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

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.

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.

Summit Data Communications – AGBA Client

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.

Syncro Medical Innovations – YBI

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.

There are two words that are music to the ears of a startup company trying to take an advanced technology offering to market.

Reseller agreement.

Ladies and Gentlemen, strike up the band! Bruker-AXS, lead division of the Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR), a worldwide provider of high-performance scientific instrumentation with 90 business locations on all continents, has entered into an agreement to globally resell YBI portfolio company Zethus Software’s cumulus::CyberLab, a product that allows for secure, resilient, collaborative, remote use of instrumentation and the associated data collected.

CyberLab was developed through a federal grant secured by Representative Tim Ryan from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

The two words that describe the anticipated results of this worldwide collaboration between Zethus and Bruker?

Jaw dropping.

Jim Cossler
CEO and Chief Evangelist
Youngstown Business Incubator
330.884.6262
www.ybi.org

We are thrilled to announce that Marv Schwartz has agreed to become the new Chief Science Officer of the Youngstown Business Incubator. In that capacity, he will be applying his considerable experience, expertise and personal talent network toward helping our portfolio bring their software products to market.

Marv is a serial entrepreneur with a history of launching highly successful technology ventures. He is perhaps best known as being the Founder, CEO and CTO of Noteworthy Medical Systems, the award winning electronic health record company that soared to $50million in revenues in just five years. Marv received his Ph.D in Computing and Information Sciences from Case Western Reserve University where he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Sciences.

Welcome aboard Marv. Now roll up your sleeves and help us build a couple dozen more $50million companies.

Jim Cossler
C.E.O & Chief Evangelist
Youngstown Business Incubator

Nancy Horton, Project Manager for Energy Industries Ohio (EIO), will speak on the development of Ohio’s advanced materials supplier base for clean coal, nuclear power, advanced energy and defense applications on Thursday, January 28^th at 3:00 pm at Youngstown Business Incubator, 241 W. Federal Street, Youngstown.

EIO works with directly with the Departments of Energy and Defense to identify manufacturers that have the capacity and skills to produce for these specific markets.  Supplier availability is crucial for advanced energy and defense projects. In particular, companies that forge, extrude and cast are integral suppliers to this projects.  Northeast Ohio companies such as Fireline, Republic Special Metals, Inc. and The Timken Corporation have collaborated with EIO on successful advanced energy and defense projects.

The program is free to attend, but reservations are greatly appreciated.  Reply to Julie Michael Smith, Chief Development Officer, Youngstown Business Incubator at jmsmith@ybi.org or 330-259-7644.

Innovation Series is a networking and educational forum that brings together innovative, progressive people with a vision – to catalyze a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment in the Mahoning Valley.  The Series is for companies to showcase new technologies, for technology organizations to share resources, for entrepreneurs to build relationships, for educators to highlight their initiatives – it is a place for innovative talk, robust debates, inquiring minds. Sponsored by the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative (a program of YSU’s College of STEM) and the Youngstown Business Incubator, it is an opportunity to learn about the “cool things” going on – right here in the Mahoning Valley!

The Warren P. Williamson Jr. Fund of The Youngstown Foundation recently contributed $4,500 to the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI).  A portion of the funds will be used to establish The Learning Lab @ Semple, a training and networking suite at Semple Building which is located near YBI’s main incubating facility on W. Federal Street in Youngstown.  The Learning Lab @ Semple will offer technology courses, business development seminars and host networking events to support the Mahoning Valley’s entrepreneurial community.

“YBI provides invaluable assistance to its technology-based clients which includes entrepreneurial counseling and access to business development resources in a professional atmosphere,” states Julie Michael Smith, chief development officer of YBI.  “YBI is committed to creating a venue where it can assist even more entrepreneurs with valuable educational and networking opportunities that are critical to their success.”

“The Youngstown Business Incubator has become one of the Valley’s most valuable assets for economic development,” states Janice E. Strasfeld, executive director of The Youngstown Foundation which administers the Williamson Fund. “The Learning Lab @ Semple will create another tool to help Mahoning Valley entrepreneurs accelerate.”

YBI portfolio company SenSource (www.sensourceinc.com) seemingly never feared the question that most early stage companies dread to hear…”So, who are your customers?”

Abercrombie & Fitch, Gander Mountain, and Advance Auto Parts are just a few of the nationally known companies that have enthusiastically embraced the firm’s “people counting” sensor technology that allows users to evaluate in real time sales conversation ratios, staffing needs, employee performance, marketing campaign effectiveness and even floor plans.

But recently, SenSource reeled in a customer that takes them to a whole higher level.

The Walt Disney Company has now installed SenSource technology at both its Disney Land and Disney World properties, proving that innovative products with demonstrable ROI can sell no matter how bad the economy.

Kudos to the whole SenSource team! That’s one heck of a reference client you’ve got there.

Jim Cossler
CEO and Chief Evangelist
Youngstown Business Incubator
330.884.6262
www.ybi.org