CLAREMONT, N.H. – Mikros Technologies has been manufacturing innovative technology for 35 years, building on research that began with a cooling project for NASA. In June, the company was named 2026 Business of the Year in manufacturing and technology by Business NH Magazine. This annual award is selected by a committee of previous award recipients and the New Hampshire Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Following the recognition, Mikros Technologies was invited to host a networking event in collaboration with its local chamber. On Sept. 17, the company held a chamber mixer at its research and development facility on Colonel Ashley Lane in Claremont. Elyse Crossman, of the Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce, reached out to Ann Thomson, Mikros Technologies’ marketing manager, to collaborate on an event welcoming chamber members and the public.
“Elyse wrote one of the four recommendations required to apply for the Business of the Year competition. We had been in ongoing communication, so it was natural that we would get on the chamber’s meetup schedule,” said Thomson.
Founded by Dr. Javier Valenzuela in 1991, Mikros Technologies grew out of his research at Creare in Hanover, N.H., where he worked as principal engineer and helped develop cooling technology for NASA’s Space Station Freedom program. Valenzuela, who earned degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, went on to develop technology for commercial applications.
Jesse McGowen, director of technology and enablement at Mikros Technologies, explained how the original research led to two lines of technology, both involving the ability to fabricate small passages in metal. The company’s name comes from the Greek word “mikros,” meaning “small.”
“Part of that cooling project had some technology that was the beginnings of the technology we’re selling today,” McGowen said.
Another part of the project involved creating micronozzles for large-scale printing and scientific applications. In order to fabricate the tiny nozzles required, Valenzuela had to develop his own machinery, because nothing like it existed.
Mikros Technologies initially focused on nozzle plates for industrial inkjet companies. Over time, Valenzuela returned to his primary interest in cooling and heat transfer, developing products based on that technology.
Mikros Technologies moved its manufacturing operations from Lebanon to Claremont in 2002. The original facility eventually became its research and development center, while manufacturing expanded into the old Eagle Times building on River Road in 2016.
Jabil, a global engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions company, acquired Mikros Technologies in 2024. The two companies had an established business relationship, with Mikros previously serving as a supplier to Jabil. As demand for its cooling technology grew, Mikros considered different ways to expand its manufacturing capacity. The acquisition provided financial backing and a path to scale its operations to meet the growing market.
Jabil is one of the world’s largest contract manufacturers, producing products for companies that design and market their own technology. McGowen explained that many major technology companies focus on design, marketing, and customer support, while contract manufacturers handle production. Jabil also offers engineering services to help companies improve and prepare product designs for manufacturing.
Today, Mikros serves two related markets: cooling technology used in the testing of computer chips during manufacturing, and liquid cooling solutions for chips and networking switches operating in data centers. As demand for computing power grows, particularly for artificial intelligence, managing heat has become an increasingly important engineering challenge.
McGowen described a shift in the scale of the company’s work. Historically, Mikros handled smaller research and development projects, including work with major technology companies on products that might not reach the market for years. The company is now moving toward higher-volume manufacturing to meet demand for cooling technology used in large-scale computing systems.
Over the years, Mikros developed cooling solutions for computer chips, power electronics, high-power LEDs, and electrical coils used to focus electron beams. Although not every market developed as anticipated, McGowen said, the projects helped build the company’s technical knowledge, manufacturing methods, and design capabilities.
He also credited Valenzuela’s engineering approach with helping the company develop technology ahead of market demand. Rather than settling for a solution that simply got the job done, Valenzuela sought to develop the best possible technical solution, McGowen explained. As new applications and larger markets emerged, that accumulated experience became increasingly valuable.
Since the acquisition, Mikros has nearly doubled its headcount, adding employees across production, machining, engineering, and business administration.
“We’ve been able to attract a lot of really talented people,” McGowen said.
For McGowen, the people remain an important part of the work. “I’ve always liked the people. You’d be able to kind of learn from and teach and share experience with people,” he said. “And now we have this even bigger group of great folks.”