Vice President - Revenue, Strategy, and Innovation at AC+T

Email: billy.barron@appliedcatalysts.com