Innovation + Job News

GrafTech International has one foot planted solidly in the past and the other in the future. The combination seems to be a winner.

The Parma-based company built its early reputation by supplying arc lights to Cleveland in the early 1900s -- making that city the first in the U.S. with electric street lights. Later, the company made it big in steel-making and continues to be a leading producer of graphite electrodes used in arc furnaces.

While industrial materials -- primarily steel-related graphite products -- constitute 85 percent of GrafTech's sales, the company is emerging as a high-tech innovator in Ohio's new economy.

Beginning in the 1970s, the company began working on products needed to drive a fuel-cell powered car, says Lionel Batty, GrafTech's director of research and product development. Today, 75 percent to 85 percent of all fuel cells -- including one inside the Buckeye Bullet 2, a speed-setting hydrogen fuel cell-powered car designed by Ohio State University engineering students -- have GrafTech components, he says.

But just in case you aren't using fuel cells, let's bring it down to earth. A pioneer in thin-film graphite, which is 50 percent more thermally conducive (meaning cooler) than copper and four times lighter, GrafTech has probably made its way into your home.

"Almost all cell phones have our material in them," Batty says.

And if you have a laptop computer or panel display television purchased in the past two years, chances are it's got GrafTech inside, too.

GraftTech's new economy efforts have attracted the attention of state-funded programs like the Ohio Third Frontier, which has provided funding for both fuel cell development and graphite nanocomposites for next generation electronics.

Source: Lionel Batty, GrafTech
Writer: Gene Monteith

What's your favorite color? That question may seem inconsequential now, but for those about to drop $1,000 on a sporty new laptop it can be downright paralyzing.

Thanks to the creative geniuses at Kent Displays, future laptop owners will be able to change the exterior colors of their machines with the proverbial flick of a switch. Cloaked in the company's Reflex LCD eSkin, a paper-thin liquid crystal display, devices such as laptops, smartphones and MP3 players can change appearances as quickly as a chameleon.

Founded by Dr. J. William Doane, former director of Kent State University's Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent Displays is a pioneer in cholesteric liquid crystal technology. Unlike standard LCDs that require a constant source of power, Reflex displays will retain an image indefinitely, even when the power is off.

The eSkin application is only the "tip of the iceberg," says Kevin Oswald, Kent Display's communications director. A new portable hard drive from Verbatim, for example, uses the technology to display available space even when the USB drive is disconnected.

Perhaps more impressive is the environmentally friendly eNote, a portable writing tablet. Consumers use a stylus to write on the pressure-sensitive display, eliminating the need for pen and paper.

While 99 percent of glass LCDs are still manufactured in Asia, Kent Display's plastic LCDs are produced on site at its Kent, Ohio facilities.

Kent Displays currently employs 60 people, but with the impending release of its eNote Tablet, and expected wide-spread adoption of its eSkin application, that number is expected to grow.

Source: Kevin Oswald, Kent Displays
Writer: Douglas Trattner

The nation's tough economy has wreaked havoc on both the number of college graduates hired right out of school and on college internships. But there's a bright spot to the picture, at least in Ohio: The Ohio Third Frontier Internship Program, which reimburses companies half the cost of the internships with the hope that students will remain in Ohio and take jobs with some of those companies.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, businesses and others plan to offer 21 percent fewer internships in 2009 than they did in 2008. Employers also told NACE that they plan to hire 7 percent fewer new grads in 2010 than they did this year.

Enter the Third Frontier Internship Program, which places students with companies involved in advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, bioscience, information technology, instruments-controls-electronics and power and propulsion. Interns must be majoring in physical, biological or agricultural sciences; engineering; computer sciences; or mathematics.

"There is a great need, even in the economy we're in," says Julia Hinten, program manager. Hinten says nearly 520 Ohio companies have participated in the program since it was begun in 2002; the program placed nearly 2,000 college students with Ohio firms last year.

Seapine Software, based in Mason, has found the program a way to add talent in an extremely competitive environment, says Chuck Clevenger, Seapine's corporate recruiter. The company has employed more than 25 students in a co-op/internship role, he says, and has hired seven to full-time positions.

"With the assistance of the Third Frontier, Seapine will be able to continue our intern hiring, even in the face of a soft economy," Clevenger says.

Sources: Julia Hinten, Third Frontier Internship Program; Chuck Clevenger, Seapine Software
Writer: Gene Monteith

When natural disasters strike, response teams are faced with assessing damage so cleanup efforts can be mobilized quickly. Yet, disasters also require mountains of paperwork to map the damage and document response efforts -- often meaning too much time in the office and not enough in the field.

TDC Group, a Dayton software firm, has one answer: a new application that allows government agencies and businesses to file reports from the field -- right from a BlackBerry.

TDC's Freeance Mobile allows users to receive and file real-time data on location, cutting down on travel, says Matthew Reddington, TDC Group's president and CEO.

"They don't have to come into the office at the start of the day, get information (from the data base), drive half-way across the state and come back at the end of the day to file their reports."

That saves valuable time -- an important commodity during disasters.

Reddington says that Freeance Mobile is the first software that allows GIS (geographic information system) applications to be run from a BlackBerry. As such, it's not just the U.S. Weather Service that is using the software, but law enforcement, businesses and utilities that need a real-time picture of their infrastructure, crime sites or distribution of their people.

TCD was formed in 1988. With customers in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, TDC is growing and adding jobs, Reddington says, though he declined to reveal how quickly for proprietary reasons.

Reddington notes that the Dayton Development Coalition has provided funding and consulting services that have allowed the firm to expand into new markets and build infrastructure.

Source: Matthew Reddington, TDC Group
Writer: Gene Monteith

What do you get when an occupational therapist brainstorms with a nuclear engineer?

If you're a child with a disability, you get a chance at a better future.

Elisabeth Wharton, an occupational therapist for the Toledo Public Schools, wanted to help her pupils develop very basic skills. She asked husband Randy � trained to study and solve problems � for some ideas.

"Some of her kids had problems with gross motor skills, they couldn't do things like other kids because their hands got in the way," Randy says.

The solution: "Cuttables" and "Traceables," patent-pending round and square shapes with special handles that a child can more easily grip. Magnets enable the shapes to be changed and repositioned as needed. A square can become a house! A circle can be a face! Even a vision-impaired child has been able to create pictures with the shapes, which are "in pretty colors and fun to use," Wharton says. "They look cool and like neat toys."

The Whartons maintain their day jobs while running Createable Learning Concepts. TheToledo Chamber of Commerce has provided assistance and the Regional Growth Partnership granted Createable Learning $10,265 while providing coaching and counseling to help the start-up get off the ground. Wharton says although the Chamber and RGP usually back tech ventures, they advanced this one because its products (manufactured at Plastic Technologies Inc. in Holland, Ohio) help children develop higher levels of independence and achievement, which will make them better students and thus, better adults.

Next up for the Whartons: Web site upgrades and partnering with major distributors. Once Cuttables and Traceables are in stores and sales volume picks up, the Whartons will delegate some tasks and begin hiring.

Source: Randy Wharton, Createable Learning Concepts
Writer: Gabriella Jacobs

When Mike Cardarelli was a University of Cincinnati mechanical engineering technology major, he only hoped that he could design a good salami-rolling machine for his senior project.

Now? He's the man behind the HERO � a Hazardous Environment Robot Observer being used by authorities all across the country.

Cardarelli's Amelia, Ohio-based company, First-Response Robotics, produces agile, mobile robots that are special not only because they detect chemical and biological hazards, but because they can transmit their data and video live. Previously, robots had to be decontaminated and their data downloaded for analysis before authorities could proceed.

A HERO is not like what we've seen in movies. For example, "Bomb disposal robots are large; they grab the threat and dispose it," Cardarelli says. These robots are more sophisticated.

The HERO can lift more than 100 pounds and travel 10 feet per second. It can climb stairs. If it topples over, it can right itself. Features include night-vision cameras, arms that extend to 35 inches, and two-way communication. One even has been adapted with a special shelf, enabling it to safely deliver pizza to hostages.

Customers include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and numerous law enforcement departments. Plus, a construction company has been looking into using one of Cardarelli's robots to more safety and accurately make chalk lines for placing main support beams on high-rise buildings. Human error was 1/8 of an inch; HERO error was 1/16 in a test, Cardarelli says.

"And the unions approved of the idea."

Source: Mike Cardarelli, First-Response Robotics
Writer: Gabriella Jacobs

A plasma volume expander may sound like something plucked from the pages of a science fiction novel, but to a trio of University of Toledo researchers working on the innovative lifesaving drug, it's very real.

After working with a patient in 1999 whose blood pressure was critically unstable as plasma seeped out of her blood vessels, frustrated UT doctors Joseph Shapiro and Ragheb Assaly sought out a treatment.

They teamed up with UT biochemist J. David Dignam and found a solution in their plasma volume expander, Pegylated albumin -- or PEG-Alb as it is known as in the biotech biz.

Toledo-based ADS Biotechnology was born.

The researchers created a molecule similar to the native albumin already present in the blood, but with a larger diameter to prevent leakage into vital organs that can cause serious injury or death.

PEG-Alb is the only known treatment for CLS -- a biomedical stat that is bound to drum up some serious attention� and cash.

The UT college of medicine -- where Shapiro is the department chair and Assaly is a pulmonary-critical care specialist -- has contributed $1 million. The northwest Ohio-based Rocket Ventures Ignite! Grant was for $50,000, then Rocket Ventures gave a $250,000 investment courtesy of the Third Frontier Program. The U.S. Department of Defense committed $200,000.

Mary Shapiro, chief financial officer of ADS Biotechnology, says PEG-Alb could be a crucial advancement for military medicine as a resuscitation fluid on the front lines.

The firm is now working to set up clinical trials in hopes of marketing PEG-Alb in the next three to five years.

Source: Mary Shapiro
Writer: Colin McEwen

There's a glimmer of hope for "no-option" cardiovascular patients, thanks to the work being done by a Cleveland-based medical device company.

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in America. For many sufferers, traditional treatments prove ineffective, leaving the patient with no practical options.

Now, advances in stem cell research and innovations developed by Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc., promise to give these so-called "no-option" patients a new lease on life. Arteriocyte is currently testing proprietary adult-derived stem cell therapies for use in surgery. The technology will allow a surgeon to harvest stem cells and platelets from a patient's own body for immediate use.

"Our bodies naturally build all the cells and tissues necessary to repair injury," explains CEO Don Brown. "By harvesting and redelivering therapeutically derived cells, we can affect repair of tissues damaged by poor blood flow."

In April, the company announced the receipt of a $4.99-million award courtesy of Ohio's Third Frontier Research Commercialization Program. Brown says that the state funding will allow the company to conduct efficacy studies of its bedside blood fractionation device for treatment of cardiac disease and also amputation prevention. Research partners within the state include The Cleveland Clinic, The Ohio State University and The University of Toledo.

Brown anticipates that the grant will lead to the generation of 30 new jobs during the next three years, and 50 during the next six. Success of the technologies could lead to $150 million in revenue within six years, he adds.

Source: Don Brown
Writer: Douglas Trattner

Delaware County's efforts to extend new broadband fiber along a 12-mile corridor are both a reminder of the economic necessity of broadband in Ohio and a cautionary tale for other communities.

The lesson? Be ready when new industry comes calling.

"If there was a crucial moment in Delaware history, it was when we worked on bringing in Motorists," says Gus Comstock, Delaware County's economic development director.

Motorists Insurance Group, which considered several sites late last year for a new $14 million data center, ultimately announced in May that it would locate its center in New Albany.

"We could talk about water, sewer, gas and the benefits of living in Delaware -- but we couldn't provide a good description of the availability of fiber," explains Comstock. "We were caught flat-footed."

As the county now discusses options for installing new fiber to serve growing parts of the U.S. 23 business corridor, the economic reality of broadband in central Ohio reflects the need across the state, says Tom Fritz, executive director of Connect Ohio.

"A seven percent (increase) in residential adoption of broadband means the addition of 96,000 new jobs," he says, quoting a recent economic impact study of the issue. "And companies that use broadband grow at a much faster rate than those who don't use broadband."

Connect Ohio, a public-private partnership focused on broadband access, also found that a 7 percent adoption increase in a stable economy contributes $5 billion annually to the state's economy.

Sources: Gus Comstock, Tom Fritz
Writer: Gene Monteith

The city of Wilmington and Clinton County have faced some hard knocks following the recent pullout of major employer DHL Worldwide Express, which cost the Southwest Ohio area thousands of good jobs. But creative local officials are looking toward the future with an innovative renewable energy employer incentive program to create new jobs.

Wilmington officials this year created the country's first Green Enterprise Zone in Wilmington and Union Township. Renewable energy businesses that locate in the zone will be given tax and other incentives to locate there.

"Our goal is to have a group of companies here that would be related solely to alternative energy, and we are going after those folks," says Clinton County Administrator Dr. Mark Brooker.

Already, the Green Enterprise Zone has sparked interest. UK-based Gaia Energy is in the design phase of a pilot program that will convert biomass from local farmers into energy that will fuel coal burning power plants, says Brooker. If the pilot proves successful, the company could expand it.

"They will be buying crop residue from the local farmers initially," Brooker says. "They want to start testing this by the fall harvest."

At least two other companies are very interested in locating in the Green Enterprise Zone, including one that has property under contract, says Brooker, adding that more details should be announced on those companies near the end of the year.

Find out more about these efforts at Energize Clinton County.

Source: Mark Brooker
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

 

The world's largest infrared camera may soon be helping to keep America safe.

That's just one of the latest products sprouting from a collaboration between the University of Dayton's IDCAST and its partners in business, government and academia.

Two-year-old IDCAST � short for the Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology � accelerates the development and commercialization of camera and sensor technologies for private and government entities. In partnership with the UD Research Institute, the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, and other university, government and military entities -- IDCAST has fast become an organization that matters.

Initially made possible by $28-million in state grants, "we've created more than 250 jobs, 36 in academia and 215 in industry," says Larrell Walters, the center's executive director.

That brings us back to the world's largest infrared camera.

L-3 Cincinnati Electronics, a division of L-3 Communications Corp., is developing the camera with the help of a $4.2-million grant made through IDCAST. It's only the latest in sophisticated imaging devices the company has built for the surveillance needs of private and government clients.

Dubbed "Night Stare," the camera boasts a 25 megapixel resolution (that's 25 million pixels), but by panning its target in a four-step pattern can supply an image reaching 100 megapixels, says John Devitt, the company's engineering manager.

What does that mean? The next biggest infrared camera provides just over 300,000 pixels � about the resolution of a traditional TV screen. Devitt "we should make delivery of a prototype this year."

Sources: Larrell Walters, John Divett
Writer: Gene Monteith

 

What if you could paint your house this fall knowing you wouldn't have to do it again for another 100 years?

That's the prospect facing those who maintain large steel structures like bridges and battleships, thanks to an innovative new coating and application process developed by MesoCoat, Inc., of Euclid.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the annual cost of corrosion nationally is $442 billion, or 3.1 percent of the gross domestic product. The estimated cost in Ohio alone is $15 billion.

MesoCoat is addressing that problem by developing a coating to replace the noxious chrome-based applications that have been the mainstay of corrosion control. But here's the best part: According to MesoCoat President and CEO Andrew Sherman, the new coating will last at least 100 years, compared to the current eight to 20 years. It's as cheap as current materials without the hazardous chemicals associated with traditional processes.

The patented coating, called PComP, was initially developed for application within the aerospace industry, extending the life of components such as shafts, actuators and landing gears. Now the company is preparing to launch FarCoat equipment that will match PComP with nanocomposite coatings for application to very large structures such as ships and bridges.

Over the next two years, Sherman expects both the coatings and the application technology to be available for use nationally.

MesoCoat, formed in 2007, now employs six, is looking to fill three open spots and, as its Series A financing is completed, will add another five. "When we transition into the marketplace we will about double," Sherman says.

Source: Andrew Sherman
Writer: Gene Monteith

Just a few years into its founding, AssureRx, a Mason-based personalized medicine company, has brought on a new president and CEO with more than 30 years of strategic executive experience to grow the company.

James Burns was most recently president and CEO of Maryland-based EntreMed Inc., a public, clinical-stage pharmaceuticals company that develops cancer and inflammatory disease drug treatments.

Burns now is bringing that expertise to AssureRx, founded in 2006, through a joint investment of Queen City Angels, CincyTech, Blue Chip Venture Co., Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Tomorrow Fund, Ohio Tech Angels, DHC Tech and private investors. The company was formed to license and commercialize personalized medicine technology research from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Mayo Clinic.

AssureRx is developing the next generation of medicines, recently bringing to market its first product GeneSightRx, a lab-developed test that will measure and analyze genetic variants in psychiatric medicine -- in other words, how individuals respond to the drugs they get. The test will help doctors determine the appropriate drug and dosage for each patient's individual needs, which could lessen side effects in patients taking them.

"I believe that this technology has the potential to place AssureRx on the forefront of the emerging personalized medicine market. I look forward to leading the company during this exciting period of its development," Burns says.

The test is based on pharmacogenetics, or the study of how a person's genetic makeup influences his or her body's reaction to drug treatments.

Source: Carolyn Pione of CincyTech USA, and AssureRx
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Like many great stories, this one starts along the Appalachian Trail.

Making his way down the famed footpath, Tremont Electric, LLC owner Aaron LeMieux realized that his movement was generating loads of kinetic energy, evidenced by the annoying abrasions that appeared where his backpack met his hips. If only there was a way to harness that energy, he mused, and apply it to something more useful than blisters.

A few prototypes later, LeMieux had perfected nPower™, a technology that converts simple motion into electricity. The first commercial application of that technology is the PEG (personal energy generator), a lightweight gadget that can power handheld electronic devices. Slipped into a backpack � or purse or briefcase � the PEG charges iPhones, Blackberrys or GPS units via USB cable with every step its owner takes.

While other kinetic energy generators exist, none are as elegant, refined or practical as the PEG. Weighing just nine ounces, the slender cylinder-shaped unit charges mobile devices at the same rate as a wall outlet. Goodbye bulky back-up batteries; goodbye dead devices. 

The PEG was a hit at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Tremont Electric was included in BusinessWeek's recent feature on "America's Most Promising Startups." Production is expected to begin in October of this year, but already there have been over 1,000 preorders online at $149 each.

Jessica Davis, Tremont's director of sustainability, says the Cleveland-based company hopes to add 16 employees in 2010 and twice that by 2011. And those figures don't take into account secondary and tertiary job growth at suppliers.

Source: Jessica Davis
Writer: Douglas Trattner

What are the next steps for Ohio biosciences companies?

Find out Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 when a diverse audience descends on Columbus to discuss the topic "Where in the world are bioscience opportunities?"

Sponsored by  BioOhio, the organization's annual conference is expected to draw a diverse statewide audience of researchers, entrepreneurs, suppliers, service providers, bioscience executives -- you name it, they're likely to be there, says Matt Schutte, BioOhio's director of corporate communications.

"It's a unique conference in a way," says Schutte. "There are a lot of biomedical, biosciences events around Ohio, but very few have a statewide mission."

With more than 1,100 bioscience-related organizations in Ohio, more than $2.5 billion were invested here to accelerate Ohio's bioscience growth in 2007 alone. BioOhio's annual conference -- its 20^th since the organization began -- aims at bringing the best minds together to keep that ball rolling, Schutte says.

"The best thing people will get out of it is the networking," Schutte says, which can lead to new partnerships, collaborations and job growth.

The conference itself will feature numerous topics related to globalization of bioscience business and research, including the benefits and challenges of conducting clinical trials abroad, Schutte says. Panelists were drawn from a who's who within the industry; Battelle President and CEO Jeffrey Wadsworth will give the keynote address.

Want to attend? Information is available at http://www.bioohio.com/news/Annual-Conference.aspx.

BioOhio, founded in 1987, is a non-profit organization designed to build and accelerate bioscience industry, research, and education in Ohio.

Source: Matt Schutte, BioOhio
Writer: Gene Monteith