Like many start ups, Dayton's Applied Optimization Inc. was a case of smart folks deciding to work for themselves. Founder and Principal Scientist Anil Chaudhary, an MIT grad who left a job in Air Force-related research to launch Applied Optimization in 1995. The specialized company uses computational mathematics to develop new generation manufacturing processes for the aerospace and manufacturing industries, eliminating trial and error. These new processes can reduce manufacturing costs while increasing efficiency. Clients include the Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing and Edison Welding Institute. A more off-the-beaten-path application for the company's mathematical wizardry is in space sciences. The company has catalogued 36,000 pieces of space junk that can now be tracked in a less expensive and more timely manner. At the beginning for 2010, the company had 11 full- and part-time employees.