Articles

http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/venture/story/3697229/

BlackBox GPS, a recent graduate from CED's FastTracTechVenture program has been selected as a finalist for the annual 2008 ITFlorida awards for Small Business of the Year. This prestigious award is intended to showcase and spotlight industry achievements within the information technology industry of the state of Florida. 

BlackBox GPS delivers versatile Asset Tracking Solutions providing the ability to monitor and locate your vehicles, drivers, and assets.  They empower organizations with information to make intelligent decisions.  BlackBox GPS will reduce fuel costs, decrease labor costs, and improve productivity ensuring an impressive ROI.  We are open to developing strategic partnerships to increase awareness for entrepreneurship and information technology .  BlackBox GPS, Find What Matters Most. 

This is an FTT Florida company. Can we post this on the web? This is a huge deal.

Head of U.S. Small Business Administration To Address ITFlorida Gala on October 6

ITFlorida Also Announces Finalists in the Annual Awards Program for the IT Industry

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, the ITFlorida Board of Directors announced that Sandy Baruah, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), will address the attendees of the upcoming ITFlorida Awards Gala and Tech Forum on October 6 at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Administrator Baruah joins a deep lineup of speakers for the annual event, including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson; Florida Senate President-Designate Jeff Atwater; State CIO David Taylor; Sen. Jeremy Ring; Dr. Dale Brill, director of Gov. Charlie Crist's office of economic development; and Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California EPA.

"Sandy Baruah is the touchstone to what has shaped up to be a can't-miss event for Florida's high tech entrepreneurs and small businesses," said Jim Albert, chair of ITFlorida. "It is a fitting time to reemphasize the critical role our small business entrepreneurs play in the economic health of our state, and of our nation."

Administrator Baruah's remarks will touch on competitiveness, innovation, and trends for small, high tech businesses. Attendees will have access to new information about both federal and state programs for starting or growing small businesses, including a presentation regarding Florida's new Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, which aids entrepreneurs who are creating start-ups in high tech industries.

Details for registering for the event are available at www.itflorida.com/gala.

The announcement comes simultaneously with the much anticipated release of the list of finalists in ITFlorida's Awards Program, casting the spotlight on those who have distinguished themselves and their industry in the best application of information technology throughout Florida. Award winners are to be announced at the Gala dinner the evening of October 6.

Awards finalists, from every corner of the state, represent a wide cross-section of organizations, from large, well-known organizations such as Citrix and Honeywell, to small firms with fewer than 10 employees.

The finalists are as follows, by category:

Excellence in Bridging the Digital Divide

• Angels Helping Hands
• City of Tallahassee/Digital Harmony
• SarasotaCountySchool Board
• The School District of LeeCounty

Excellence in IT Leadership-Northwest

• Allen Byington/Executive Director of BBRHIO
• Asysco
• Avalanche Technology Corporation
• GulfCoastCommunity College - eCampus

Excellence in IT Leadership-Northeast

• Beeline.com, Inc.
• EverBank
• Fidelity National Information Services, Inc
• IxReveal

Excellence in IT Leadership-Central

• Creative Network Innovations
• Engineering and Computer Simulations
• OrlandoRegionalMedicalCenter
• UCF Technology Incubator - Group Table

Excellence in IT Leadership-TampaBay

• Bisk International Inc
• Doctors' Administrative Solutions
• Jabil Circuit
• ProV International Inc

Excellence in IT Leadership-Southwest

• CareerCampaigns LLC
• DunbarHighSchoolAcademy for Technology Excellence
• Integrity Networx
• Neighborhood America

Excellence in IT Leadership-Southeast

• FloridaAtlanticUniversity
• Generation ñ
• New World Symphony
• Telefonica

Excellence in New Business Recruitment

• Enterprise Development Corp. of South Florida
• Ocala EDC
• Osceola Economic Development Council
• TampaBay Partnership

Excellence in Sustainability through Information Technology

• BigFix Power Management - Miami Dade County Schools
• Florida Power & Light Company / Silver Spring Networks
• Florida Solar EnergyCenter
• The Energy Efficient Internet Project

Excellence in Web 2.0

• RefreshMiami.org
• Sayfie Review
• The Krongrad Institute for Minimally Invasive Prostate Surgery
• TradeKing

Government Technology Leadership-Private

• America's Emergency Network
• BearingPoint, Inc.
• Honeywell
• SGIS

Government Technology Leadership-Public

• City of Altamonte Springs
• City of Fort Walton Beach
• City of Winter Park
• Florida Department of Management Services

High Growth Company of the Year

• Advanced MarketPlace
• Broadband National
• Host.net
• Myxer

Small Business of the Year

• Avocare
• Black Box GPS
• iDatix, Corp.
• Virsona Inc.

Innovation and Entrepreneurialism Award

• Agent Shield Inc
• Aleriant
• Citrix
• Scripps Florida

IT Leader of the Year

• Robert M. Dutkowsky - CEO, Tech Data
• Bill Lindner - FSUCareerCenter for Professional Development
• Stephen Nation - Biometric Management Systems
• Jon Yob - Founder and CEO, Creative Recycling Systems, Inc.

* * *

About ITFlorida
ITFlorida is an umbrella, not-for-profit, membership organization that represents Florida's diverse information technology communities on a statewide basis. ITFlorida was formed in October 2001 after the dissolution of the Information Service Development Technology Task Force (IT Task Force), which focused on developing state policies to enable Florida to compete in the information age. ITFlorida built on the momentum of the IT Task Force and fills the need for a single statewide advocacy organization to represent Florida's IT-related technology sectors. It is organized to provide its members with access to lawmakers, businesses, capital, and domestic and international technology leaders. More information is available at www.itflorida.com.

BioMedomics, a privately held biotechnology company co-founded by Frank Wang, Ph.D., to develop advanced medical diagnostics tools for use in the fast-growing field of personalized medicine, has received a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the National Institutes of Health.

The company, which opened its doors in 2006 and last year received a $25,000 North Carolina Biotechnology Center loan, had received a $100,000 Phase I SBIR grant to help it demonstrate the scientific merit of its medical diagnostic technologies. BioMedomics’ product line includes reagents, assay instruments and data analysis tools targeting point-of-care personalized testing for specific disease biomarkers.

The field of personalized medicine is growing rapidly and may transform the healthcare system by enabling testing for variations in genes, gene expression, proteins, metabolites and cellular functions. Rather than using the “common denominator” or “shotgun” approach of developing a chemical to treat everyone with a certain malady, scientists are increasingly targeting individual patients’ profiles to detect problems – and to fix them.

BioMedomics' personalized diagnostics are based on the technology of multiplexed genomics and proteomics detection. The firm already has developed several unique biomarker reagent products and begun to sell an advanced biosensor system for advanced cell assay applications, said Wang, president and CEO of BioMedomics.

Last year the Biotechnology Center provided BioMedomics a $25,000 Business Development Loan to help pay for inception activities while developing its point-of-care personalized testing technologies.

"That BDL loan helped us lay the groundwork needed to qualify for this valuable SBIR funding," Wang said.

“The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a unique and powerful ally in keeping North Carolina in the forefront of global bioscience activity, not only with its business loans and other programs nurturing start-up companies, but also in education, workforce development and academic recruitment activities.

"This grant indicates that the NIH sees great promise in our scientific approach and our commercialization strategy to develop an accurate, simple, reliable, sensitive, and high-throughput diagnostics platform that relies on a limited amount of clinical samples."

John Richert, vice president of the Biotechnology Center's Business and Technology Development Program, added his perspective.

“It’s always very gratifying to see the NIH, the Department of Defense and the angel and venture investment communities reinforce our early support of a young bioscience company with follow-on funding,” Richert said. “BioMedomics' technology and business focus exemplify the kinds of qualities that make North Carolina increasingly important on the cutting-edge bioscience stage.”

The Biotechnology Center has awarded more than $16 million to more than 100 North Carolina biotechnology companies since 1989. On average, the companies have brought in about $100 for every dollar loaned by the Biotechnology Center.

The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.

Local Business Woman Named As Finalist for the

Make Mine a Million $ Business™ Charlotte Event

~20 Finalists compete for financing, mentoring, and

other prizes to help catapult their businesses’ revenue to a million dollars~

Business growth program, Make Mine A Million $ Business selected Barbra Denison of Cranky Creative Group as one of the twenty business women finalists to compete for an awards package at the Charlotte, NC event on October 7, 2008 at the Blake Hotel.  The exciting event will feature female entrepreneurs from North and South Carolina who will compete for business development packages that include money, marketing, mentoring and technology assistance to help their businesses grow into million-dollar enterprises.   The event also includes educational and network opportunities in addition to keynote speeches by Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Count Me In Founder, Nell Merlino.

Described as a cross between “The Apprentice” and “American Idol,” the competition provides these twenty finalists the opportunity to present their business in a 3 minute “elevator pitch” to a panel of business experts and a live audience.  Ten winners will be chosen by the audience and judges who collaborate on the selection process. 

Barbra Denison is the CEO of Cranky Creative Group, a wrap advertising firm that creates advertising space where it didn’t exist before. The company has seen over 200% growth each year since they opened in 2005.  Cranky creates graphics on elevators, staircases, porta johns, escalators, walls, and other surfaces.  These new surfaces create endless possibilities for massive increased sponsorship revenues for corporate events at major event venues, airports, malls, and hotels.

inspiration, community, business coaching and mentoring from a “dream” team of coaches and business experts from Count Me In, and select discounts from national sponsors.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In f or Women’s Economic Independence and founding partner American Express OPEN, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned businesses grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since its inception, the program has hosted 19 competitions in cities around the country and grown into a nationwide movement.  For the Charlotte event, more than 200 applications were submitted in hopes of securing one of the finalist spots.   

“We thrilled by the eagerness of women in the region to participate in this event,” said Nell Merlino, founder and president of Count Me In.  “The number of applicants mirrors the growth of our entrepreneurs’ businesses and their desire to take them to the million dollar level.”

The Make Mine a Million $ Business program has garnered support from organizations who are all joining hands in order to make an impact in women’s lives and strengthening the US economy. The impressive list of blue-chip national sponsors include American Express OPEN, AIG, Cisco, FedEx, Jet Blue, and Dell. Sponsors provide an array of products and services that serve as invaluable tools for growth.

For more information about how women can grow their businesses please visit www.makemineamillion.org.

About Count Me In
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education and community support for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow micro businesses to million dollar enterprises. Count Me In launched the Make Mine a Million $ Business to inspire one million women entrepreneurs scale their businesses to a million dollars in revenue by 2010 by providing tools, skills and the support of a nation-wide community of peers.

Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina and O’Brien/Atkins Associates, PA, announce that The Research Triangle Park Headquarters has been awarded LEED® Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED® was created by USGBC and is the leading rating system for sustainable green buildings.

“The achievement of LEED® Silver for The Research Triangle Park Headquarters reflects RTP’s continued commitment to preservation of the natural environment and the importance of modeling sustainability as RTP enters its second half-century of operation,” said David L. Ward, Jr., Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina Board Chairman.

The 17,000-square foot Research Triangle Park Headquarters, prominently situated amid nineteen mature willow oaks on an 18-acre site in the heart of the 7,000-acre Research Triangle Park, was designed by O’Brien/Atkins and completed in December 2007. The RTP Headquarters houses the offices of the Research Triangle Foundation in the Robert M. Hanes Administrative Center, which connects to the 6,800 square-foot Archie K. Davis Conference Center through a triangular-shaped lobby juxtaposed in the geographic orientation of the flagship research universities from which RTP derives its name and which have been instrumental to its success.  The lobby is clad in pre-patinaed copper and capped with an impressive triangular skylight, highlighted with LED lighting.  From the initial planning meetings for the RTP Headquarters, preservation of the environment through sustainable design and building practices was a high priority.

Research Triangle Foundation Board member Tallman Trask III, Chair of the Building Committee, said, “The RTP Headquarters was designed to be a central gathering place for the RTP community at large.  The open floor plan and state of the art technology blend seamlessly with the many sustainable design features inside and out.”

The sustainable design approach to the RTP Headquarters was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader environment. These features include:

·  Siting the building to take advantage of daylighting and views

·  Restoring 75% of the site to its natural habitat

·  Materials containing recycled content such as copper panels, structural steel, carpet tile, and ceiling tile

·  Regionally produced materials such as brick, copper panels and steel

·  FSC certified wood used throughout the space

·  High reflective white TPO roofing membrane to keep heat out for more efficient air conditioning

·  Sunscreens

·  Low-flow water fixtures that use less water

·  Water efficient landscaping with native plantings placed to reduce heat islands

·  Energy-efficient windows that block out heat and seal in conditioned air

·  Panel fabric in furniture made of renewable corn husks

·  Minimized exterior lighting to prevent light pollution

·  Low-emitting materials used to promote the health of the occupants

"The RTP Headquarters is a project that confirms the value of an integrated approach to design.  From the site design to the building design to the interior design, O'Brien/Atkins' multi-disciplinary design team ensured that sustainability was integral to every aspect of the building.  We are proud to have contributed to a key building in The Research Triangle Park that will set the tone for green design in the region," said Travis Hicks, AIA, LEED AP, and Leah Faile, Associate AIA, LEED AP, design team members from O'Brien/Atkins Associates.

The Research Triangle Park Headquarters provides centrally located meeting and conference space for RTP owners and tenants, university groups, economic development partners and organizations throughout the Triangle.  Since January 2008, the RTP Headquarters has hosted over 120 external meetings in the new facility.

“We hope that the RTP Headquarters’ achievement of LEED® Silver will encourage sustainable design practices for future development projects not only in The Research Triangle Park but also in other science parks around the world,” commented Rick Weddle, President & CEO, Research Triangle Foundation.

The Research Triangle Park will celebrate 50 years of operation in January 2009.  In June 2009, RTP will serve as host to the XXVI International Association of Science Parks’ World Conference on Science and Technology Parks.  The Research Triangle Park Headquarters will serve as one of the venues during the three day conference, the first global carbon neutral conference in the science park industry.  IASP 2009 is expected to draw over 1,000 delegates from science and technology parks around the globe.   

“The Research Triangle Park Headquarters is to be commended for achieving LEED® Silver. This facility is one that both the community and its customers can be proud of,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The building will be a showcase for high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy design, and an inspiration for others.”

About The Research Triangle Park

The Research Triangle Park is the leading and largest high technology research and science park in North America, covering 7,000 total acres.  Founded in 1959, The Research Triangle Park is developed and managed by the non-profit Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. The Foundation is responsible for building and maintaining the physical aspects of the Park; attracting and retaining Park companies; and enhancing the competitive position of the Park and the Triangle region.  To learn more about The Research Triangle Park, visit www.rtp.org.

About O’Brien/Atkins Associates, PA, a 100-person design services firm located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, provides architecture, interior design, landscape architecture/master planning, and mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering services to science and technology, corporate and public clients. For more information, visit www.obrienatkins.com. 

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since UGSBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 13,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 72 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED®

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. LEED for Healthcare is currently under development and is expected to be released in early 2008. Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.