Technology : Innovation + Job News

Teenage diabetics often believe they are invulnerable to future health problems from their disease. That’s what Jennifer Shine Dyer, a pediatric endocrinologist and Founder and CEO of the Columbus-based startup EndoGoddess, LLC, discovered in her practice and through texting with her teenage patients.

“They block out that they have this disease,” Dyer explains. “Warning them they could be on dialysis when they’re 30 if they don’t monitor their glucose levels and take their medication simply doesn’t register. They can’t relate to potential dire future consequences.”
 
To address this problem, Dr. Dyer developed the EndoGoal app for iPhone and Android. EndoGoal makes tracking glucose levels easy and rewarding for teens.

“EndoGoal is a mobile software engagement program with rewards and a virtual pet named Cooper, the diabetes dog,” she says. “You check your blood sugar and record four glucose tests a day to earn points you can spend on Amazon. Every time you record your level, you get to feed Cooper, too.”

Dr. Dyer recently expanded the EndoGoal app to include adults as well. She’s contacting employers to subscribe to what she calls the EndoGoal Wellness Program, promoting the concept of rewarding health savings account contributions to diabetic employees who participate.
 
EndoGoal doesn’t cost users anything. “It’s all about positives, with nothing negative, like price, to interfere with use,” the physician notes. “It’s meant to increases people’s engagement with their health. We’re not telling you what to do or giving medical advice of any kind. Our goal is to encourage you to take care of yourself.”

The diabetes software program is being funded by investors, the ONE Fund of Ohio Third Frontier and Dr. Dyer. EndoGoal earns revenue through selling subscriptions to corporations who offer the program to their employees.
 

Source:   Jennifer Shine Dyer
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Thanks to an influx of new capital, the Wooster Opportunities Loan Fund (WOLF) is expanding to offer business loans to technology startups throughout Wayne County.

Established in late 2010 to provide capital to small and emerging tech companies with high growth potential, WOLF started out as a $220,000 hyper-local fund. “The city of Wooster, Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce and Wooster Community Hospital put up the dollars for the fund, so loans were available only to those businesses willing to locate within the corporation limits of the city of Wooster,” says Justin Starlin, Development Manager for the City of Wooster.
 
That has changed thanks to a $100,000 investment from Cascade Capital of Akron that will be used to help startups grow and create jobs. “We now have $100,000 in direct loan money available for businesses throughout Wayne County and $150,000 remaining for businesses within the city of Wooster,” Starlin notes, explaining that the hyper-local fund awarded two $35,000 loans in 2011.
 
The recipients of those loans were ManuscriptTracker and the JNP Group. ManuScript Tracker’s software organizes and automates the peer review process for academics. The JNP Group engineers and manufactures acoustic products for the construction and building industry.
 
Applications for the next round of funding from WOLF are due December 17th. JumpStart will perform the initial vetting. Applicants who make it through the process will be considered for funding by a local committee administered by the nonprofit Wooster Growth Corporation. Loans of up to $35,000 are available.
 
 
Source:   Justin Starlin
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs has collaborated with the Ohio Development Service Agency Office of Energy on a new solar energy supply chain database to promote Ohio companies.
 
Scott Miller, Director of Energy and Environmental Programs at the Voinovich School, says technological innovators as well as Ohio manufacturers stand to benefit “by knowing first and foremost who else applies to their specific niche.” For example, if a company is looking for specific grades of material or wiring harness, the database will provide a list of options to select from. “It’s folks who are in the material processing industry who make silica wafers or make unique applications for solar panels who will find this very useful,” explains Miller.
 
The project was financed by the development agency to capture and catalogue all the different companies and individuals that are involved in the solar supply chain within the state of Ohio. Miller says an existing database recorded only 50-75 companies. “We’ve come up with 275 companies.” An online mapping program highlighting the new database is available at ohiosolarenergy.org.
 
Not only does the database aim to assist those in existing technological fields, but aid in the discovery of something new. “Folks may find there are opportunities that aren’t being met, and they can use this database to identify what those unmet needs are and grow new services or new techniques, new materials that may help advance the industry,” says Miller, noting there’s still much to be done.
 
“I think we’ve only begun to scratch the service in terms of using tools like this for identifying unique applications in the state and nation.”
 
 
Source: Scott Miller
Writer: Joe Baur

NASA will showcase its best developments in its Space Technology Program November 28-30 at NASA Technology Days, held at Cleveland Public Auditorium. The event will allow the public to see what technological developments come out of NASA Glenn Research Center, many of which could be adopted and implemented in the private sector.
 
NASA Glenn is working with NASA’s Office of Chief Technologies, which conducts ground experiments to further space technology. “Ninety-nine NASA technologies will be showcased,” says Joe Shaw, deputy director of NASA’s Office of Technology Partnerships and Planning. “We want to demonstrate the existing technologies.”
 
Attendees will have the chance to see technologies ready for commercialization, learn about opportunities to partner with NASA on technology development and meet with major research companies.
 
The technologies featured can be transferred into a variety of industries, says Shaw, such as advanced energy, automotive, human health and innovative manufacturing. “These are technology experts showing off their technologies,” says Shaw. “Even though they were developed for space aeronautics, they can be broadly used across many sectors. These industries are extremely important, not just for Northeast Ohio, but for to the Midwest. There are a large number of people in these sectors.”
 
The hope is Technology Days will build partnerships and foster technology transfer between NASA and local businesses. “These technologies can be moved quickly to the commercial sector, which creates economic development, which creates jobs,” says Shaw. This will give companies a chance to learn about the opportunities.”
 
The event is free and open to the public.

 
Source: Joe Shaw
Writer: Karin Connelly

“A digital spin on the traditional photo booth” is Kelley Andersen’s super-short explanation of Booth FX Photo Booth Company, which she launched with her partner, Allison Gates, last month. The pair built the idea for their company on a love of photo booths, two creative personalities and their vision for a photo booth that was more than a traditional, space-limited box.

“We first looked at the booths you can buy, and they were nice, but not what we were looking for," Andersen says. "We wanted something that was more digital. I love Instagram, and was trying to figure out how we could do that as a photo booth."

The booth they custom-built  – “with a lot of time and a lot of mistakes,” Andersen adds – measures 1.5 ft. by 1.5 ft., is 5.5 feet tall and incorporates software that allows photos to be viewed, edited and shared.

Rather than expecting participants to hop inside, the booth houses the photography equipment. Participants gather in the space around the booth to snap a photo in front of customized backdrops the women create for each event with input from hosts.

Features of the booth include a wireless remote and a touchscreen for viewing images on the back of the booth. That allows attendees to view photos, use filter effects (much in the same way as one would with Instagram) and upload images to social media immediately. The co-founders provide wireless internet with a mobile hotspot.

Booth FX launched last month, and both founders still have full-time day jobs, Gates as a designer and Andersen as an insurance analyst. So far, they’ve been commissioned for fundraising events and they plan to reach out to local brides- and grooms-to-be to expand their business into weddings.

By Robin Donovan
 

Developing Cleveland area businesses showed off their ideas, technologies and talents at the 2012 Northeast Ohio Entrepreneurial Expo and JumpStart Community Meeting on Tuesday, November 13 from 1 to 5:40 p.m. at CSU’s Wolstein Center.
 
“The theme is, ‘What’s next Northeast Ohio,’” says Samantha Fryberger, JumpStart director of communications. “The idea being, a lot of companies are really early in their development.”
 
The expo featured 96 area tech startups as well as 32 support organizations, such as Bizdom, Youngstown Business Incubator, Shaker LaunchHouse, Akron ARCHAngels and Ohio Aerospace Institute. Nine student companies were also featured, one of which will be presented with an award at the event’s close.
 
The showcase was followed by a panel discussion featuring success stories of area companies that have grown into multi-million dollar businesses. “[These are] some of the biggest success stories who have merged, sold, been bought out or exited,” explains Fryberger.
 
Goldman Sachs representatives talked about its 10,000 Small Businesses program, followed by an announcement of JumpStart’s newest portfolio companies.
 
And of course, investors were also on hand to see what the next great thing is in the region. Fryberger says 25 investors attended the event last year, and she expected the same this year.
 
“It’s a little bit of everything,” says Fryberger. “It’s an opportunity to network. There are some of these companies who could help each other quite a bit. And if you’re very early in development, this is your first opportunity for exposure.”

 
Source: Samantha Fryberger
Writer: Karin Connelly

Tom Mullin talks to marketing professionals.  A lot. “I constantly hear nightmarish stories about creative vendors they’re using and previously used,” he says.

The former Columbus ad agency business-development exec decided to do something about this creative conundrum. He established Connected in May to help locate the right creative people needed for marketing and advertising projects.

Negative experiences with creative vendors typically come from not having the right person for the job, he states. “Unfortunately, the creative and design profession is highly unregulated. You have a lot of people claiming to offer services that just aren’t in their professional skill set.”

Using what he calls a “robust” interview process that evaluates and clarifies the skill set, customer service record and pricing of creative vendors, Mullin acts as a professional match maker between marketers and creatives.
 
“This due diligence enables us to take the guess work and time spent mulling over options out of the equation,” he explains. In addition to streamlining what is typically an arduous process, Mullin says he creates an environment built around honesty and transparency. “Simply put, we know who does what, who does what well, and who can be problematic to work with. Marketers who come to me with a project receive an unbiased professional opinion as to not only who’s qualified for the job but who’s going to provide the biggest return on their investment.”

His goal with Connected, he says, is to make marketing professionals’ lives easier and more productive.

Philanthropy is an important aspect of Connected’s business model. Mullin donates a portion of his net profit from each project to the marketer’s charity of choice. “I grew up in a very philanthropic environment and was taught to give back whenever possible,” Mullin explains. “It’s my way of thanking the marketer for allowing me to help them build brand loyalty.”
 
Source:  Tom Mullin, Connected
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Getting away from it all doesn’t have to mean expensive, time-consuming travel. It can be as simple as exploring, discovering and learning new things on a day trip right in your own backyard.
 
That’s what Robert Denhard discovered while he was driving around Central Ohio, taking back roads and savoring the sights and sounds of local small towns.

Taking notes and photos on one of his sojourns, Denhard realized that others might find what he was doing relaxing and interesting as well. So he launched LoopBackroads in July for those, like himself, looking for escape and adventure  nearby yet off the beaten path.

LoopBackroads offers 10 Central Ohio “loops” that can be downloaded onto a cell phone, tablet or computer for $2.99 each. Each loop includes turn-by-turn directions, historical information, fun tidbits, photos and insights from locals.

With the goal of covering as much of Central Ohio as possible in the 10 loops, Denhard began by drawing 10 circles on a map starting from different points in Columbus and then back again. “I studied maps, plotted out routes and drove an insane amount, documenting everything,” he recalls. “I also did a ton of reading and talked with more local people than I can count.”
 
Loops contain photos of and information about historic homes, architecturally interesting buildings and monuments, rustic barns and bridges, castles, caverns and even some ghost towns Denhard discovered. They’re also illustrated with graphics and original hand sketches by Drew Miller, area artist and Denhard’s business partner.
 
Denhard was impressed by the warm welcome he received from folks at the local mom-and-pop businesses he visited while creating the loops. He encourages LoopBackroad travelers to patronize them, recommending bringing cash because not all establishments take credit cards.
 
In addition to income from downloads of the loops, Denhard anticipates ads from those local businesses to generate future revenue for LoopBackroads.
 
Source:  Robert Denhard, LoopBackroads
Writer:  Lynne Meyer
 

Turning Technologies and the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) have launched the Ed Tech Idea Challenge Grant Program to support entrepreneurs with a passion for transforming education through innovation.
 
“The Ed Tech Idea Challenge Grant is a collaborative effort,” explains John Wilson, Director of Turning Foundation, an organization that aims to discover where the next great educational technology will come from and how the idea can become a marketable reality. Winning applicants of this annual competitive grant will receive up to $20,000 and access to YBI’s intellectual capital in support of starting up a business and developing an idea. The deadline to apply is Friday, December 14th at 4:30pm.

YBI has two of the nation's leading companies in the ed tech field -- Turning Technologies and Lightning Grader. Using compeition to spur innovation is the obvious next step, which Wilson and his staff believe could be the catalyst for invention.
 
“One of the exciting aspects of this kind of competition is that the truly innovative concepts are not something we are necessarily thinking about at this moment,” he says. “While I’m sure we will see iterations around possible mobile apps and digital content platforms for education, we also anticipate some ideas that are just not on the radar screen right now.”
 
The collaborative program will thrust aspiring entrepreneurs into the unpredictable waters of starting an enterprise from scratch, giving immediate real-life experience to tomorrow’s innovators.
 
“The entrepreneur will experience the ups and downs of developing a concept into a marketable product,” explains Wilson. “They will be surrounded by individuals at YBI at different phases of the same experience, and the collective wisdom, experience and support network will be valuable.”     
 
 
Source: John Wilson
Writer: Joe Baur

TWIST Creative had been adverse the word "agency" for many years, as the term represented something the Cleveland-based branding firm was not. That all changed eight months ago when TWIST shifted its strategy to target bigger clients, spurring a period of growth that has led to a flurry of new hires as well as new customers.

That's four new hires and about 20 new clients to be exact, says Michael Ozan, TWIST's president and chief creative officer, who in 2000 founded the firm with wife Connie. Add promotions and an overall company realignment to that list and TWIST has had a very busy 2012.

"We looked at our market position and decided to turn in the direction of being an agency," says Ozan. "We needed more people [on hand] to make that change."

In September, TWIST hired a new director of media relations, an art director and two designers. The agency also named marketing director Josh Taylor as its new director of strategy and development, while lead senior designer Chris Oldham is now director of design operations.

To its burgeoning client portfolio TWIST added 20 new brands, including big-name consumer product companies Hoover Vacuum and Hinkley Lighting; aerospace industry manufacturer Voss Industries; and multi-market restaurateur Paladar.

This was an exciting year, but one also full of difficult changes, says design director Connie Ozan. Although the former boutique is now a full-service brand agency, the challenge for TWIST looking ahead is to continue to grow its position within the market.

 "There's been lots of energy over the last eight months," she says. "It will take awhile for the new team to gel, but 2013 is going to be a great year."
 

SOURCE:  Michael Ozan, Connie Ozan
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth

Economic development activity is growing at a fast clip in New Albany, a northern suburb of Columbus.

In three years, the town has welcomed 19 new businesses and four existing companies have expanded. Four additional companies, including Bob Evans, which is building its new headquarters here, are slated to put down roots in 2013.
 
“We’ve created more than 3,500 new jobs since 2009,” says Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s Director of Community Development. She attributes the city’s success to a combination of good planning and strategic partnerships.
 
New Albany planted the seeds for its growth back in 2007 when it partnered with TechColumbus to create TechStart New Albany. “TechStart helped 51 New Albany-based companies benefit from more than $458,000 in TechGenesis and Pre-Seed Funds, about $310,000 in Ohio TechAngel Funds and more than $1 million in grants and debt financing,” Chrysler notes.
 
New Albany has specifically made a strong commitment to attracting smaller, entrepreneurial businesses and technology startups, she explains. “We subscribe to the cluster theory of economic development, which translates into diversification within our business park.” The park, which Chrysler says is the fastest-growing such venue in the region, comprises four clusters – research and information, retail, medical office and personal care and beauty. 

“Each of the clusters has experienced significant growth,” Chrysler notes. “Our beauty and personal care campus alone has now attracted more than 1,300 new jobs and  realized $144 million in new investment during just the past year.”

In 2011, the city launched two new programs in its business park to stimulate and support entrepreneurial activity. Innovate New Albany is geared toward encouraging public-private partnerships and increasing the number of knowledge workers employed in the city. INC@8000 is a business incubator for startups and entrepreneurial activities, including classes and seminars.

 
Source:  Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Athens-based Ecolibrium Solar has launched Ecofoot2, an update on their base for the installation of solar panels.
 
“The Ecofoot2 supports the corners of solar modules on flat roof and it ballasted to hold modules in place,” explains CEO and founder Brian Wildes. It combines the key components of the original Ecofoot – speed and cost effectiveness – with integrated grounding, wire management and increased weatherability.
 
Research and development for the Ecofoot2 began almost immediately following the successful launch of the original at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas. Ecofoot was named “most impressive product” by SolarPro and has since been shipped to 18 states.
 
“Our design and engineering team generated 20-plus iterations of Ecofoot2, which were analyzed and optimized using virtual Finite Element Analysis (FEA),” Wildes explains, responding to customer requests. “Prototypes of various concepts were tested, and we then worked with an engineering firm to manage component sourcing.”
 
The final design was submitted to Colorado State University for aerodynamic analysis and Paul J. Ford for engineering to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
 
Wildes says the new design is part of Ecolibrium Solar’s mission to make solar commonplace. “Ecofoot2 is the next step towards grid parity,” he boasts. “We are making solar more cost competitive with traditional energy by offering the lowest price per watt in class, tremendous labor savings with record breaking install speeds, and reductions in overhead through simple products and a streamlined ordering process.”
 
 
Source: Brian Wildes
Writer: Joe Baur

CGI Group, a multinational information technology (IT) firm based in Montreal, has announced its intentions to open an IT Center of Excellence at the Stateside Technology Park in Athens in January.
 
CGI Senior Vice President Lorne Gorber characterizes the decision to open a location in Athens as a no-brainer. Strong partnerships with Ohio University, Hocking College, the Athens County Economic Development Corporation, and economic incentives from the city and state – namely JobsOhio -- were paramount in driving the decision, explains Gorber. For example, CGI will receive a 6-year, 60 percent Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit.

The Athens location will be CGI’s fourth in Ohio with additional offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Mayfield Heights. “CGI’s Onshore Center of Excellence in Athens will provide world-class IT services, such as application development, maintenance, testing, support, and integration to our commercial and government clients throughout the U.S.,” says Gorber. “Because the center is based in a smaller community, our services can be delivered at up to 30 percent savings compared to services delivered in U.S. metro markets.”

Gorber continues, “CGI’s Onshore Center of Excellence in Athens will add 150 jobs by 2016, creating an estimated $6.2 million in new annual payroll and generating additional economic impact in the region.” Candidates interested in applying for a position can visit CGI’s career page.
 

Source: Lorne Gorber
Writer: Joe Baur

Mobile workforce management software company TOA Technologies has spent most of its existence dealing with the "nuts and bolts of American industry," says Jeff Wartgow, vice president of channels and alliances. It's the company's tech, for example, that ensures the cable technician is getting a proper signal so he can complete his work.
 
Thanks to its recent partnership with Racktime Sales & Marketing Services, a Netherlands-headquartered field marketing services provider, TOA now gets a taste of the "sexy" side of the tech industry, Wartgow says. Racktime will be using TOA's  new ETAworkforce and ETAdirect Professional software to optimize its mobile business operations, which include cool stuff like DVD displays and Playstation demo booths.

"Racktime is a fun, young company," says Wartgow. "It's great to see that side of the culture coming into the market."
"Field marketing" represents the distribution or sampling of promotions in the public space. TOA software will assist Racktime in automating assignments, optimizing schedules and providing its customers with real-time visibility and collaboration capabilities.

Field marketing "is a completely new frontier for us," Wartgow says. "We had to find a progressive prospect like Racktime willing to take a risk on us."

Creating a product far afield from its core is exciting, says the TOA vice president. "Our mission is to keep expanding and taking on these challenges," adds Wartgow. "It's energizing to [work in] this part of the market."
 

SOURCE: Jeff Wartgow
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth

When Josh Fendley and four tech-savvy friends left their digital agency to launch a smaller venture, they were looking for a business name that would convey their small staff’s concentrated experience. Ample fit the bill, and is still a point of pride because one of the firm’s selling points is its size.

"Clients realize that if I’m the one selling them on doing the work, they’re going to be working with me the entire time if they choose to engage us," Fendley says. "When we left our last agency, we were all directors of this and that, but decided we wanted to get back to doing work instead of just managing it."

Fendley says the trick of being small is to carefully select experienced employees, with an eye to maintaining company culture. “We have only one relatively young employee, and we belabored on whether or not we should do that,” he says.

Recently, Ample has been pivoting away from marketing to focus on building websites and developing strategic, creative digital projects, including video and websites that easily scale down desktop applications for mobile interfaces and apps. 

"All the sites we create automatically scale and reformat," Fendley says. "Not a lot of people are actually doing that." 

Ample also developed its own content management system.

Along with size and experience, Ample’s culture is shaped by its brainy core. "We love being presented with something we don’t know how to get through. We love to figure out how to do it," Fendley says. 

Ample is primarily a Ruby on Rails shop, but also offers help with strategic planning.

So, when Ample got a call from a New Jersey nonprofit seeking to outfit students with disabilities with human-read audio books, its developers created an iTunes-like app compatible with a variety of devices.

"A lot of our long-time clients pay us to think for them, and I think that’s where we’re most successful,” Fendley says, noting that new business largely comes from referrals, and the team is turning away prospective clients.“Clients are your best salespeople. If you do well by them, them will typically give you some good karma back."

By Robin Donovan