John Ellersick

John Ellersick is the founder and president of Next Rung, a process engineering firm that helps sustainable technology companies move from proven concepts to commercial operation. Through feasibility studies, scale-up planning, and commercialization support, Next Rung works with teams developing new materials, emissions reduction systems, resource recovery processes, and other industrial climate technologies. The company focuses on the practical engineering steps required to turn lab or pilot results into reliable, buildable, and financeable projects.

On The Grove podcast by Earth Onward, John appeared in the episode “Scaling the Next Generation of Sustainable Technology” alongside Reina Ashizawa of Next Rung. He shared the story behind starting the company, the needs he saw in the sustainability sector, and the gap between technical promise and real-world deployment. The conversation explored what it takes to bring a technology from pilot scale to commercial production, including process design, manufacturing readiness, industry partnerships, and the challenge of producing at volumes far beyond early demonstrations. John’s perspective centered on helping climate and clean technology ventures make the difficult transition from invention to implementation.