The DISCUS Vision and Principles
In this recent Storage Terminals Magazine Top 100 article DISCUS founder David Rosenkrantz highlights the company’s history and accomplishments.
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David Rosenkrantz, P.E. is a pioneering engineer and inventor with nearly five decades of experience advancing internal floating roof technology. Founder of DISCUS and creator of the patented OpenRaft™ design, David has scaled multiple companies, authored four patents, and continues mentoring future leaders while driving innovation that balances environmental impact with safety and efficiency.
STM: Can you share your background and what initially drew you to the field of engineered products?
DR: I wanted to do something that made the world a little better. (I think many young engineers feel this way.)
STM: What was your experience working with tank IFRs before founding DISCUS?
DR: I scaled two other IFR companies before starting DISCUS. When I graduated from Lafayette in 1977, the first job I got was at a small floating roof company called Altech Industries. I was the first engineer they hired, and my first project at the company was to make models of the owner’s IFR and Seal designs for patent applications. When Altech sold (to Baker Tank), I helped facilitate the transition, developing software to transfer our fabrication and business systems. I then worked with Allentech for 12 years, scaling production from the ground up through a period of dynamic growth. When Allentech sold, I opened Access Engineering, designing tanks and full-scale terminals for several US terminal companies, including a well-known greenfield terminal for a major US pipeline company. But my inventor brain never stopped thinking about floating roofs and I found myself writing, saving, and mailing myself notes about IFR designs.
STM: What inspired you to start DISCUS?
DR: I knew that starting my own company was the only option. I had already scaled two successful IFR companies and then lost control when they sold; I wanted to build a legacy.
STM: Can you describe the process of bringing your patented IFR design to market?
DR: Really hard work. As any inventor who has also built and scaled a business knows: you learn how to do whatever is necessary to solve each challenge as it arises. You grow a lot in the process. It requires exhaustive thinking and experimentation. And I didn’t do it alone. I found mentors and partners who saw the potential of the OpenRaft™ concept and wanted to be involved in the effort of building a new business and a brand new product.
STM: How do you approach innovation within your company?
DR: DISCUS has a program called AIM (Advance, Integrate, Modernize). Everyone, in every department, AIMs to leave the things we touch a little bit better. Whether that means automating a spreadsheet, suggesting a change to a part in the field, or a tool in the shop, AIM is our way of empowering every worker to be a part of the ongoing growth and development of DISCUS. At this stage of our business, my job is being a good cheerleader. I’ve found that with this attitude, innovation arises naturally. It is welcomed, encouraged, and rewarded. At the end of the day, I’m a guy who likes making things better, and that means fearlessly but carefully investing our resources in constantly improving our processes, products, and people.
STM: How does the OpenRaft contribute to lowering emissions, and what does that mean for the industry?
DR: The DISCUS OpenRaft™ is the Lowest emissions IFR on the market. But getting the industry to adopt a product that’s better for the environment MUST go hand in hand with improving customer operations, improving safety, and optimizing financial interests. All of these priorities must be met in balance, and DISCUS delivers the whole package. For the industry, our OpenRaft™ design means time and cost savings, increased tank capacity, lower emissions, maintenance savings, and increased safety.
STM: What are your goals for DISCUS in the next five years?
DR: My biggest focus right now is teaching. One thing I’ve learned over my almost 50 year career, and particularly over the last 15 years with DISCUS is the joy of mentoring and seeing the next generation make things better. Watching our young leaders grow and seeing how that propels the company forward is something that I find very rewarding. My goal is simply to help them succeed.
STM: What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on (IFRs or otherwise)?
DR: Many projects fill this bucket, but really, it is the sum total of goodwill and positive feedback that I find rewarding. I have interacted with such a wide variety of folks, and working together with many different people, backgrounds, and objectives has been enormously gratifying.
STM: What do you think is the most significant change needed in the industry today?
DR: A fundamentally different approach to the way careers end. The industry is realizing a big shift as a new wave of younger people come into positions of responsibility. Our challenge, however, will be to not lose valuable institutional knowledge through blunt retirement. Mentoring remains my biggest focus, and I would like to see other elders in our industry engaged in those same kinds of relationships so that knowledge and experience can steadily transition to the next generation.
