Innovation Awards 2011

8/3/2019 Innovation Awards 2011

1/28


2/28


3/28

Dan SandsSolstice Medical

Health Care8 Category Winner

Michael WaskiewicznewsMOGEL

Emerging Company2008 Category Winner

Melinda SchriverLacPro

2007 Innovatorof the Year

Sam SimonsonSorbaShock

Emerging Company2007Catergory Winner

Dr. Herb SchwartzSchwartz Biomedical

Health Care2006 Category Winner

Mike FritscZoom

Technology2006 Category Win

Mike FritscZoom


Mike FritscZoom


Brad Duggins

Summers SkyProfessional Services2010 Category Winner

Chris Langschied

April LangschiedThe Green ABC

Retail2010 Category Winner

Alysa, Jared, Sean

& Tristan DuganHonor Education


James Langford

Financial Education SolutionsProfessional Services2009 Category Winner

Elton Bishop

Digital Hydraulic, LLCEmerging Company2009 Category Winner

raham Bredemeyer and Scott BonAmiPYPline


Good things come in pairs. AGAIN.

201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-407-1754 www.niic.neIndianas Fifth Certified Technology Park ISO 9001.2008 Certified

Matthew NickolsCirrus ABS

Professional Services2011 Category Winner

EVERY YEAR FROM THE FIRST AWARDS IN 2006 THROUGH 2011

ANOTHER PAIR OF WINNERSFOR THE INNOVATION CENTER!


4/28

ED ITO RS LETT

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF

GREATER FORT WAYNE

usiness Weekly3306 Independence Drive

Fort Wayne, IN 46808

(260) 426-2640

Fax: (260) 426-2503

www.fwbusiness.com

Terry Housholder

[email protected]

Lynn Sroufe

[email protected] Manager

Barry Rochford

[email protected]

Linda Lipp

[email protected] Editor/ Reporter

Rick Farrant

[email protected]

Reporter

Doug LeDuc

[email protected]

Valerie [email protected]

Web Editor

Janeen [email protected]

Graphic Designer

Lynette [email protected] Manager

ACCOUNTEXECUTIVES

Brenda McLayTom Reynolds

George O. WitwerPublisher Emeritus

Terry HousholderPresident, CEO

Don CooperVice President of Sales/

General Manager

Donna ScanlonChief Financial Officer

Bret JacometOnline Director

er Fort Wayne Business Weekly is

blication of KPC Media Group Inc.

2011 All rights reserved

Flash of inspirationT

hey are called Aha! moments those brief, brilliant

flashes of insight that have the potential to turn the

world on its ear.

But in truth, an equally apt name for them might be Duh!

moments. As in, Duh, why didnt I think of that before?

I had such a Duh! moment while interviewing Graham

Bredemeyer and Scott BonAmi of PYPline LLC in Fort Wayne.

The company has developed an online community for the makermovement, and the Duh! came when it dawned on me that

makers, who place such an emphasis on collaborating with one

another, didnt have anywhere online where they could go to

truly, well, collaborate.

Duh, indeed.

Be they Duh! or Aha! moments, this region has more than

its fair share of inspiration, which is why its an honor again for

Business Weekly to present its sixth-annual Innovation Awards.

This years winners run the gamut from a man helping his

friend reclaim his love of the outdoors, to a group of engineers

kicking around ideas on how to better control energy use, to

bread so good and so simple even lazy people can bake it.

Business Weeklys Innovations Awards wouldnt be possible

without the support of our sponsors, which this year are:

Sweetwater Sound, Lake City Bank, PHP, the Northeast Indiana

Innovation Center and NAI Harding Dahm.

Were also indebted to our distinguished panel of judges: PeteEshelman of Joseph Decuis, Jim Marcuccilli of Star Financial

Bank, Steve Huggins of Pretzels Inc., Kathy Carrier of Briljent

and Jon Jensen of Group Dekko.

I hope you like reading the following Aha! moment stories,

and I encourage you, if you think you have an innovative product

or service, to enter next years Innovation Awards competition.

Barry Rochford

Editor, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly


5/28

B LE OF C O NTENTS

Editors letter...............................................................................2

Innovation Awards judges......................................................4Sponsors .....................................................................................5

EMERGING COMPANY

PYPline LLC................................................................................6

2010 Innovator of the Year update.....................................8

HEALTH CARE

Be Adaptive Equipment LLC ................................................9

MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION

Tippmann Engineering..........................................................12

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Cirrus ABS...............................................................................14

REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

Commercial Filter Service Inc............................................16

RETAIL

Average Joe Artisan Bread LLC........................................18

TECHNOLOGY

Group Dekko ...........................................................................20

Past winners ............................................................................23


6/28

IN NOVATIO N AWARDS JUDG

Judged by their peersudging for the sixth-annualvation Awards competition was

ded into two rounds.n the first round, representatives ofnnovation Awards corporate sponsors

through the applications that hadreceived. Several applications were

mitted in more than one of the sevenvation Awards categories: emerging

pany; health care; manufacturing andibution; professional services; reale, construction and design; retail;technology.irst-round judges were:Drew Dunlavy, Lake City Bank;Carrie Marion, PHP; andSteve Franks, Northeast Indiana

vation Center.he first-round judges tried to deter-e if the company truly was innovative,they used a broad definition of inno-on. It could be an entirely new busi-

concept. It could be a businessept new to this region, but one thats elsewhere. It could be a newuct, service or business processin an existing company. It coulde from a startup venture or a largeoration, as long as it is located withinheast Indiana and northwest Ohio.ategory winners then appearedre a second panel of judgesposed of successful entrepreneursexecutives. Each category winner

a short presentation about the inno-on, then answered questions from thel.econd-round judges were:

Pete Eshelman, owner, Josephuis;Jim Marcuccilli, president and CEO,Financial Bank;Steve Huggins, CEO, Pretzels Inc.;Kathy Carrier, founder and president,ent; andJon Jensen, CEO, Group Dekko.ensen recused himself from judging

Group Dekko EnergySense presenta-After all the presentations were

pleted, the panel selected the 2011vator of the Year.

Eshelman Marcuccilli

Huggins

Carrier Jensen


7/28


8/28

[email protected]

Makers are, by their nature, collabo-e. They work with one another onects, share tools, offer feedback ande as a resource for others who maytumped on a particular problem,re of how to move forward.nd yet, they lacked a website that

brought them all together.s high school students, Grahamemeyer and Scott BonAmi began

king of ways to link inventors,erers and makers together.Where that started in the classroom,nally, it would be really frustratingstudent sometimes because it was

everybody that I was in classroomswere very close-minded about,

ll, we think we have this great ideaweve got to hide it from the world,emeyer said.

That was so difficult for me, espe-y when it was like, Well, why areetting off into small groups to workproject? It didnt make much sensee.ollowing high school, BredemeyerBonAmi had the opportunity to visit

Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.r a few conversations with Steveks, the NIICs Student Venture Labram manager, about their idea, theyied to the lab in late 2010 and were

pted.nd PYPline LLC was born.he PYP in PYPline stands fort Your Project. Initially,

demeyer, CEO of PYPline, andAmi, the companys chief informa-officer, began developing a socialork for inventors through whichcould share their projects and get

back and network with other inven-

ut they later realized that inventorsto be protective of their ideas, and

ting an online community for themld be problematic.They are two different breeds,reas makers tend to be very open-

minded and very open-sourced abouttheir ideas and projects, inventors tendto be more closed about sharing theirsecrets, Bredemeyer said.

While do-it-yourself enthusiasts arenothing new, the maker movement,which emphasizes collaboration amongindividuals with common interests, hasgained momentum in recent years.Interest has been fueled by the rise ofmaker spaces or hacker spaces,

where people come to collectively workon projects and share ideas andresources, and Make magazine and itsoffshoot, maker faires. The first maker

faire in Fort Wayne was held in Octand organized by the group TekVent

By being accepted into the StuVenture Lab, PYPline received an inround of funding of $2,500. That he

the companys creators attend the Area Maker Faire in May, where met Dale Dougherty, founder publisher of Make magazine. They him what they were working on, Dougherty agreed to become an uncial adviser to the duo.

The two continued to refine online community, switching the fofrom inventors to makers. A secround of funding from the StuVenture Lab helped them attend MFaire Detroit in July and the WMaker Faire New York in SeptemThe beta version of the PYPline

E M E RG I N G C O M PA

Making their mark

n See PYPLINEon PAGE7

BARRY ROC

Graham Bredemeyer, left, and Scott BonAmi developed PYPline, an onlinecommunity for makers.

Company: PYPline LLC

Founders: Graham Bredemeyer,Scott BonAmi

Website: www.pypline.com


9/28

M E RG I N G C O M PA N Y

ched in conjunction with the Worlder Faire.nd it was at that time thatemeyer and BonAmi knew for suretheir idea had value.We heard the words that you want to BonAmi said. And it was even

er hearing it from Dale. He said,s is exactly what weve beening for. We havent been able to dot, and its not out there yet. Down to

format, you guys are on the rightk.YPline allows users to post theects theyre working on using ation called notebooks. It also

ws them to find and join individualer space and hacker space commu-s on the site, or start their own. A

ure called side notes lets other

users share ideas and resources on note-

book projects. The site features adiscussion board that was designed toprevent users from having to clickthrough multiple pages to find the posttheyre looking for. And every page onthe site can be shared to an individualsown social media account on, forexample, Facebook and Twitter.

PYPlines collaborative system couldbe marketed to schools, businesses andmaker spaces to better coordinate theirmembers, and Bredemeyer and BonAmi

envision the site itself generatingrevenue. Eventually, subscriptions willbe offered. Upon logging into the site,subscribers would be presented withcustomized information collected fromacross the PYPline community.

Instead of providing you searchresults in the way that Google might,where you have to search through a

million things and see just the b

description, we would actuallypresenting you with conteBredemeyer said. And because we hthat user base, we would know is good content, is this bad content?

The two also have developed an adtising system that aligns advertisinterests with PYPline users and comnities. And they plan on adding an onmarketplace for selling items makers, tinkerers and inventors need

PYPline is the duos full-time dre

but its been entirely developed duthe small amount of free time betwjobs, school and family. They hope someday soon, they can devote theirattention to the online community.

Because the need for such a sonetwork is certainly there. It just ttwo people, working together, to fiout a solution to the problem.

nued from PAGE6

PYPLINE:Users can work together on projects, post feedbac


10/28

2010 INNOVATOR OF THE YE2 0 1 0 E M ER G I N G C O M PA N Y W I N N

Honor Education forges [email protected]

year after their company, Honorcation LLC, won Businessklys Innovator of the Year award,ngs Sean, Jared, Alyssa and Tristanan are keeping busy teachingses and developing their signatureational software product, Forge.he Dugans now expect to release

ge, their virtual world creationage, in time for Christmas 2012.work is taking longer than they

ght it would, but they hope thelt will have the high-detailhics and feel of a video gameg with ease-of-use enhancementswill allow the creation of spectac-images in a relatively short periodme.Weve been working hard on it,

Jared, who serves as project

ager. Weve worked a lot on theal language. Were trying to makegraphics capabilities better.orge will allow users to turn math-tical equations, scientific formulasother abstract information into

es, graphs and two- and three-ensional dynamic visualizations.

programs engine will automati-y enhance what students create toide greater depth and detail.sers probably will be able tohase the basic package, and then

on specialized kits to createrent worlds outer space, pirates, cities, etc. They even will beto combine the kits to create spacees, if they wish, Alyssa said.

They can do anything they want. Iflove baseball, we hope they will

gn a baseball stadium, she said.ey can create all sorts of worlds.orge will have educational uses,also will have gaming componentseep recreational users interested.Dugans have always targeted

dle school and high school studentshe primary market for the product,t may also have appeal for adults.onor Education is still housed in

the Emerging Growth wing of the

Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.Theyve extended their stay afterwinning a years office space through acompetition called BizWhiz, and maysoon expand into an adjacent space.

All four are now graduates ofIndiana Tech. Alyssa and Tristanfinished in 2011 with elementaryeducation degrees, a year after Seanand Jared graduated with degrees insoftware engineering.

The Dugans were home-schooled,and many of the students in theirvirtual Egypt 3-D modeling classes,programming, digital photo editing andwebsite development classes also arebeing home-schooled.

Now in their third semester of cofferings, the Dugans have 35 studeAltogether, 90 have taken advantagthe courses taught in a confereroom at the Innovation Center.

Tristan is working on a DVD verof the virtual Egypt class that may

available early next year. They alsoconsidering offering classes for adonline beginning in the fall of 2012

I think it could be fun to dcourse for adults, Alyssa said.

A fifth sibling, Michaela, 16, been pitching in to help with teachand other tasks. All the Dugans stillat home with their parents, Steve Lisa Dugan, but the four older ohave been thinking about movingand getting their own place. Togeth

Although they range in age from

to 25, weve always thoughtourselves as the same age, Alsaid. We should have been quaplets.

FILE

Alyssa, Tristan, Jared and Sean Dugan founded software company HonorEducation LLC

Company: Honor Education LLC

Founders: Sean, Jared, Alyssa andTristan Dugan

Website: www.honoreducation.com


11/28

ALTH CARE

They dreamed it, then built [email protected] to an automation shop for

irs on a wheelchairs tilt reclineduced the man who would foundAdaptive Equipment LLC in

umbia City to the man who wouldme its No. 1 beta tester.rian Kyler is a fourth-generation

cator and welder who was workinge shop. Eric Dirig is a hunter whoa dream of a better shooting

ce. A dirt bike accident put Dirig inwheelchair in 1998, at age 21, andhim reliant on assistive technologyquadriplegics.Meeting Brian was kind of turningge or a chapter in my life, Dirig With the piece of equipment Iat the time to shoot, I had to cut my down in half to be able to use

m. Limitations of the existing

nts for the weapons had made itossible for Dirig to test or borrow or crossbows, he said.

I addressed this as kind of ance fair project, Kyler said. Ourle goal is to not modify the userspment.he two threw themselves into envi-ing and developing assistive equip-t including activity trays and

oting rests for rifles, shotguns,ols, crossbows and compound

s, as well as hand controls and liftsall-terrain vehicles for disabledoorsmen.he work started in the summer of

1 and involved a lot of testing.g was an eager volunteer, even asfigured out through trial and errorto make the most effective recoil

pensation mechanism. Id justw a couple of blankets on (his)t and say, Oh, dont be a sissy,er laughed, recalling their experi-ts.

he first product was ready toch in December of that year, and DOUG

Brian Kyler, left, founded Be Adaptive Equipment LLC and Eric Dirig helped himdevelop his assistive technology for disabled outdoorsmen.See BEADAPTIVEon PAGE10


12/28


13/28


14/28

MANU FACTURIN G & DISTRIB UTIO

The big [email protected]

ippmann Engineerings newest inno-on for industrial food handlers andessors is not just way cool, it is a newto cool that could cut costs and

ove food safety.he family-owned company, whichbeen working in the refrigerationstry since 1949, developed a systemd QuickFreeze that freezes pallets ofuct in the storage rack rather than inparate blast freezer, and uses an esti-d 40 percent less energy in the

process.QuickFreeze pulls air through the

food-laden pallets, freezing them morequickly and at a higher temperature thana typical blast freezer. And the systemcan be installed in existing facilities,using much of what is already there.

We use the existing buildings refrig-eration infrastructure, said partner DanTippmann, who runs the business withhis brother, Sam.

The company already holds a lopatents on its products and processes,a patent is pending on QuickFreeze.

Weve always been about innovarefrigeration, Dan said.

Were also a company very mabout providing results and solutioSam added.

The technology and processes beconventional blast freezing are abouyears old and date from a time w

energy was far less expensive. Chilarge quantities of product by remo

VALERIE CAVIGLIA

Brothers Dan, left, and Sam Tippmann now run the family refrigeration business founded in 1949.

Company: Tippmann Engineering

Website: www.tippmanneng.net

n See TIPPMANNon PAGE13


15/28

from a room and then maintaininge freezing temperatures are bothgy-intensive processes. In todaysd, thats not cost-effective.ears of building and managing

en food facilities convinced themanns there had to be a better way.inspiration for QuickFreeze came

e the company was looking for aacement for room freezing, reducingperatures while products are in

ge. They began testing the freezingacteristics of different products,g airflow rather than a reduction inambient temperature to achieve theed result.

Following initial testing, it was clearit was a very viable alternative forfreezing, Dan said.irflow is generally accepted in thegeration industry as the most impor-variable in freezing large volumes of. By pulling air through the pallets,

in their storage racks, TippmannkFreeze freezes more consistentlyreliably. That allows the process to bepleted at minus-10 degrees, ratherthe conventional minus-35 degrees,ing a big savings on energy fromentional blast freezing.ecause the system freezes productse quickly and consistently, it iscted to reduce the risk of bacterialamination and growth, making food. There are possible applications for

ckFreeze in the pharmaceuticalstry as well, the Tippmanns noted.eyond its energy savings and

improved reliability, the QuickFreezesystem offers a more efficient method formoving pallets of product in and out. It isbuilt of steel components with aminimum of moving parts, and the onlyregular maintenance required is tochange belts on the fans.

QuickFreeze currently is being used ina 1,000-pallet facility in Indianapolis,and also is being tested by Maple LeafFarms in Kosciusko County. In the nextsix to eight months, Sam said, thecompany expects to install 600 to 1,000pallet positions per month at locations all

over the U.S. and Canada.The Tippmanns boast that all

primary components of the systemmade right here in Indiana. Weve aally gone out of our way to do so, said.

Sheet metal comes from a contrain Harlan, the racks are produced in Wayne and the fans are from Valparafor example. A Fort Wayne contradoes the erecting.

Were just proud of the impac jobs we can have here in Indiana, said.

ANUFACTURING & DISTRIB UTION

nued from PAGE12

TIPPMANN:System freezes products more quickly, consistent

CONTRIBUTED

All of the primary components of the QuickFreeze system, including these rackare made in Indiana.

10 WINNER UPDATEAfter very promising initial nationwide sales in 2010 ofself-serve Doggie Fountain I invented, business has tailed

ts still being distributed by a company in Illinois and Imgetting royalty checks, but it has been disappointing. I

ent given up on innovating, though. Im seeking a patenta dog feeder and Im working on a tortilla maker.

ts just in me to invent things.Tony Lytle

Whitley Steel Products & Fabrication


16/28

PROFESSIONAL SERVIC

RICK FARRANT

Cirrus ABSs online channel management program, or CHAMP, helps companies maintain a brand acrosstheir member networks.

The brand [email protected]

irrus ABSs online channel managementram (CHAMP) was the product of aual evolution as the digital marketingpanys CEO and his staff began recog-g a persistent need among clients withber networks.

n our experience in working with parentnizations with member networks andindividual members, we saw firsthand

dilemma that these organization face,

said Cirrus ABS founder and CEO MattNickols. The parent organizations havemuch greater marketing resources andexpertise than their members, but they havevery few options leveraging those assets fortheir members.

Put another way: Parent organizationswith dealers, franchises or agency partners

have a difficult time ensuring that the webof their members conform to brmessaging and product update requireme

Part of the problem, Nickols said, isthere is no guarantee that information seresource-strapped members will wind ulocal websites or be represented accurate

Most local organizations dont havetime, expertise or resources (to ma

websites), he said. And so, a lot of the tthe corporate brand is destroyed. The

Company: Cirrus ABS

Founder: Matt Nickols

Website: www.cirrusabs.com

n See CIRRUSABSon PAGE15


17/28

nt have the right look and feel, andmbers) dont know how to create auct line that leads people through theprocess.HAMP, said Nickols, provides membersbrand-constant content that is structuredch a way that it ensures optimum visi-online part of a process known as

h engine optimization.he content can also arrive to members

onalized to a particular locale.

arent organizations, Nickols said, cande how much or how little freedombers have in modifying the supplied

ent. Beyond what the parent organiza-send, members can manage additional

ent that is produced at the local level.nother highlight of CHAMP: It allows

nt organizations to measure activity on-member sites, including unique visits,and leads.

In short, Nickols said, CHAMP largelyremoves the duplication of everyone in a busi-ness network trying to build and manage theirown sites.

Right now, he said, theres so muchduplication of effort out there in the market-place. We can take a lot of that away byproviding sophisticated tools and platformsthat allow people to share information andmanage that information.

Since launching CHAMP about a yearago, Fort Wayne-based Cirrus ABS hassecured commitments from nearly a dozen

companies representing a total of about 1,000affiliates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.For the time being, each affiliate pays

between $50 and $100 a month for theservice, but Nichols said he would like to seeparent organizations or franchises eventuallyincorporate the cost into fees assessedmembers.

First, though, Nickols said Cirrus ABS

needs to actively market CHAMP, whichfar has been growing largely by wormouth.

Nickols, a 35-year-old Taylor Univegraduate, founded the now 30-emplCirrus ABS in 1995. He sees CHAMP natural progression in the rapidly chandigital marketing arena and believes it one day have sundry applications.

If you look down the road five yearssaid, I think it can have a lot of implicatin vertical markets and tying markets toge

Take the homebuilding industry,

example, and being able to have networksuppliers out there who can update provide product information online for hobuilders, who in turn provide the informato customers in a portal.

The homebuilder doesnt have toanything. The supplier loves it because can make sure their products are represewell.

OFESSIONAL SERVICES

nued from PAGE14

CIRRUS ABS:Nearly a dozen companies have signed up

10 WINNER UPDATESummers Sky LLC, winner of the0 Innovation Award for professionalices, secured its trademark registra-

over the past summer. Althoughble to secure necessary funding totalize the organizations overarching

ndate, the company has continued toead its message in a number oferent ways. Brad Duggins, the organi-ons founder, has served as a steering

mmittee team member for the annualabilities Expo Planning Committee, as

e president on the Oak Hill Farm ther-utic horseback riding programs boarddirectors and most recently in Augustived certification in public speaking,ching, and training for the world-owned John Maxwell team.Most important, Brad and Karenggins continue to provide care, lovesupport for their children who are theiration for this dream. They continuer outreach and passion to provide hopeothers who are similarly situatedugh their example and collaboration

h families in the Fort Wayne commu-

Brad DugginsSummers Sky LLC


18/28

REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTIO& DESIG

DOUG LEDUC

Bob Wearly, pictured with his wife, Sharon, developed customized steel frames containing replaceable filtersfor HVAC systems for his business, Commercial Filter Service Inc.

Filter innovations lead

to oversized [email protected]

25-year-long commitment to inno-on at Commercial Filter Service Inc.yielded dramatic improvements inlter products and services and in

way the business is run.he air filtration and preventative

ntenance company at 3510 Metroe North, Fort Wayne, was founded

Bob Wearly, a former internationalne pilot from Woodburn, after he

moved back to northeast Indiana in themid-1980s and bought a franchise for

the business.CFS was built on the premise thatchanging filters at the right time consis-tently could save on heating, ventilation

and air conditioning costs by elnating the need to expend extra enepushing air through a dirty filter.

Because it takes less work fosystem with clean filters to accompthe same amount of heating cooling, changing filters at the rtime also extends the life of HVequipment. The surest way to keep

filter changes on schedule, CFS saito outsource it to a business

Company: Commercial FilterService Inc.

Founder: Bob Wearly

Website: www.commercialfilter.net

n See COMMERCIALFILTERon PAGE17


19/28

AL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTIONDESIG N

ializes in the task.The utility bill goes up when yout change the filter, Wearly said.to that the impact of clean filters onlongevity of equipment, not totion the quality of air in a building,the service does essentially pay forf, he said.

Wearly added to the basic CFS valueosition shortly after he founded theness when he noticed standard-size

rs in almost every kind of commer-system usually with severalrs alongside each other on eachk of an HVAC unit and he askedelf, wouldnt it be easier and lessy if there was just one filter on each

k?he company began making custom-galvanized steel frames for eachAC system and securing preciselyhighly efficient, replaceable filtra-media to the frames.he frames outlast the HVAC units inh they are installed, and the over-

d pads for them cost less than stan-filters with cardboard frames. CFSmaking the oversized pads of poly-

r enables them to operate many

times more efficiently than standardfilters of fiberglass.

In many cases, the custom oversizedpad and frame also increase thesystems air filtration surface area,improving operating efficiency.

Some customers who have seen acombination of benefits from thecustom oversized filters and the CFSfilter change-out service have realizedsavings of more than 35 percent on theirHVAC costs, the company said.

Its first customer was a small candy

shop in downtown Fort Wayne. Wevegrown every year weve been in thebusiness and weve never laid anyoneoff, Wearly said.

Within 10 years of launching itscustom oversized filters, the companywas installing them at much largerretailers, such as Kroger and Meijer. Itsindustrial customers include C&A Tool,Michelin, Nucor, Peg Perego and ReaMagnet Wire. CFS now has more than3,500 customers in Indiana, Ohio,Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky.

The company has 16 employees whochange the filters and make all of thecustom oversized frames and pads.Were entirely home-grown and home-owned, Wearly said. We bring money

home that increases the economyFort Wayne.

The latest innovation at CFSrelated to an information system ohaul using software developed in 2for a system conversion that took pthe next year under the directionJason Daenens. He has since bpromoted to chief executive officer.

The new enterprise resource manment system allows us to take infortion from our customer managemsystem and it uploads the invoice

our accounting system. It also strelines some of the manufactuprocess, so we dont have to utpaper to process orders, he said.

It increases the overall functionof the company and greatly improproductivity, Daenens said. The two phases of the project were ablsave the company a consideramount of money so we were ablhave the software pay for itself in a lover a year.

The next phase would be to makso our field technicians would be abutilize mobile technology on the jothey would not need to use paper worders. The concept is to manage aour work flows electronically.

nued from PAGE16

COMMERCIALFILTER:New innovation boosts productivity

10 WINNER UPDATEPathfinder Community Connections, the community development division ofhfinder Services Inc., continues to stabilize neighborhoods by increasing homeues through acquisition, rehabilitation and resale of vacant properties in selectedt Wayne locations. We are specifically working in the 46807 ZIP code area, andh assistance from the St. Peter/Zion Project and Lutheran Housing Support, and the

naissance Pointe and LaRez neighborhoods.Just before winning the Innovation Award in 2010, Pathfinder Communitynnections purchased a foreclosed home in the 46807 area, rehabilitated it and soldarly in 2011. A formerly vacant home is now in use, bringing new owners to theghborhood and improving the appearance of the entire block of homes.Resident engagement is an important part of helping a neighborhood become vital

attractive to home buyers. Pathfinder Community Connections gathered 46807dents and is assisting them in writing a quality of life plan. The plan will containtegic goals and objectives within a timeline for completion. Several residents haven active in meeting and discussing the plan, which will be completed by Dec. 31.group has already developed a Web page, www.lovefortwayne46807.com, a video

cribing the assets of 46807 and their engagement efforts,

w.youtube.com/watch?v=9y_NDY8mysg, a Facebook page and a Twitter account.yone who lives, works or plays in the 46807 area is encouraged to join.Jan Baumgartner

Pathfinder Community Connections


20/28

[email protected]

When Joe Bellavance visits a tradew, he cant just stand idly by a display

of his products. He wants people tol them.he good-humored baker is noger to hard work, so lugging an elec-

oven from truck to showroom floor atFort Wayne and Chicago home anden shows was worth every grunt andin the neck, in his opinion.t each show, he rented electricity andght in special wiring to install anric oven, all to plant the fresh scent ofd bread into the olfactory nerves of

rs.The best way to sell the product is toeople to try the product and to try theuct, you need to bake the product. So,n I go to a trade show, I wont do itss I can bake live on the floor,avance said. There is just somethingt the smell of toasted wheat that

es human beings, at least westernan beings, crazy. I dont know what itdont know if its evolutionary or, but when people smell bread, someswitch goes off in their brain and

kind of start salivating mentally.ellavance is the owner of Average Joesan Bread LLC, which producesackaged kits that take the difficultyof baking fresh artisan bread. Ied the crusty European stuff thatsy difficult to find and even harder to, he said.took two years for him to perfect ae that would become the basis for hisage Joe Artisan Bread Kit. And whates that innovative?

ts a good question because breadbeen around for about 6,000 years, soes really nothing new under the sun

bread, Bellavance joked from his

home kitchen. The innovation, if I had topick one, would be to put together acomprehensive package to allow peopleto do this very easily, consistently andinexpensively.

At one time, the bread machine wasconsidered an innovation. It was the hot-ticket gift item for holidays, newlywedsand the home cook.

Most of them, from what I can tell,

have either been re-gifted, donated orcollected dust, he said.In terms of artisan bread baking, the

difference between man and machine

comes with time, something the bmachine eliminated.

Where you get the all the flavorcolor is from the time you give the y

to convert the flour starches into simsugars. Thats why it caramelizes; thwhy it tastes so good. Thats one ofreasons bread machines failed, becyou would throw everything in, pressand you would have bread in three hoThe problem with that is that the ydidnt have any time to do the work.

For kicks, Bellavance took his mabread recipe and tossed the ingrediinto a bread machine. I pressed go jusee what would happen and it was likepaste I used to eat in kindergarten,

said. It was terrible.Bellavance calls himself a hack ba

RETA

VALERIE C

It took two years for Joe Bellavance to develop the recipe thats the basis for hAverage Joe Artisan Bread Kit.

Man trumps machinewith artisan breads

n See AVERAGEJOEon PAGE19

Company: Average Joe ArtisanBread LLC

Founder: Joe Bellavance

Website: www.breadkit.com


21/28

idnt go to culinary school and is notofessional cook, let alone a profes-al chef. He he can do one thing really bake bread. It was something thewned staff at Roanoke restaurantph Decuis couldnt help but notice. used to eat dinner there occasionally

when I started working with a (bread)e and improving upon it, I would

g (bread) in for the kitchen staff toe and enjoy. Eventually, I asked themey would be interested in buying thed and they said yes and we startedking together.he business relationship led the self-ht Bellavance to an opportunityted by every chef on the planet: step-foot into the James Beard House inYork City.ts kind of the Carnegie Hall of theurant business. You have to be invitedook there and Joseph Decuis wased and I was able to accompany themserve fresh bread on tables in

hattan, Bellavance recalled.his bread was good enough for the

James Beard House,

there was reason tobelieve it could havemass appeal.Bellavance said he basi-cally took what he didfor Joseph Decuis andput it in a box.

Bellavance offerswhat he calls a priceand production spec-trum of products. That means kits arestaggered to suit the needs of home cooksat every level, from the very skilled to thebaking challenged.

Its a no-need recipe, so its reallygood for lazy people like me. Basically,you mix it, then ignore it for 18-24 hours.Then you take it out, you shape it and thenyou bake it. The net handling time of thebread is five to 10 minutes, so its reallylow maintenance and the result is

fantastic.

The Average Joe Artisan Bread linproducts so far includes gift editioncooks edition, a refill edition and a siture bread pot sold separately. Kitssold direct online at www.breadkit.and through retailers he supplies. AOctober, Bellavance had 14 raccounts and was in talks with somthe largest kitchenware retailers incountry to sell his products.

Corporations looking for employeclient gifts can also purchase kits throthe holidays.

We have a product goal and we ha company goal, he said. The progoal is to help people bake world-cbread in their own kitchens. The corpogoal is to bring the bread experience binto the home more frequently and tare a number of steps that were gointake to get there.

TAIL

10 WINNER UPDATEToday, Writing Outsourced, ownedApril Brewster-Smythe, includesGreen ABCs for Kids in its wide

y of offerings under its Smart Foxdia Content catalogue. The GreenCs for Kids is a viable and sustain-e learning resource for those whont their community to learn more

ut sustainable practices and want ton their values with their purchasingwer.The Green ABCs for Kids is specif-ly targeted toward children andilies, and is recommended to thoseents, educators and communitieswish to bring the concepts of green

ng to their lives in a fun and enjoy-e way.f you would like to learn moreut The Green ABCs go to theiting Outsourced site at

w.writingoutsourced.webs.com or(260) 241-5535.

April Brewster-SmytheThe Green ABCs for Kids

AVERAGEJOE:People can bake great bread in their own kitchennued from PAGE18

Bellavance


22/28

TECHNO LO G

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Group Dekkos new EnergySense system uses a sensor, left, and control panel to automatically turn poweron and off within an office cubicle.

An energy solutionthat makes sense

[email protected]

hat portable heater sitting next to yourits a monster. Same goes for the fan inco-workers cubicle. And the coffee potur supervisors work station.eft plugged in throughout the work day,re vampires, sucking down more energyyou probably realize. When you addall together, its not just energy theyre

feasting on. Theyve also taken a substantialbite out of your companys profits.

Inside an office at Group Dekko inGarrett, Tim McGee, senior marketingmanager, pointed at just such a heater.

Thats a bad actor, he said. That pullsa lot of juice. If you have a fairly efficient

office, the savings are good, but theyregreat. But every fifth office has one of thand these things are killer.

Luckily, Group Dekko has developeown vampire slayer.

The maker of electrical harnesses lighting products devised EnergySens

system that can control power use cubiclcubicle within an office. Piggy-backin

n See GROUPDEKKOon PAGE21

Company: Group Dekko

Website: www.groupdekko.com


23/28

ompanys existing technology for officeture, the system can tell when an indi-al sits down at his or her desk in thening or leaves in the evening and regu-power accordingly.ffice furniture makers, who are amongp Dekkos primary customers, havedy signed up for the EnergySensem, which will officially be rolled out in. One reason is because of the new tech-

gys quick return on investment. When

e, EnergySense can reduce electricityumption in work stations by as much asercent.What our customers have told us is) cant be more than three years, and ifcan get to two, thats a home run,

Gee said. And EnergySense right nowave about 40 percent of electricity, and

gives you about a 2 1/2-year payback.nergySense got its start a couple ofs ago, McGee said, based on a blue-wish from a customer and ideas that

been bouncing around the companysneering team.And then that light kind of went on, andaid, We might be able to do this. And ited from there, he said.evelopment of the system also has beened by recent changes in Americanety of Heating, Refrigeration and Airditioning Engineers standards. By 2017,r ASHRAEs new receptacle control

dard, at least 50 percent of all 125-volt,and 20-amp receptacles installed inular partitions within private offices,

offices and computer classrooms mustontrolled by an automatic device.t all comes together in 2017 because its

g to be codified. Youre going to have to

do it, and you wont think twice about it,McGee said. Because every time you pull apermit, youre going to have to meet theASHRAE standard.

The EnergySense system includes acontrol panel contained within a partition, asensor placed under a desk that detects whena person is present, the companys patented8-10 wiring system and a green data cablethat connects the sensor to the control panel.

McGee said Group Dekko spent a lot oftime fine tuning the sensor. Other sensors onthe market tend to be used to control entirerooms, so theyre designed to have as wide afield of view as possible. EnergySensessensor, on the other hand, was designed tocover a much smaller area to prevent, forexample, people walking by a cubicle fromaccidentally tripping the sensor and turningthe power off and on.

But the real achievement was gettingEnergySense to fit within Group Dekkoexisting 8-10 wiring system for office furni-ture. With that system, four wires provide

power, two are neutral and two are ground.EnergySense then can use the remaining twowires to route power past a receptacle,completely shutting it down.

They dont have to do anything in tof the engineering work, McGee saiGroup Dekkos customers. And thatskey to the adoption of this. We made it easy for our customers to put this in.

EnergySense also can be tied infacilitys existing BACnet protocol, wallows communications between diffecontrol systems.

McGee said it would be impracticretrofit EnergySense into modular furnalready containing Group Dekkos wiring system; however, if such equipm

were reconfigured in other wordpanels are pulled apart and fabric removbe reconditioned then it would be feato install the system.

EnergySense wasnt designed to caall-knowing eye on workers energy useit was intended to help businesses and itutions make intelligent decisions.

EnergySense and the furniture comnies dont want to go out and becomeBrother on power usage, McGee Were hoping youre actually going t

able to educate and monitor and say, know, it is cold by the front door. She gheater. But we just want it to go off at 5:3

As production of EnergySense rampnext year, Group Dekko anticipates more office furniture makers will want toits new product. And the market is laBusiness and Institutional FurnManufacturers Association members post sales of $8 billion to $9 billion this McGee said.

The ones that have adopted are the leading with green, he said. Theyre se

LEED points with their product. They bold environmental statements. They seeas a natural progression of energy ciency.

CHNO LO G Y

nued from PAGE20

GROUP DEKKO:System designed to meet new ASHRAE standa

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

EnergySense can reduce a workstations energy use by 40 percent.

10 WINNER UPDATEAside from the $2 million Major Moves contributionarded in October 2010, iMAN was charged with raisingroximately $562,000 in additional funding to provide aic industrial/business network loop in each of the munici-ties of Ashley, Fremont, Hamilton, Hudson and the Prairieghts School district (near Stroh).

Contributions are as follows: Dekko Foundation, $50,000ching grant (from private industry); NIPSCO, $25,000 (willlify for Dekko Foundation match); anonymous industry,,000; town of Ashley, $15,000; Fremont Chamber of

Commerce, $2,011; Miller Poultry, $5,000 (will qualify Dekko Foundation match); total, $77,011

Pending grant proposals: Steel Dynamics Foundati$74,000; Ivy Tech Foundation, $34,000; town of Orla$15,000; town of Fremont, $15,000; REMC OperatRoundup, $5,000; variety of banking institutions, $49,000 (wqualify for Dekko Foundation match); total, $192,000

Current customer connections: 13, business; eight, edution; 10, government; six, health care

Sharon StiM


24/28


25/28

ST WINNERS

The innovators06

erging companySensoryCritters.com

ncial servicesBeniComp Group Inc.; Bank of Geneva

lth careSchwartz Biomedical

ufacturing and distributionRubber Innovators LLC

profitFoundation for Art and Music in Elementary

cation; Science Central

essional servicesDigital AV

l estate, construction and designRealtyFlex

porate LLC

ailStop & Shred

hnologyZoom Information Systems

ovator of the YearRubber Innovators LLC

7erging companySorbashock LLC

ancial servicesHomeFree Systems LLC; Wells Fargo

lth careLacPro Industries LLC

ufacturing and distributionSuperior

ufacturing, a division of Magnatech Corp.

essional servicesDeSoto Translation & Marketing Inc.

l estate, construction and designNAI Harding Dahm

ailCrazy Pinz

hnologyEffect Web Media

ovator of the YearLacPro Industries LLC

08erging companyNewsMogul LLC

lth careSolstice Medical LLC

ufacturing and distributionTippmann Industrial

ducts Inc.

Professional servicesStar Financial Bank

Real estate, construction and designBasic Eleme

Design LLC

RetailFort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot

TechnologyIntrasect Technologies

Innovator of the YearSolstice Medical LLC

2009Emerging companyDigitalHydraulic LLC

Health careStrokeCareNow Network

Manufacturing and distributionUSCombatGear

Professional servicesFinancial Education Solutions

Real estate, construction and designMSKTD &

Associates Inc.

RetailBuild A Computer

TechnologyTrustBearer Labs

Innovator of the YearDigitalHydraulic LLC

2010Emerging companyHonor Education LLC

Health careOrthoPediatrics

Manufacturing and distributionWhitley Steel

Products & Fabrication

Professional servicesSummers Sky LLC

Real estate, construction and designPathfinder

Services Inc.

RetailThe Green ABCs

TechnologyIndiana Metropolitan Area Network Inc.

Innovator of the YearHonor Education LLC

To nominate your company or organization for the2012 Innovation Awards, visit www.fwbusiness.com

marks the sixth year that the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly has recognized companies andnizations from across the region for their innovative ideas, products and services. Past winners are:


26/28

Were dedicated to our community,and so is PHP.

That means everything.

PHP has provided health insurance coveragefor employees of Tower Bank since the banksinception in 1999. Year after year, PHP hasworked with us to help control costs, maximize

benefits and promote wellness. BecausePHP is not-for-profit, we know their heart is inputting members first. And because theyre alocal company, we know they share our focuson building a strong community.

Call PHP today to learn how a local,relationship-focused health insurance providercan meet the needs of your company.

800-982-6257

Christine Boles

Vice President, HR Manager

Tower Bank

PHP Covered Group Since 1999

www.phpni .com


27/28

We think businesses should get rewards too. .

BUSINESSREWARDSCHECKIN

Just meet these easy requirements:

Make 10 debit card purchases that post and clear the account perqualification cycle

Enroll in eStatements and then maintain a valid

e-mail address with Lake City Bank in order to obtain monthly statements

electronically

Product features: Unlimited debit card purchases

150 other transactions included with no charge**(checks, deposits, deposited items, ACH, etc.)

www.lakecitybank.com | 888.522.2265 | Member FDIC

(che

. a ec t


28/28

Four Great Brands, All Committed to Innovation!

SweetAviation

Fort Waynes CoolestMusic Store and

260) 4328176 Sweetwater.com

Your Premier Dealership!

nside our showroom, youll fndroessional detailing and maintenanceervices, premium car-care products,roessional help in searching the nation

Discover theExcitement of Flight!

Your Limo in the Sky!

Imagine taking the controls o a personalaircrat, with our Introductory Flight

rom Sweet Aviation! Youll discover theexhilaration and reedom o ight, under thecareul supervision o our proessional ightinstructors.

Indiana Helicopters has the charter servicesyou need, whether you need to make apressing engagement or are looking oran exciting way to see the wonders o the

(260) 4895518 SweetAviation.com

Were also the regions largest AuthorizedApple Reseller! We carry everything romApple computers to iPods and iPads!

(800) 2224700 Sweetwater.com

Sweetwater Congratulates the Winnersof the 2011 Business Weekly Innovation Awards!

At Sweetwater, we understand that innovation drives the economy in Northeast Indiana,creating jobs and attracting new investment, and making this region a great place to live. Thats why were

proud to support the winners of the 2011 Business Weekly Innovation Awards.

Here Are Just a Few Notable Sweetwater Innovations: We were Indianas frst corporate headquarters to be LEED-certifed or environmental riendliness

and energy efciency.

Our online Guitar Gallery lets customers browse our guitars as i they were in our actual showroom.

Our unique combination o technical expertise and award-winning customer service creates acustomer experience unparalleled in the music business.

Weve transormed a distressed property near downtown Fort Wayne into a luxury auto dealership.

Date post:	07-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	kpc-media-group-inc
View:	219 times
Download:	0 times

Innovation Awards 2011

Documents