Youngstown : Innovation + Job News

Having been a teacher at various Youngstown area schools for several years, Elijah Stambaugh remembers the countless hours he spent just grading student tests.

“Teachers can spend up to a third of their time just grading papers,” he said. “To me, this is a fundamental flaw in the education process.”

Having identified what he perceived to be a problem, Stambaugh set about solving it. What he came up with is an idea for a test-scoring software application that he says is “a real game changer for teachers.”  

With assistance from the Youngstown Business Incubator, Stambaugh worked with a team of programmers and engineers to develop a web-based application that enables teachers to create, print, score and analyze their own tests and quizzes.

He launched his company--The Learning Egg--in June 2010 and named his software “Lightning Grader.”

“Lightning Grader lets teachers create a test on our website, print it out for their students and then scan all the completed tests on a copy machine to grade them,” he explains. “And it’s fast--grading up to 30 pages a minute.”

Automating the arduous task of grading is just for starters, however. The software provides several different reports on each student, which enables teachers to more accurately assess each student.

“Our reporting engine has analytics that give teachers a snapshot of each student’s strengths and weaknesses,” Stambaugh said. “This information lets teachers be proactive rather than reactive in their lesson planning. They can spend more time working with students’ areas of weakness, which benefits their students.”

The Learning Egg recently received a $25,000 grant from Great Lakes Innovation Development Enterprise. Stambaugh pre-tested Lightning Grader in three schools in April 2011 and is planning to officially launch the software in February 2012.  


By Lynne Meyer

Source:  Elijah Stambaugh

Students in schools across the country start their day with news and videos from Channel One In New York, and now Channel One is turning to Youngstown to help deliver that content in totally new ways.

Perkins Communications, part of the Youngstown Business Incubator, won a contract with Channel One through Ball State University to upgrade their video delivery using the newest technology available in classrooms, including TV monitors, computers and smart boards, says John Perkins, co-owner of the company.

In addition to developing new software to connect technology devices in each classroom, Perkins is working to align video and computer equipment in schools and make it more interactive for students, he says. For instance, as students watch video about a news event, they can learn about websites posting more information about the event at the same time on their smart board, he says.

These upgrades are part of an initiative from Channel One to bring video technology in line with current Internet technology, adds Perkins.

Perkins was founded in 1999 by Joe Perkins, a former engineer with ABC, FOX and PBS. The company focuses on products and services that target advanced first generation computer and networking applications in education markets.

In addition to the contract with Perkins, Channel One also operates a Network Operations Center in Youngstown for all its Internet video downloads that go out to thousands of schools across the nation, he says.

Perkins has roughly doubled its workers from five to 10 to accommodate the contract, and more growth may be in store as the success of this project becomes well known in the marketplace, says Perkins.
 
By Val Prevish

To spur economic development and create jobs in their communities, several Ohio cities have created new, hyperlocal funds that offer attractive financing to entrepreneurs that may have the next great business idea, yet lack the actual cash to implement it. The catch? They must be willing to put down roots and grow their businesses locally.

One example of a growing Ohio business that recently took advantage of such hometown love is ManuscriptTracker, a Wooster-based firm that sells web-based software that automates the peer review process for academic journals. Co-founder Brian Boyer says a $35,000 deferred-payment loan from the Wooster Opportunities Loan Fund made it possible for him to bring his product to market last year.

“We saw lots of potential to grow our business, but funding is very hard to come by for start-up software companies,” says Boyer, a Wooster native. “Thanks to receiving funding last year, we were able to develop a market version of our software, as well as sales resources such as a database, marketing collateral and potential client list.”

ManuscriptTracker’s software organizes and automates peer review tracking for busy academics that don’t have the time or resources to manage the process themselves. The stringent nature of the peer review process, particularly with scientific journals, often necessitates involving as many as 20 individuals in a single review.

“To be published in an academic journal, your work must be vetted by the research of your peers, but that means asking top researchers to set aside their time,” explains Boyer. “We simplify and organize the process and provide helpful reporting forms. We also help academics to track who in their network is quick and knowledgeable.”

With the assistance of the economic development nonprofit Jumpstart, similar hyperlocal funds have also been created in Barberton, Canton and Mansfield.

As the New Year kicked off, ManuscriptTracker had already secured one new client, and Boyer says he’s hopeful that the new software will attract additional clients soon.


By Lee Chilcote

NorTech clearly has a “Go big or go home” attitude. Its cluster approach to economic development in advanced energy and flexible electronics has supported companies that have attracted $20.5 million in capital, created 171 jobs and generated $10.8 million in payroll in Ohio over a one year period starting in July of 2010.
 
A “cluster” is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular technology sector.
 
NorTech, a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization serving 21 counties in Northeast Ohio, has tested its cluster model on two industry clusters – advanced energy and flexible electronics. “We provide and connect cluster members to a variety of resources to help them commercialize new products, locate investors, access government funding, form strategic partnerships and funding collaborations,” said Kelly South, NorTech’s senior director of communications.
 
And now, NorTech has won big for its development innovation. The organization is in the national spotlight for recently receiving a prestigious national award from the State Science Technology Institute (SSTI).
 
SSTI is a national nonprofit organization that leads, supports and strengthens efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation.
 
According to a news release, SSTI’s awards program identifies "national models developed by states and regions to accelerate science, technology and innovation to grow their economies and create high-paying jobs."
 
NorTech received SSTI’s Most Promising TBED Initiative Award, a new category for creative initiatives that address a specific need in a region to achieve economic growth.
 
The recognition is a very big deal. "The SSTI award brings external validation from national technology based economic development (TBED) practitioners to our work,” said South. “It recognizes our cluster development model as a ‘best practice’ approach to growing regional industry clusters that can be applied to other industries and areas of the country. It’s a great honor to be recognized by our peers."
 
According to Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech, "At the federal level, there is a growing recognition of the value of regional innovation clusters as a ‘bottoms up’ approach to creating jobs and making the U.S. more globally competitive."


 

Youngstown State University’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) College announced this month it has landed a record four concurrent grants totaling $5.2 million from Ohio’s Third Frontier program. The two work closely to enhance technical education and to provide employment opportunities for students.
 
“Third Frontier criteria ensures not only that you have good science and engineering but also good commercialization potential,” said the school’s research director, Mike Hripko. “And each of (YSU’s four projects funded by Third Frontier) has demonstrated the promise of commercialization and advancement of the science,”
 
Founded in 2007, the STEM College received four concurrent grants from the state including a $1.6 million grant which funds a partnership with M-7 Technologies to develop manufacturing equipment.
 
Another $1 million will go to YSU’s Department of Material Science and Engineering Third Millennium Metals to study a carbon infused copper metallic composite that will reduce wire size and increase conductivity.
 
A third $1 million grant supports cooperation with Delphi Corporation on aluminum battery cable for use in electric and hybrid vehicles and the final $1 million goes to the Department of Chemistry for its work with Polyflow Inc. on converting polymer waste (i.e., plastic bottles, containers) into fuel. Another $600K is earmarked for capital equipment to support the research.
 
 “Youngstown is a hard-working town, and our students have a good work ethic that’s evident in their interfaces with our business partners,” said Hripko. “We have a reputation for being very business savvy and very manufacturing savvy. The college often works with industries which are indigenous to the region, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing, in particular.”
 
The university’s STEM College enrolls roughly 2,500 students plus 250 graduate students.

"Flannel Channel." "Hot Shots @ Hot Spots." "Got*City GAME! Cleveland."

Those catchy monikers are the titles of some of the channels of the new UNCOMN.TV Network, established in April by Cleveland's Barb Siss Oney.

UNCOMN.TV is short for "unifying communities," and UNCOMN.TV Network is an online technology company that brings together employers, universities, civic organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio to inform individuals, both locally and globally, about what the region offers.

"We want to attract talent, business and resources to the region by demonstrating the rich economic assets and quality of life in Northeast Ohio," Oney explains.

"I believe that positive community change is possible, and my goal is to find ways for individuals, businesses, organizations, and institutions to collaborate to positively impact Northeast Ohio. It's one thing to produce a great show, but that has a limited life," she notes. "If we are to have an ongoing impact on attracting and retaining talent in Northeast Ohio, however, we need a way to build ongoing engagement."

UNCOMN.TV Network is a combination of relevant content, collaborative marketing and social media.

"We apply the power of traditional TV, the global reach of the web and the interactivity of social networking to deliver information about living, learning and earning in Northeast Ohio," Oney says.

Tune in to the "Flannel Channel," and you'll view programs about regional businesses, educational institutions and organizations that are employing and educating local professionals. The "Hot Shots @ Hot Spots" channel features members of the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club, Ohio's largest young professionals group, showcasing what they think is "hot" about Cleveland.

Got*City GAME! Cleveland (GCGC) was the first program of the UNCOMN.TV Network. GCGC represents a partnership with more than 150 colleges, universities, businesses and civic organizations to showcase fun locations throughout Cleveland. "Within weeks of launching, GCGC was being watched in more than 1,065 cities in more than 66 countries," Oney says.

There are plans to launch city-specific channels for Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown. "We'll also have forums, blogs, podcasts, live webcasts of conference keynote speakers and webinars for workforce development," she notes.

UNCOMN.TV Network received funding from Cleveland's Civic Innovation Lab as well as Ohio's Third Frontier program through Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE).

Source: Barb Siss Oney, UNCOMN.TV Network LLC
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Andrea Trgovcich puts her stomach where her business is. Sort of.

The principal and founder of the Youngstown-based Wellness Integrated Network (WIN) even lost weight while testing her Web and mobile-based application; whether or not she lost sleep is unknown.

"My daughter and I are 'soft' testing this new system. We've both lost weight on it because of the pre-diabetic style of eating, which is six times per day. It's working for both of us and we're not pre-diabetic," says Trgovcich.

The WIN application tracks patients' or consumers' dietary consumption and recommends meals and activities based on medical history, lifestyle, cooking ability, available time and preferences. WIN organizes nutritional data, creates family meals (short of cooking, that is), and collects research data. Trgovcich says the three-year-old startup will target the medical field, but the applications are broader than that.

"It (WIN) has the capability to deal with any kind of nutritional aspect. It could be for an athlete training for a marathon or someone who needs to eliminate certain things from their diet. Or it could be a lifestyle choice," says Trgovcich. "Follow-on phases include grocery store and restaurant integration . . . We're tracking by a simple green, yellow and red light system: if you did it, if you substituted, or you skipped altogether."

"We got some interest right away from people who wanted to invest and thought it was a great idea. We applied to be a YBI portfolio (Youngstown Business Incubator) company right after that." Trgovcich is also getting help from JumpStart in Cleveland for advice on selecting a CEO, a search that is ongoing.

WIN is currently recruiting 40 to 50 patients ages 11-15 for a pilot in partnership with Humility of Mary Health Partners and Ohio University Osteopathic Medical School.

"We want the results published in an official, peer-reviewed journal. We're not just doing a 'proof of technology' at this point."

We are recruiting currently 40-50 patients (children ages 11-15Source: Andrea Trgovcich, Wellness Integrated Network
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney

Friends and business partners Jennifer Wexler and Kelly Bucci have poured their money, talent and time into a software company that helps hospitals catch billing errors that lead to lost dollars.

The pair founded Eris Medical Technologies, housed in the Youngstown Business Incubator, to build on more than two decades of personal experience finding those errors.

"Our software looks at patients' claims and predicts where hospitals have inaccurately charged for services, or services that have not been charged for," Wexler said. "For a very long time Kelly and I travelled together across the U.S. and did this work manually. We reviewed claims and showed clients where they were missing money or had charged insurance incorrectly. We thought, There has to be a better way to do this."

Bucci, who has a background in medical coding, believed she and Wexler could develop a better way. So they quit their jobs, borrowed money on their houses and in 2007 started Eris. Three years later they're still going strong, selling two web-based products: erisRx and assess.

The software is based a proprietary engine that boasts over 375,000 algorithms with code pairing capability. Wexler and Bucci developed the algorithms, and subcontracted an outside software firm to complete development.

The software is out on the market, and the company is working to expand its client base and partner with other companies to reach a wider healthcare provider network. The incubator has been crucial in allowing the self-financed company to grow offering free rent in their early years and access to accounting and other business services.

Sources: Jennifer Wexler and Kelly Bucci, Eris Medical Technologies
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Youngstown-based Via680 is taking health care, retail and sales to the next level. And the portfolio company of the Youngstown Business Incubator may soon be changing the way people -- everywhere -- communicate.

CEO Tony DeAscentis points to the company's staple product -- intelliSling -- which he believes will change how people send and receive information over the Web.

The software company that started out in 2007 as Bizveo, is now moving past its streaming-video-only roots.

"Imagine being able to leave a voicemail, with attachments, video and assessments or surveys -- that you can answer whenever you want," DeAscentis says. "We rebranded the company, the product and our marketing strategy. We are really doing more than pushing a message around. We're moving intelligence around rapidly -- almost slinging it around."

He says email does that also, but adds that emails are not as effective at engaging people, noting they can be "sort of a nuisance. We're really giving people a new tool set, so they can take engagement to a new level."

It's that sort of visionary approach that has helped Via680 become something of a media darling, with a recent feature broadcast by the BBC and ongoing national coverage.

DeAscentis says the health care industry is still the company's No. 1 client. There are about 400 customers using Via680's intelliSling, and 10 people employed with the company. But the with a sales team constantly hitting the pavement, business is only growing.

"We're building a national and international market," he says. "Our goal is not to just employ 25 people. Our objective is to become a technology force."

Source: Tony DeAscentis, Via680
Writer: Colin McEwen

The Dayton region may be known as Ohio's sensors corridor, but northeast Ohio's capabilities in sensor technology just got a boost -- and a big one at that.

Last week the Wright Center for Sensor Systems Engineering at Cleveland State University, allocating funds from the Ohio Third Frontier initiative, awarded six grants totaling more than $17 million to universities and other organizations for development and commercialization of sensors and sensor technologies.

The largest of the six grants -- 25 percent of which will be matched by recipients -- went to Lorain County Community College, which will receive $5.5 million to work with R.W. Beckett Corp., Acence and Greenfield Solar Corp., to create a center for sensor commercialization.

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Learner Research Institute will receive $2.67 million to lead establishment a new center for sensor and microdevices for biomedical applications, and the Austen BioInnovation Institute is getting $2.6 million to lead development of an advanced instrumentation platform for product development in biomedical areas.

Meanwhile, the Ohio State University is slated to receive $3 million to lead commercialization of terahertz sensors for applications such as medical imaging and homeland security, and the University of Akron will receive $1.66 million to lead commercialization of sensor technologies for clean energy products.

Youngstown State University will also receive $1.66 million, for a collaboration with the Youngstown Business Incubator and M-7 Technologies to create systems for next generation manufacturing and inspection systems.

Some recipients are already predicting new jobs due to the awards.

"Our principal commercial partner, M-7 technologies, is looking to hire an additional 70 employees over five years," says Julie Michael Smith, the Youngstown incubator's chief development officer. "That is the direct employment, and then of course there will hopefully be downstream employment by companies employing this technologies."

She says the grants are good for northeast Ohio and for the Youngstown area, where old-line industries like steel have been battered in recent years.

Sources: The Wright Center for Sensor Systems Engineering and Julie Michael Smith, Youngstown Business Incubator
Writer: Gene Monteith

A Youngstown-based startup medical device company is changing the way critically ill patients are cared for � and tossing out the notion of a painfully difficult startup process � one innovative feeding tube at a time.

The entire process of starting up Syncro Medical Innovations was made a whole lot easier because of the simple design of the BlueTube, the company's staple product, says Syncro CEO Gary Wakeford. Instead of relying solely on lots of X-rays to guide a feeding tube into the stomach, two powerful magnets do the job. And they do it a lot faster.

One of the magnets is at the tip of the feeding tube, and the other is placed near the patient's belly button, and voil�. "We solve a real problem," Wakeford says. "It's very difficult to insert a feeding tube. We turn a difficult procedure with a low success rate, into an easy procedure with a very high success rate."

People are taking notice. Prestigious customers, including Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore and the Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, have placed orders. The Ohio Third Frontier recently OK'd $490,000 for Syncro through its Innovation Ohio Loan fund.

The BlueTube is currently manufactured in Germany, but plans are in the works to manufacture the product in Ohio by the end of 2010. "Depending on our success, our long-term goal is to do our manufacturing in-house, which could add 30 jobs within three to five years," Wakeford says, adding that there are currently four full-time, two part-time and one intern employed with the company.

"We've really been welcomed here," he adds, noting the company moved to the Buckeye State from Macon, Ga. "This is our headquarters and we plan on always having our base rooted in the Youngstown area."

Source: Gary Wakeford, Syncro
Writer: Colin McEwen

Disney, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Advance Auto Parts know what's hot. This trio of major companies is among many who've tapped Youngstown's SenSource to count "people traffic" through thermal imaging technology.

SenSource was founded in 2002 by President Joseph Varacalli and Vice-President Kevin Stefko. Varacalli, an electrical engineer, has more than two decades experience in sensor manufacturing, while Stefko is a veteran district sales manager.

In SenSource's short life, the company has developed a variety of high-tech counters that track people, retail traffic and pedestrians through body heat. Companies use these counters for a variety of reasons like monitoring staffing needs, measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and identifying effective sales people. SenSource also offers vehicle counters and environmental counters that monitor temperature and humidity.

A number of well-known retailers have used this thermal imaging technology, including Famous Footware, Lacoste, Vera Bradley, Skechers and Vitamin World. Libraries, too, use counters to monitor library traffic.

Disney is one of SenSource's latest clients. SenSource declined to divuldge exactly why Disney is using the product, but it's been reported that one use is to gauge wait times in lines at amusement parks.

"Disney is known for being particular about every detail of its business, making us pleased that they would chose to work with SenSource," says company Marketing Coordinator Jessica Sferra.

SenSource has grown from two employees at its founding to 12, including two hired in 2009 in product support and marketing. The company plans to hire two more sometime this year.

Source: Jessica Sferra, SenSource
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Light bulbs often flick on during the darkest times. The light bulb behind Turning Technologies went on after 9/11.

At the time, Mike Broderick was working at a firm that provided businesses with audience response software used in settings like annual meetings. When the Twin Towers fell, U.S. companies immediately canceled events that depended on travel.

"Our business went away for the rest of the year," says Broderick, now Turning Technologies' chief executive officer. "We saw it as an opportunity. We said 'if we sat down with a blank sheet of paper and applied the technology to universities, schools, corporate learning environments, how would we do it?'"

The Youngstown-based firm seems to have done it right. In 2007 -- just five years after Turning Technologies opened its doors -- Inc. Magazine ranked it the fasted-growing, privately held software firm in the country and the 18th fastest over all, with respect to revenues.

Key has been the company's flagship product, TurningPoint, which integrates natively into Microsoft PowerPoint.

"With this technology, everybody in the audience is forced to be engaged," Broderick explains. "Responses are anonymous to others in the class, but the instructor is able to know who responded and how well the entire class understands the material. It can also be used for homework and to reduce paperwork."

Turning Technologies products are now found in 1,800 major colleges and universities and 15,000 to 20,000 K-12 buildings, Broderick says.

While the firm is no longer growing at its previous pace, Broderick expects to add a modest number of jobs this year to his current 150-employee base and to enjoy double-digit revenue growth "for the foreseeable future."

Source: Mike Broderick, Turning Technologies
Writer: Gene Monteith