Thanks to the City of Champaign for inviting Craig Rost on the Champaign Connection show! We were happy to talk about what we do, how we work with the City of Champaign, the You’re Welcome CU campaign, our Made in Champaign County program (#MadeInCC), and more.
You can catch Craig’s interview at the 8:03 mark.
CHAMPAIGN, IL, January 17, 2017 – The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce finalists for the 12th Annual Innovation Celebration in recognition of those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in our community.
Innovation Celebration is not merely an award for accomplishment, but a benchmark of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive this prestigious award. Additionally, Innovation Celebration serves as a tangible collaboration between the Champaign County EDC, University of Illinois, Parkland College, and the community.
The winner of each award category will be announced at Innovation Celebration 2017, held at Parkland College on Friday, March 3, 2017 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm. To RSVP and learn more about the event, visit www.innovationcelebration.com.
Award Finalists
Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture Award
Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) – Champaign Unit 4 Schools
The Art of Science – Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
AWARE (Accelerating Women And underRepresented Entrepreneurs)
Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup Award
Therapalz
Amber Agriculture
Cast21
Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture Award
Reconstruct Inc.
Petronics (Sprite Robotics)
PhotoniCare, Inc.
Entrepreneurial Excellence: Advocacy Award
BIGG Success
Coattails, LLC
Jed Taylor
Innovation: Economic Development Impact Award
II-VI EpiWorks
SuperValu
Flightstar Corporation
Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management Award
Sanjay Patel – Personify
Beth Ladd – Caterpillar Data Innovation Lab
Laura Bleill – chambanamoms.com & University of Illinois Research Park
Innovation: Longevity Award
APL Engineered Materials, Inc.
Litania Sports Group
Surface 51
2017 Innovation Transfer Award Recipient – University of Illinois
Dr. Frederic Kolb
2017 Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award Recipient – University of Illinois
Arielle Rausin
2017 Innovation in Engagement Award Recipient – Parkland College
Jenni Fridgen
The EDC is pleased to work with the following sponsors of Innovation Celebration 2017: the University of Illinois’ Technology Entrepreneur Center, Research Park, Office of Corporate Relations, and Office of Technology Management, along with Parkland College, Singleton Law Firm, Serra Ventures, City of Champaign, Village of Rantoul, Bridge – Champaign County’s Virtual Incubator, Martin Hood Friese & Associates, Fox Development Corporation, Ramshaw Real Estate, Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC, Hanson Financial, AARP, Surface 51, Guth & Associates, Pixo, Carle, IllinoisVENTURES, Huawei, II-VI EpiWorks, Adjacency, and Frasca International, Inc.
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Press:
Agriculture Instructor Wins Community Innovation Award, Parkland College
Professor recognized for ag work, WCIA 3 News
From the press release:
San Jose, CA based Veriflow Systems, Inc., has announced its expansion in Champaign, Illinois with the leasing of 4,200 square feet of office space on the 2nd floor of One Main Plaza at 1 East Main Street in Downtown Champaign. Verifow is relocating from its current space at Enterprise Works at the Research Park at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign campus. Veriflow will join fellow high tech company, Volition, in occupying the majority of the office space at One Main Plaza.
Veriflow was created by a team of computer science professors and PhD students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Veriflow is the first networking company to use continuous network verification to eliminate network outages and vulnerabilities. Veriflow’s mission is to apply formal mathematical verification to complex networks, preventing outages and breaches that lead to astronomical losses.
Veriflow is backed by a strong team of investors, including New Enterprise Associates, Menlo Ventures, the National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Defense. In October, Veriflow won Barclays 2016 Open Innovation Challenge award, beating out more than 100 global technology companies for the honor. Veriflow was founded by Matthew Caesar, PhD, Brighten Godfrey, PhD, and Ahmed Khurshid, PhD. All three hold Associate Professor positions in Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Veriflow is planning to occupy the space at One Main Plaza, after renovations are completed on the existing office space, with a target move date of April, 2017. With their expansion, Veriflow will increase employment in the Champaign market, capitalizing on the strength of the computer science program at the University of Illinois.
“With the physical Tier 1 amenities, access to public transportation and proximity to the university, One Main in Downtown Champaign was an ideal location to for our expansion,” said James Brear President and CEO of Veriflow.
“One Main Development is excited to welcome Veriflow Systems, Inc. to join the prestigious businesses that make their home in Downtown Champaign,” says Dave Jones, President. “As downtown has been evolving back into a central business district, we are pleased that such a respected tech company will be taking advantage of the environment for their own business growth and development. It has been a great pleasure working with the Veriflow team and we are looking forward to welcoming them into One Main Plaza.”
“I’m excited to welcome Veriflow as it expands into Champaign’s booming downtown tech center. World leading technology companies continue to grow and thrive in Champaign, and we welcome the new opportunities and jobs this will mean for our community” stated Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen.
“Veriflow’s decision to grow in the Champaign-Urbana community is fantastic news,” said Craig Rost, Executive Director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “Evolving from their location in EnterpriseWorks, the University of Illinois Research Park incubator, into the downtown Champaign location with other high tech employers is the perfect success story for the company and for Champaign County. We look forward to working with Veriflow, another great example of our ‘Heart of Innovation’ legacy here in our community and University.”
One Main Plaza offers retail and office space for lease at its premier location on the corner of Neil and Main Streets in downtown Champaign. Its largest office tenant is Deep Silver Volition, a well-known gaming design firm. Big Grove Tavern, Kofusion, Snow Meets Coffee and Merry Ann’s Diner restaurants occupy the first floor, along with Hada Cosmetic Medicine.
Guth & Associates/Fairlawn Real Estate represented Veriflow Systems in securing their space at One Main Plaza and Coldwell Banker Devonshire Realty represented One Main Development, LLC in the transaction.
Veriflow is the first networking company to use continuous network verification to eliminate network outages and vulnerabilities. The company was created by a team of computer science professors and Ph.D. students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is backed by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Menlo Ventures, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. To learn more, visit veriflow.net and follow us on Twitter @veriflowsystems.
Other Veriflow Information and Links:
- Veriflow Wins Barclays 2016 Open Innovation Challenge Award: http://www.veriflow.net/press/veriflow-wins-barclays-2016-open-innovation-challenge-award/
- Veriflow raised $8.2 million to help IT pros avoid network outages and breaches via TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/06/veriflow-raised-8-2-million-to-help-it-pros-avoid-network-outages-and-breaches/
- They launched their new platform last month: http://www.veriflow.net/press/veriflow-launches-disruptive-network-verification-platform-announces-customer-wins/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=pr_win161115
- They received SBIR funding, Phase I (2013) and Phase II (2014): https://www.sbir.gov/sbc/veriflow-systems-inc
- The company was created by a team of computer science professors and Ph.D. students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Download a PDF of the press release here.
What month are we most looking forward to in 2017? October! 
Tnemec Company holds a contest each year for the best water tower designs in the country. Our You’re Welcome design on Illinois American Water‘s new tank made the Top 12 in the country & will be featured in Tnemec’s 2017 calendar.
You can request a free copy of the calendar here.
Learn more about Illinois American Water‘s new water tank, located at 2814 Hundman Drive in Champaign, here.
II-VI EpiWorks has announced a major expansion in Champaign – a new state-of-the-art production facility. The expansion is expected to be complete by mid-2017 and will enable a quadrupling of capacity in Champaign over the next three years. This project will bring 100+ new high tech jobs to our area.
“EpiWorks is a true community success story,” said Craig Rost, Executive Director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “The company started here in Champaign-Urbana at the University of Illinois, eventually graduating from EnterpriseWorks tech incubator in UI Research Park, and growing to a facility in Champaign. The acquisition of EpiWorks by II-VI, a leader in semiconductor lasers, expanded their market and production capability and gave our community a chance to grow a high tech employer. Their expansion here in Champaign County will add 120 new tech and engineering jobs and create a real boost to the local economy.”
“We had the pleasure of working with the II-VI EpiWorks team on their expansion plans,” said Rost. “We helped secure an EDGE Tax Credit for the company through the Illinois Department of Commerce.”
From the press release:
II-VI EpiWorks Undergoing Major Expansion
Champaign, IL, November 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The II-VI EpiWorks Division of II‐VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI), a leading provider of compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers, today announced that it is breaking ground on a new state-of-the-art production facility in Champaign, Illinois.
The expansion is expected to be complete by mid-2017 and will enable a quadrupling of capacity in Champaign over the next three years. In addition to substantial epitaxial wafer production space, the new cleanroom will house a state-of-the-art wafer characterization and test laboratory. To operate the new facility, EpiWorks is actively recruiting experienced managers, engineers and technicians. This aggressive expansion enhances EpiWorks’ leadership position in the global compound semiconductor industry, supporting the performance and volume requirements for several key components that enable multiple growing markets. These include InP and GaAs-based optoelectronic communication components for cloud computing and datacenters, VCSELs for 3D sensing and next generation wide bandgap devices for 5G wireless infrastructure.
“High-performance compound semiconductors are required to meet the performance needs of modern communication networks, sensors, smartphones, wireless communications networks, and datacenters. Our technology is being adopted in many applications, and we are ensuring that our capacity continues to meet customer demand now and in the future,” said Giovanni Barbarossa, Chief Technical Officer and President of the Laser Solutions Segment. “The new capacity will support our RF and photonics businesses, and we will have more resources to research and develop new materials and products.”
“Immediately after merging with II-VI in February, we ordered three new MOCVD production tools and filled our current cleanroom space. These systems have already been installed, and we have now moved into the next phase of growth by expanding our cleanroom space, launching an aggressive hiring plan, and working to build the industry’s most technologically advanced and efficient manufacturing line.” said Quesnell Hartmann and David Ahmari, co-founders of II-VI EpiWorks.
“It is great to see EpiWorks continue to grow and create jobs in Illinois,” Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner said. “This company has a strong Illinois history, having been founded by University of Illinois alumni. EpiWorks’ success in Illinois is a testament to our state’s research universities, the ingenuity of our workforce, and the innovative community in Champaign Urbana. We hope to continue to be a partner with them to help grow their business within our borders and build upon this success.”
About II-VI Incorporated
II-VI Incorporated, a global leader in engineered materials and opto-electronic components, is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets.About II-VI EpiWorks
II-VI EpiWorks develops and manufactures compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers for application in optical components, wireless devices and high-speed communication systems. The company’s products provide these applications additional performance, such as greater bandwidth, higher power efficiency and better reliability. To learn more about EpiWorks visit www.epiworks.com.CONTACT:
Dawn Sandone
217-531-6514
dawn.sandone@ii-vi.com
www.epiworks.com
View photos & video from the groundbreaking ceremony on November 28, 2016.
Press:
II-VI EpiWorks celebrates groundbreaking for upcoming major expansion, Smile Politely
II-VI EpiWorks Undergoing Major Expansion, The Wall Street Journal
Local High-Tech Company Expands Production Worldwide, FOX 55/27 Illinois
II-VI EpiWorks Breaks Ground On New US Production Facility, Compound Semiconductor
EpiWorks breaks ground on production expansion and wafer characterization and test lab, Semiconductor Today
II-VI breaks ground on VCSEL site expansion, optics.org
Champaign County, home to the University of Illinois, features world-class technological resources and superb location and transportation benefits that make it a strategic hub for technology and industrial development.
Founded in 1991, Taylor Studios, Inc. began as a mail-order business creating museum-quality artifacts, fossil reproductions, and exhibits for museums and other clients. Quickly recognized for the passion and expertise brought to each project, the company initially carved out a niche in the paleontology, archaeology, and natural history fields. Today, Taylor Studios is recognized as an industry leader in exhibit planning, design, fabrication, and installation, serving a diversity of clients throughout the country and internationally. Their 3D storytelling now reaches beyond natural history to cultural history, history walls, and immersive environments of all kinds. Read More »
Frasca International manufactures flight simulators for all aircraft types, fixed and rotary wing, used for pilot training for airlines, flight schools, colleges and universities, military, law enforcement, air evac and commercial organizations. Since its founding in 1958, over 3,000 Frasca simulators have been delivered worldwide. Read More »