Innovation + Job News

Our bones, it seems, need some reconstruction occasionally too. A Medina company has been successful in developing the right "hardware" for the job and may now double in size thanks to a new product offering.

OrthoHelix Surgical Designs was founded by David Kay, an orthopedic surgeon, in 2004. The company develops orthopedic implants for hand and foot surgery - small bone areas.

With a successful line of screw and plate instruments used across the U.S., OrthoHelix is a competitive leader in its marketplace and is expected to see sales of $20 million this year.

An Ohio Third Frontier grant for $1 million awarded to the company in June will make it possible for OrthoHelix to add an additional 42 employees to its current 50, says Dennis Stripe, CEO, as the company will commercialize a new locking mechanism product, OrthoLock, that complements its existing offerings.

"We expect to double sales in the next three years," says Stripe. "This locking mechanism is unique to us. We already have FDA approval and early trials are underway. We expect to roll out the product early in the first quarter of next year."

The growth will enable OrthoHelix to add a wide range of new jobs, says Stripe. Additional workers in engineering, technical inspection, product management, customer service, finance and marketing will be needed.

The grant will also help OrthoHelix expand distribution of its full product line throughout more areas of the country, says Stripe.

Looking even further ahead, Stripe says his company sees a bright future because of current R&D.

"We've got a very strong pipeline of product ideas coming down the line," he says.

Source: Dennis Stripe, OrthoHelix
Writer: Val Prevish

Several years ago Ben Fierman, a former consultant, saw an opportunity to leverage what he felt was an outstanding safety and security component to a client's health and wellness application. The client, a physician, had no plans to market it so Fierman took his idea to Lauren International in New Philadelphia.

Today Fierman is president of Lauren Innovations.

The company's flagship product, NaviGate, is an Internet-based emergency response system designed as a link between the client and first responders. It provides immediate, critical information needed to make decisions on how to respond to an emergency and a central platform for organizations and first responders to access information and collaborate on decisions. The product also provides incident management, learning management, document management and emergency operations functionality.

Fierman says NaviGate, which has received Safety Act designation from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and is considered qualified anti-terrorism technology, is such a diverse, integrated application that it really has no "head-to-head" competition.

"We're in both development and the market place at the same time," says Fierman. "As a startup company with an emerging technology, we see growth every week."

Innovations has seven direct employees, and Fierman expects that number will at least double in the next six to 12 months. The company plans to add personnel in programming and development, in marketing and public relations, and in sales and sales support.

Fierman say NaviGate has had the most success in higher education, healthcare, and public venues such as high-density retail (shopping malls).

Source: Bennett Fierman, Lauren Innovations
Writer: Patrick Mahoney

One might reasonably expect hair salons, mini day spas, putting greens, dry cleaning, dinner-to-go, and concierge services at The Four Seasons. But these amenities are offered by SarahCare Adult Day Care Centers.

"The centers look much like you would expect an assisted living to look like," says company founder Dr. Merle Griff.

Dissatisfied with the level of care available for her clients and for her own mother, Griff, a gerontologist, decided to start her own adult day care center.

From two company-owned centers in Canton and North Canton, SarahCare now boasts almost 40 centers throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. The first SarahCare franchise opened in 2004, in Strongsville. Today, all but the Canton-area centers are franchises.

It costs between $350,000 and $500,000 to open a franchise, says Dr. Griff, and financing has become difficult to obtain. ROI, however, is very good, says Griff. For that reason she expects to open several more company-owned centers in Ohio next year.

Each center has an average of 15 employees. SarahCare at Home employs 12 persons and 11 persons work in the corporate office.

"We go all out, and we will try anything we can to allow families to stay together," says Griff.

Source: Dr. Merle D. Griff, Founder, SarahCare Adult Day Care Centers
Writer: Patrick Mahoney

Diamond Polymers is bouncing back, adding to Akron's growing reputation as "the polymer capital of the world."

The national economic problems of 2008 had forced the company to reduce its manpower, says Founder/CEO Alan Woll. But acquisition of a product line from a competitor -- Centrex from INEOS ABS of Addyston, Ohio -- enabled hiring in '09 and '10, resulting in total employment of 65.

"We updated our workforce," Woll says.

And with $400,000 in five-year notes from the City of Akron, Diamond Polymers will continue to advance, says COO Michael Neumann, who adds the city has been "very, very good to us."

Woll started the company in 1986. It specializes in high-quality thermoplastic materials and resins.

Wolls says the polymer industry, plus related resources at the University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University are important assets to the Akron region, once known as the "rubber capital of the world."

Diamond Polymers conducts a five-year fellowship with the University of Akron, home of the National Polymer Innovation Center, to sponsor a student who needs additional, hands-on polymer knowledge.

"That's a win-win for both of us," Woll says.

Sources: Alan Woll and Michael Neumann, Diamond Polymers
Writer: Gabriella Jacobs

Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, service providers, educators and others will converge on the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg next week for Venture Tech -- a series of events designed to support Ohio startups.

Sponsored by the Toledo-based Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), three events -- Venture Fair, Tech Connect, and Business Acceleration Tracks -- are all aimed at connecting entrepreneurs and those hoping to launch new business ideas with resources that can help them.

The Venture Fair on Wednesday will include a full day of exhibitor tables, networking opportunities, and panels, according to the RGP. Question-and-answer sessions with venture capitalists and successful CEO entrepreneurs, sessions focused on venture capital for biosciences and alternative energy and discussions on Ohio's capital ecosystem are included.

That evening, the RGP will host Tech Connect, which it describes as "a casual networking event which offers attendees the chance to meet the 'right people' to help launch their business idea. "

On Thursday, Venture Tech will offer what it calls Business Acceleration Tracks, designed to provide information about taking innovative high-tech business ideas to the next level. The half-day session is designed to "help attendees learn how to identify critical issues regarding their business plan and discover keys to planning, launching, and operating a high-growth business."

Tracks will focus on attracting capital through a strong business plan, business plan execution, bootstrapping strategies, government funding opportunities, venture capital and angel funding basics and how to develop relationships and present to such investors.

For more information and to register, go to www.rocketventures.org

Source: Regional Growth Partnership
Writer: Gene Monteith

On a farm outside of Millersburg, Mike Malicky has figured out a way not only to use more bio-based waste more efficiently, but also reclaim nutrient-depleted farmland in the process.

Malicky, a Kansas native and owner of Mother Earth Farm, has been working for years on finding the answer on how to turn agricultural waste into agricultural treasure. Working in conjunction with several agricultural producers, he's in the process of patenting specialized formulas and processes that could prove to be a breakthrough in agricultural efficiency, bringing new life to old land and even converting some of the waste to electricity. His work has implications for other land, too, like former sites damaged by years of strip-mining. Malicky earned praise last year for reclaiming a strip mining site near Dundee, turning it into productive farmland it little more than 18 months.

Until the patent process on his current project he has to remain tight-lipped, he says, but does admit that he's excited by its potential benefits.

"People have tried for decades to do what we're doing," says Malicky. "We've figured out how to do it inexpensively, efficiently, on a smaller scale. We're in the research and development phase now, looking at how to produce it on a large scale to be able to bring it to the market as an even more affordable product than anything currently available."

Last summer, his new start-up company, Bio-Ag Solutions LLC, joined with Ohio University's Innovation Center in Athens, opening an office there while it works on finalizing the patent process and completing its research. Malicky hopes that within a few months, the legal processes will be complete and Bio-Ag Solutions' work will be revealed to the public. Until then, he's continuing to work on even more formulas to improve agricultural efficiency.

Source: Mike Malicky, Bio-Ag Solutions
Writer: Dave Malaska

It started in the late 1940s when two entrepreneurial-minded engineers joined a chemist and formed Yellow Springs Instruments. The startup's first success was an innovative crystal clock, sold to the Air Force.

Today, the company is known simply as YSI, Inc. and is a global player, with 380 employees around the world and revenues of about $100 million. And while it has demonstrated expertise in a number of sensor applications over the years, it now focuses on the natural resource water market. In other words data collection for ponds, oceans, rivers and streams.

Gayle Rominger, YSI's executive VP, says that focus has been a successful strategy built on a solid foundation.

"(The founders) were tremendously successful, but we ended up being in several different markets," Rominger explains. "The temperature market, the biomedical market and the water market. And those were big markets. So it came to the point where if we were going to get to the next level we really needed to pick a market and develop a strategy to go after that market."

Toxic algae in your pond? YSI makes sensors that can measure oxygen and particles leading to algae blooms. Runoff from the Maumee River into Lake Erie? YSI can detect and measure the problem.

President and CEO Rick Omlor says demand for YSI products differ around the world. China has emerged as a prime source for YSI products, he says.

"While we care a lot about water quality, some areas of the world care about water velocity and water quantity," he explains. For example, some global customers are concerned about flooding, or water needed for hydro power or transportation.

Over the years, YSI has benefited from Ohio Third Frontier funds, including a $1.1 million award in April to YSI, Riehl Engineering and the University of Cincinnati to develop a new kind of sensor for measuring nitrates in water.

The company employs 130 at its Yellow Springs headquarters.

Sources: Rick Omlor and Gayle Rominger, YSI
Writer: Gene Monteith

A new state program launched last week combines $40 million in state and federal funds with $40 million in private investment to generate new jobs in advanced and alternative energy.

The Ohio Energy Gateway Fund will invest $30 million in federal stimulus money and $10 million from the Ohio Advanced Energy Stimulus Fund along with matching equity investments from two firms selected to manage the program, says Mark Barbash, assistant director of  the Ohio Department of Development.

EnerTech Capital and Arsenal Venture Partners, which will review applications and make decisions on program awards, will also invest at a dollar-for-dollar match against public funds, Barbash says. The funds will go even further if additional investors are attracted to specific projects, he says.

Columbus-based USA Energy Advisors will oversee the process.

Barbash says two kinds of projects are anticipated: projects such as new wind turbine or solar field installations -- and established companies that want to move into making components for advanced energy industries. All must be projects that take place in Ohio.

"We're looking for the broad breadth of advanced energy -- wind, solar, geothermal, propulsion -- but we're also going to be looking at projects that can happen quickly."

He says the Department of Development expects about a dozen projects to launch initially, noting that a number are already in the pipeline.

"The important distinction about this fund is this is not a venture capital fund," Barbash says. "There are other programs out there for startup companies, other programs out there for seed capital -- we're looking for mature companies and mature projects."

While the end goal is job creation, Barbash says it's too early to predict how many new jobs will result.

Source: Mark Barbash, Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Gene Monteith

Even in the high tech world of aerospace manufacturing, you still need to kick the tires occasionally.

Quickstep Composites, based in Australia, is expanding its North American headquarters in Dayton to provide a space for potential aviation and, eventually, auto industry customers to observe their unique process of curing composite materials without using an autoclave.

"It's our test drive facility," says Dale Brosius, North American chief operating officer of Quickstep Technologies.

Quickstep has signed a partnership and license agreement with Vector Composites Inc. of Dayton for the use of its Quickstep Process for development and manufacturing of advanced composite components. The products are aimed primarily at the aviation industry.

The process uses a manufacturing method that does not require the extreme conditions necessary in the traditional autoclave process, which has been the industry standard for manufacturing composites for many years. Eliminating an autoclave can save as much as 50 percent on the cost of the process, says Brosius, while still producing reliable mission-critical parts for high tech users such as the military.

Vector and Quickstep were recently awarded a major United States Air Force Small Business Innovation Research Phase II program grant, expected to total about $4 million over a 27-month period.

Vector is the lead contractor and Quickstep is the principal subcontractor to conduct the joint research program, which will focus on process qualification of bismaleimide and epoxy resin carbon fiber reinforced composite materials using the Quickstep Process for application to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Over the next three to four years, Quickstep expects to hire 20 to 25 new employees in areas such as engineering, technical support, supervision and sales, says Brosius, adding that the company sees its presence in Dayton as a long-term partnership.

"It makes sense for us to be here because there is a fair number of composites companies right here," he says.

Source: Dale Brosius, Quickstep Technologies
Writer: Val Prevish

Experts are studying Northeast Ohio's energy opportunities for development of a regional action plan. Long term goal: boost the area's advanced energy industry and create jobs.

Westlake-based Newry Corp., a management consulting firm, and NorTech Energy Enterprise, of Cleveland, want data on energy storage, transportation electrification, smart grid and biomass/waste-to-energy activities.

From this month to July, 2011 they will be collecting information from a wide range of sources using a variety of techniques. The process will help identify the unique strengths of the region in the specific sectors; characterize the global market drivers and opportunities; assess the competitive landscape; and outline regional opportunities for growth, according to NorTech Energy Enterprise.

Nortech engaged Newry after a national competitive search, citing the firm's experience with similar initiatives. Newry, which also has offices in Chicago and New York, was founded in 1987.

Newry's "depth and breadth of market experience and knowledge in advanced energy" qualified it to partner with NorTech for this, Rebecca O. Bagley, president and chief executive officer of NorTech, said in a news release.

NorTech Energy Enterprise is the year-old advanced energy initiative of NorTech, the nonprofit, technology-based economic development organization serving 21 counties.

Source: Kelly C. South, NorTech
Writer: Gabriella Jacobs

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

A few years ago, Yosry Attia, who had long been looking for new uses for an old technology, mentioned his latest work to his neighbor, Thomas Hubbell, and the hope that it could hold the key to better cancer treatments. Attia was investigating the use of aerogel -- a low-density porous solid material that some call "frozen smoke" -- and its ability to improve the targeting of cancer cells. Hubbell encouraged his friend to continue his pursuit, then joined him.

Two years later, their company, Delaware-based BioAerogel, is poised to change cancer treatment forever.

"The problem is, in order to get chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells, you have to immerse the body in the drugs," explains Hubbell. "That means you have to use much bigger doses than will ever reach actual cancer cells, and more healthy cells will be damaged."

Through the use of aerogel, a gel in which the liquid component has been replaced by gas, the pair have found a way to bind cancer cell-targeting proteins with chemotherapy drugs. When injected into a patient intravenously, the proteins within their gel attach themselves to the cancer cells at the molecular level, then deliver cancer-killing drugs. Better targeting means smaller doses of chemotherapy drugs, less damage to healthy cells and fewer side-effects.

Because each cancer has a special structure, aerogels with different properties must be designed for each kind of cancer. Attia and Hubbell started by tackling lung cancer cells, with lab results already showing great promise. Earlier this year, the duo got a TechColumbus start-up grant to continue their work while looking for new investors.

"Right now, we're working on perfecting the science and process, and then we have to go through the FDA approval process," says Hubbell. 

In the meantime, they'll start designing treatments for other cancers and investigating whether their aerogel delivery platform could be used to treat other diseases.

Source: Thomas Hubble, BioAerogel
Writer: Dave Malaska

The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) is finding new ways of teaching its clients to become self-sufficient.

With the decline of the area's manufacturing and "sheltered workshops," new jobs are being created in agriculture, retail, the arts, and even doggy daycare.

A so-called "city farm" program uses vacant city land to raise broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers as a means of teaching new skills to persons with mental or physical challenges.

The first farm, at East 55th and Stanard, employs 10 of the agency's clients, says Lula Holt-Robertson, general manager of public information and communications for the CCBDD.

Another program operates a "dollar store" called Just-A-Buck in Parma's Midtown Plaza. Unlike the original Dollar Store, everything in Just-A-Buck is just that . . . a buck.

Plans are in place to open two more stores next year. Also slated for next year is a dog daycare and boarding facility. And HeARTworks, a store in the Galleria, markets the artwork of persons with developmental disabilities. Between the programs, from 50 to 75 persons are employed at any one time, Holt-Robertson says. 

Within three to five years, the County hopes to employ 100 clients on ten city farms. A second farm will occupy property owned by City Hall, near the Free Stamp sculpture in Willard Park.

Source: Lula Holt-Robertson, CCBDD.
Writer: Patrick Mahoney

Putting a solar system on your house is expensive and you might not see the payback for 20 years. But if you're a school or a business, a Columbus start-up says it has a way to help you tap into solar power, benefit as a "green" operator and do it for no money down.

Thomas Van Cleef, principal of Shine On Solar, says he launched the company earlier this year because "there are ways that businesses looking at this correctly can make it pay."

His approach hinges on power purchase agreements. Shine On's plan is to enlist third parties to own and operate each solar energy system as a limited liability partnership, thus qualifying for federal and state energy tax credits. The building owners would then purchase the power at affordable rates -- and the system owners could realize additional revenue from the sale of renewable energy credits to utilities.

"I'm going to put together an LLC for that particular power plant," Van Cleef explains. "And I'll bring investors to it and in some cases it could be wholly owned by the company that owns the roof. But it could also be you, me and our neighbors wanting to put solar on the school down the way."

Van Cleef, who helped found Solar Vision -- a similar company operating in central Ohio -- says he's working on four such projects currently and preparing to hire four employees in the next 60 to 90 days.

In the meantime, "what's really taking off for me right now are people saying what can be done?" to take advantage of advanced and alternative energy." He says the consulting side of the business is focused not just on solar, but on any energy source that makes sense for the customer.

Source: Thomas Van Cleef, Shine On Solar
Writer: Gene Monteith

Green Energy Initiatives wants to become a successful environmental company. But its mission is to help bring jobs to Mingo Junction and other parts of Ohio's former steelmaking region.

Jim Lewis, the company's chief operating officer, says he and partner Dave Waller � two former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. managers � formed the company in the aftermath of the Mingo Junction plant's shutdown in 2009.

Lewis says a group of local business, religious and government leaders began discussing the fate of the region. But when no clear plan emerged, Lewis and Waller decided to to form Green Energy Initiatives, hoping that the success of the company will lead to green, spinoff jobs.

GEI has delved into a number of green areas, including solar lighting for portable toilets. A couple of big orders "kind of got the revenue going for the company," Lewis says.

Another business segment is in bioremediation. GEI distributes a beeswax-based material used to clean oil spills, and also helps companies develop spill prevention control and countermeasure plans. Additionally, the company provides environmental water sampling services.
 
While Lewis says other opportunities abound -- including supplying water used to force natural gas out of shale and then cleaning pollutants from the water afterward -- he believes one of the biggest is in liquid natural gas. When the steel mills shut down, numerous gas wells drilled to support the industry were capped, he says, stranding them before pipelines were built. GEI eventually hopes to build gas liquefaction plants at those well heads, using the natural gas to run the plants and then transporting the LNG to customers.

With eight employees and just under $1 million in purchase orders so far, the company hopes the ripple effect of its success will translate into hundreds of jobs within the community.

"I have a personal goal, and that is that in the next four to five years to have 400 to 500 people hired in businesses that are green in this part of Ohio."

Source: Jim Lewis, Green Energy Initiatives
Writer: Gene Monteith