The Northeast Ohio Incubator Collaborative
Chinese investors plan to put $18 million into FMI Technologies Inc., a company in the Akron Global Business Accelerator. The investment will enable FMI to manufacture high-tech medical imaging devices. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic expects the investment to result in 20 new engineering and technician jobs this year and at least 100 more by 2013.
Head over to Ohio.com for the full story and details.
Congratulations to FMI and AGBA!
The Northeast Ohio Incubator Collaborative (NEOinc) provides coordinated services to entrepreneurs desiring to start technology-oriented businesses in the 21 counties of NE Ohio. It was formed by several of the Edison funded incubators and technology centers in NE Ohio; namely The Akron Global Business Accelerator, Braintree Partners in Mansfield, the Great Lakes Incubator for Developing Enterprises [...]
The Chief Science Officer of the Youngstown Business Incubator, Dr. Marvin Schwartz, has taken on an additional new responsibility.
And a very high profile one at that.
Marv has now also agreed to serve as the Chief Scientist of the Case Connection Zone, Case Western Reserve University’s groundbreaking research program bringing gigabit fiber to the home, the first of its kind in the entire country. In this new capacity, Marv will coordinate the overall research agenda for the program as well as serve as a key public face for a project that has gained considerable national and international interest.
OK…so when Case Western Reserve University goes in search of a Chief Scientist for one of its nationally recognized, groundbreaking technology research programs, they find the person is already at the Youngstown Business Incubator.
I think that just speaks volumes regarding the quality of the programs we are offering in the Surprising New Youngstown, Ohio!
Jim Cossler
CEO & Chief Evangelist
Youngstown Business Incubator
I believe they call this “preaching to the choir”, but NEOinc was pleased to read (and have a member participate in) this recent article on Business News Daily.
Quoting Tracy Kitts, COO of the National Business Incubation Association, a couple key economic development metrics involving incubators were cited:
Read the rest of the article over on Business News Daily for the full story and lots more metrics.
The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) recently received a $25,000 grant from the Youngstown Foundation. The funds will be used to renovate a suite at YBI’s West Federal Street building to expand its Learning Lab initiative. The Learning Lab was established earlier this year to host educational, networking and conferencing events. The vision of the Learning Lab is to spur entrepreneurship and innovation in the Mahoning Valley by offering quality programming that encourages business development.
YBI’s Chief Development Officer, Julie Michael Smith, states “YBI is committed to offering programs and seminars to entrepreneurs and businesses that help them grow by using information technology solutions, encouraging innovation and sharing best business practices.” This year, YBI’s Chief Imagination Officer Tyler Clark has offered classes on website development, social networking and search engine optimization which have been well-received and surveys report a desire for more topics.
“The Youngstown Business Incubator is one of the Valley’s most valuable assets for economic development and the Learning Lab will assist even more entrepreneurs grow their businesses in our community”, says Janice E. Strasfeld, executive director of The Youngstown Foundation. “The Youngstown Foundation is proud to continue supporting YBI’s vital work through this grant to expand the Learning Lab.”
The renovated Learning Lab will be completed in early 2011.
About the Youngstown Foundation
The Youngstown Foundation supports the broad spectrum of the community’s nonprofit 501(c) (3) organizations including the arts and culture, education, economic/community development, health, human services and the environment.
By Mark Niquette
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Ohio is launching a program with $40 million in federal and state stimulus funds to invest in advanced-energy projects, with the goal of creating more “green-collar” jobs in the state.
The Ohio Energy Gateway Fund, which Gov. Ted Strickland announced in his State of the State address in January, is ready to accept applications for funding, officials said last week.
The goal is to provide funding for at least 12 projects in the state related to advanced energy, said Mark Barbash, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Development. Read the full article
NorTech has released its annual Northeast Ohio High-Tech Economy Brief (pdf), which analyzes performance of the region’s technology economy. The Brief also compares Northeast Ohio to the remainder of Ohio, the Midwest and the U.S. from the perspective of employment, output, productivity and average wages in high-tech industries in 2008.
Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech said of the report:
The data reinforce the importance of Northeast Ohio’s technology industries to our region’s economy and its workforce. It also shows that Northeast Ohio is continuing to transition to a more diversified economy driven by growth in our high-tech industries. However, this type of transition takes time. As our economy begins to recover from the recent recession, now is the time for the public and private sectors to accelerate investments to keep momentum moving forward.
OK….that was pretty cool.
On the heels of our ten-page spread in the May edition of Inc. Magazine, a crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation was in town this past Sunday and Monday filming interviews.
They want to do a story for BBC America on the New Youngstown, the Youngstown Business Incubator, and the technology park we are building. As their Executive Producer said, “The BBC is interested in showing that world-class innovation can surprisingly come from the most unlikely of places”.
Celebrate the surprisingly New Youngstown.
The world is watching.
Jim Cossler
CEO & Chief Evangelist
Youngstown Business Incubator
The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) has named Dr. Cynthia Anderson to its Board of Directors. Dr. Anderson was recently named the seventh president of Youngstown State University (YSU).
“YBI’s success in fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation is at the center of Youngstown’s rebirth,” said Cynthia E. Anderson, president-designate at Youngstown State University. “I look forward to working with YBI and its Board in building on that momentum and making Youngstown and Youngstown State University a nationally-renowned center of technology and innovation.”
“YBI is honored that Dr. Anderson is joining its Board,” states Garry Mrozek, chairman of YBI’s Board of Directors. “YBI and YSU have developed several innovative entrepreneurial initiatives that are catalyzing technology-driven economic development in the Mahoning Valley and we look forward to future collaborations.”
Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from YSU, a master’s degree in business education from Ohio State University and an Ed.D. in education administration from the University of Akron. Her professional experience includes teaching high school business education at Westerville South High School, holding the position of vice president for Student Affairs at Youngstown State University for the past 15 years, working as assistant provost for academic planning and for the last 10 years serving as a marketing instructor at YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration.
Akron Global Business Accelerator client Knotice recently was awarded a 2010 Excellence in Business award by the Greater Akron Chamber.
Knotice delivers direct digital marketing software solutions to marketers across a variety of industries. Direct digital marketing is interactive marketing that is “addressable,” having the ability to identify the recipient of a marketing message. Knotice is working to change the way online marketers conduct programs to help them grow revenue, reduce cost and provide their customers with meaningful and relevant online experiences.
Congratulations Knotice!
For the second time in three years, the National Business Incubation Association has selected Summit Data Communications as a finalist for Outstanding Incubator Client in the Technology Category. The NBIA advances business incubation and entrepreneurship. Each year, the NBIA Incubation Awards honor business incubation programs and client companies that exemplify the best of the industry.
Summit is a client of the Akron Global Business Accelerator in Akron, Ohio, which won the NBIA’s Incubator Innovation Award in 2008. For four years, the Akron incubator’s mentoring and business assistance have helped Summit establish and maintain a healthy business.
Summit also has been named as a recipient of a Crain’s EDGE Award. EDGE is an organization that enhances economic development in Northeast Ohio through innovation and entrepreneurship. EDGE helps value-creating companies succeed though education, innovation, and relationship-building, while cultivating a culture that is supportive of entrepreneurial ventures. An EDGE metric identifies the Northeast Ohio companies that are creating the most value for themselves and their communities.
“Northeast Ohio is our home, and we are dedicated to creating value here,” said Chris Bolinger, Summit’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “By providing market-leading products and high service levels to a worldwide customer base, we are creating rewarding jobs not just at Summit but at partner companies in our region.”
Last year, in the teeth of the recession, Summit increased staff by 30%. This year, Summit is continuing to grow by addressing customer requirements for reliable and secure Wi-Fi connectivity in challenging environments around the world.
Add yet one more “award winning” company to YBI’s portfolio.
Congratulations to the entire Syncro Medical Innovations team for being named one of just three statewide finalists for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award.
Syncro was honored for their groundbreaking research that resulted in Blue Tube™, a cutting-edge enteral feeding tube that is rapidly guided to proper placement by external magnets.
To learn more about this wonderful life saving medical innovation, visit www.syncromedical.com.
