Founder of Bloomfield High-Tech Manufacturing Company to Join Blumenthal at Joint Session of Congress

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) will welcome Dr. Giri Agrawal, the founder of a high-tech manufacturing company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, as his guest for a Joint Session of Congress tomorrow morning. During the Joint Session, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will address Members of Congress and their guests regarding efforts to build economic ties between the world’s two largest democracies. The address will take place in the U.S. Capitol at 11:00 AM ET.

“As the world’s two largest democracies, the United States and India share a special relationship that is critical to promoting global security and freedom,” Blumenthal said. “I look forward to hearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address tomorrow on how we can continue to strengthen our alliance. I am honored to be accompanied by Dr. Giri Agrawal, a leader in Connecticut’s cutting-edge, job-creating, high-tech manufacturing industry.”

Dr. Agrawal began his career working at Honeywell and leading Hamilton Sundstrand’s foil air and gas bearings program. In that position, Dr. Agrawal received the “George Mead Medal,” the highest technical award given by Hamilton Sundstrand’s parent company, Connecticut-based United Technologies Corporation. The foil bearing designs developed by Dr. Agrawal are used even today for air cycle machines of all modern civil and military aircraft.

Dr. Agrawal founded R&D Dynamics in 1990 with the goal of evolving the foil bearing technology from air cycle machines to rotating machines. Today, R&D Dynamics’ technology is used to improve the efficiency and lifespan of commercial and military products, such as fuel cells and aircraft systems, all over the world. R&D Dynamics has been awarded federal funding from the Department of Defense to apply their foil bearing technology to enhance the reliability of engines in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles used by our military overseas. 

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