GLI’s ENTERPRISECORP delivers
Vogt Awards, High Impact Awards,
and ICC Client of the Year Award
Louisville, Ky. (April 12, 2011) – ENTERPRISECORP, the division of Greater Louisville Inc. that specializes in developing the region’s fast-growth entrepreneurial sector, hosted its Signature Event today. The program was highlighted by a keynote address from Mayor Greg Fischer and a presentation of ENTERPRISECORP’s plans for developing the entrepreneurial sector. The event also recognized newly-selected companies to the High Impact Portfolio, announced the Vogt Award winners, and presented the ICC Client of the Year Award. The program closed with a special tribute to Mark Crane, former Executive Director of ENTERPRISECORP, who served from the organization’s inception in 2000 through 2010.
“Entrepreneurship is the engine driving our community’s economic and job growth,” said Bobby Ferreri, Executive Director of ENTERPRISECORP. “The majority of new jobs are created by young companies, and through a strategic effort to develop these companies – and the environment in which they flourish – we can better position Greater Louisville for sustained growth.”
The ENTERPRISECORP announced a renewed effort to not only provide client services to entrepreneurs, but to assimilate its entrepreneurial activities into the larger economic development goals of the region. This will include creating a culture where entrepreneurs can thrive, providing services to help new companies move to the next level of success, and addressing the entrepreneurial infrastructure needs of the community.
Additionally at the event, ENTERPRISECORP delivered the following awards:
Vogt Awards
The Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards, enabled by the Vogt Fund endowment and its benefactor the late Henry Vogt Heuser, Sr. and administered through ENTERPRISECORP and the Community Foundation of Louisville, is a competitive grant program supporting companies developing new ideas into viable and successful businesses. The awards provide a financial impetus that helps companies provide economic growth and employment in the Louisville region. The five 2011 winners were:
• INVEN LLC was selected to receive a $50,000 award. The company is a developer of proprietary dental healthcare technologies. Founded in January 2010, the company’s co-founders are currently developing the innovative INTELLIDONTIC endodontic file to improve the efficiency and lower risk for root canal procedures.
• NanoMark Therapeutics LLC was selected to receive a $25,000 award. The research firm is focused on cancer therapies, based on the 30 years of cancer research experience of President, Dr. Sham Kakar. Their flagship product, AUra, has shown elimination of ovarian cancer cells with minimal or no side effects, while also reducing dosage requirements by more than 50 fold. AUra is applicable to 12 total cancers, and Nanomark plans on beginning human testing within the next year.
• Psyche C-PAP Pillow LLC was selected to receive a $15,000 award. The company designs a new, butterfly-shaped pillow to help the sleep apnea patient get a good night's sleep. It is the only true visco-elastic memory foam pillow on the market for the treatment of sleep apnea. Psyche helps facilitate C-PAP therapy by allowing the patient to sleep on their side while providing proper neck support. The patented x-bands also manage the tubing, which connects the C-PAP machine to the mask. The Cool-Max cover helps regulate body temperature and perspiration. Psyche was awarded three design patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Techshot Lighting LLC was selected to receive a $75,000 award. The company produces a LED-based shelter lighting systems that boasts a 60% lower life cycle cost while producing better light than competing fluorescent-based systems.
• UltraTrace Detection LLC was selected to receive a $10,000 award. The company designs and manufactures innovative explosives detection products and systems that improve the performance of existing explosives detection equipment. Based on patent-pending microchip technology, UTD explosives/chemical pre-concentrators concentrate trace-level vapor emissions from terrorist bombs, illicit drugs, and fugitive chemical emissions to significantly increase the ability to detect them. UTD pre-concentrators can be used at airports, border crossings, and ports. There are also applications for scanning air freight and marine shipping containers.
High Impact Portfolio
The High Impact Program identifies and serves fast-growth companies headquartered in the Metro Louisville region. Fast-growth companies are the businesses that create the majority of new jobs and investment in the community. Collectively, High Impact Portfolio companies represent $2.3 billion in annual revenues; have a 36 percent average growth rate; have created nearly 3,000 new jobs in our region; and have invested $438 million over the last four years. The new High Impact companies for 2011 are:
• ARGI Financial Group, providing financial planning, tax services, HR, personal effectiveness, training and exit planning.
• Dataseam LLC, which operates one of the largest managed computing grids in the world, allowing researchers to access much needed computing capabilities to forward research and commercialization of ideas.
• Deming, Malone, Livesay & Ostroff, providing accounting, tax and business consulting services.
• eBridge Business Solutions LLC, an e-procurement service provider that utilizes a copyrighted reverse auction method.
• FranNet LLC, franchise consultants providing education and support to individuals who are interested in exploring self-employment as a career option through franchised business ownership.
• Harding, Shymanski & Company PSC, a locally owned public accounting firm providing audit and review services, as well as a broad range of tax, accounting and consulting services..
• HR Affiliates LLC, a full service, hands-on human resource outsourcing, consulting and professional staffing firm.
• Kentucky Planning Partners LLC -- locally owned, independent, Financial Planning and Wealth Management firm specializing in helping individuals reach their retirement lifestyle goals.
• MD2U Management LLC, providing cost-effective healthcare for frail elderly and disabled by providing primary care in the home.
• MedX12 Inc., a web-based medical claims submission company with a tool that has broadened to include other applications such as eligibility and claims status as well as professional technology services.
• Mid-America Science Park, one of the most versatile science parks in the country inviting entrepreneurs and existing businesses, military representatives and contractors, students and community members to pursue research, development, production, training and education on its campus.
• Purdue Technology Center of Southeast Indiana, a business research park located in Southern Indiana and supported by the Purdue Research Foundation, primarily for technical and scientific early stage companies,
• Strothman& Company PSC, offering CPA, technology and financial solutions through innovative practices and strategic alliances.
ICC Client of the Year Award: For the second time, ENTERPRISECORP awarded an Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC) Client of the Year Award. The Louisville ICC, run through ENTERPRISECORP, is part of a statewide network of offices throughout the Commonwealth. The ICC focuses on helping Kentucky entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers perfect their business strategies in order to build successful high-tech businesses throughout Kentucky.
This year’s recipient, Charah Inc., has been a client of the Louisville ICC since 2005. The company is a leading ash-management provider for the coal-fired electric utility industry. When the company moved from Madisonville, Ky. to Louisville in 2004, Charah was in a 6000-sq-foot office condominium with fewer than 20 employees. Today, Charah has created 150 jobs and tripled the size of its newly built corporate headquarters meeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program requirements. In 2010, Business First named Charah the second-fastest growing privately-owned company in Greater Louisville.
About ENTERPRISECORP:
ENTERPRISECORP is the enterprise development arm of Greater Louisville Inc. - The Metro Chamber of Commerce that cultivates Louisville’s entrepreneurial vitality. With help from community partners, they keep Louisville at the top of the nation’s list of “entrepreneurial hot spots” by serving the companies that create the vast majority of new wealth, new revenue and new jobs. Clients range from technology start-ups to established, fast-growth companies to mature businesses in traditional industries. ENTERPRISECORP provides the voice, outreach, assistance and education for all that is entrepreneurial in Greater Louisville. For more information on ENTERPRISECORP, visit www.EnterpriseCorp.com.
About the High Impact Program:
The High Impact program strives to nurture the prosperity of Greater Louisville's growth businesses. The High Impact Program is a public/private partnership, funded by Louisville Metro Government and administered by Greater Louisville Inc.,that identifies and serves fast growth companies, companies with the potential for fast growth and those companies that enable growth in others. This program focuses on companies of these types headquartered in Louisville that have a disproportionately higher impact on the metro area economy. For more information on the High Impact Program, visit www.HighImpactLouisville.com.
About the Vogt Awards:
The Vogt Award is a program of the Community Foundation of Louisville and ENTERPRISECORP. It is intended to recognize excellence in product innovation and provide engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs with grant money to fund the product development and commercialization of their ideas. For more information on the Vogt Invention and Innovation Award, including previous winners and the application, please visit www.VogtAwards.com.
About Greater Louisville, Inc.
Greater Louisville Inc. – The Metro Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to transforming our region into the idea capital of the world, a place where imaginations and individuals thrive. GLI leads business, community and economic development in Greater Louisville as we work to increase human capital, drive job creation and entrepreneurship, maximize global opportunities and strengthen business leadership. GLI is proud to represent more than 2,300 businesses – in fact, one in every three Louisville workers is currently employed by a GLI member. For more information, visit www.GreaterLouisville.com.