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2017 Innovation Celebration Winners Announced

CHAMPAIGN, IL, March 6, 2017 – Over 350 people gathered at Parkland College for the 12th Annual Innovation Celebration on the evening of Friday, March 3rd to recognize 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.

Innovation Celebration is hosted by the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation in partnership with the University of Illinois, Parkland College, and community sponsors. For more information, visit www.innovationcelebration.com.

Award Winners

Innovation Transfer Award—University of Illinois
Recognizes an individual or group from the University of Illinois whose research has resulted in either a discovery or a work with the potential for significant societal impact.

 Dr. Frederic Kolb

Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award—University of Illinois
Recognizes an individual or team from the University of Illinois that has channeled their experience living with a disability into positive change through the creation of new products, environments, or protocols that enhance quality of life.

Arielle Rausin

Innovation in Engagement Award—Parkland College
Recognizes an individual or group at Parkland College who has shown support of the college’s community engagement mission.

Jenni Fridgen

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture Award
Serve as change agents by creating and implementing sustainable solutions to reshape society, benefit humanity, and address social concerns.

 Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) – Champaign Unit 4 Schools

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup Award
Formed by students in the last three years and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy.

 Cast21

Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture Award
Formed in the last three years, and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy.

PhotoniCare, Inc.

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Paul Magelli Advocacy Award
Actively engage, encourage, coach and mentor entrepreneurs in the community, and provide extensive support to help them achieve success.

 Jed Taylor

Innovation: Economic Development Impact Award
Has successfully commercialized innovations while demonstrating a commitment to positive, local, economic impact.

 II-VI EpiWorks

Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management Award
Demonstrates expertise in assembling resources, creating an organization, and working to build and implement effective action plans.

 Laura Bleill – chambanamoms.com & University of Illinois Research Park

Innovation: Longevity Award
Recognizes those enterprises whose sustained success is the direct result of continued innovation over many years.

Litania Sports Group

The EDC was 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.

A special thanks to Five Foot Productions for producing the videos.

 

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Event recap video, created by ADJACENCY.

Click here to view event photos, courtesy of Darrell Hoemann.

Download the event program here.

View opening & closing remarks from the event. Award acceptance speeches can be viewed at the links below.

Dr. Frederic Kolb
Arielle Rausin
Jenni Fridgen
Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP)
Cast21
PhotoniCare, Inc. 
Jed Taylor
II-VI EpiWorks
Laura Bleill
Litania Sports Group

Press:

Entrepreneurs recognized at Innovation Celebration, The News-Gazette

New Videos Highlight ECCA Program at Parkland College

CHAMPAIGN, IL, February 13, 2017 – Together with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, we are pleased to release three new videos highlighting the Early College and Career Academy (ECCA) at Parkland College.

ECCA is a joint effort of Education for Employment System #330 (a K-12 Career and Technical Education cooperative) and Parkland College. Through the program, area high school juniors and seniors earn credits that count toward a high school diploma and college, all while gaining skills in six different Parkland College degree programs: Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Computer Networking, Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Services, and Criminal Justice.

The first video provides an overview of the program from Nick Elder, Director of ECCA & EFE #330, and Parkland instructors Billy Wirth and J.R. Schultz.

The second video features five students currently enrolled in the Manufacturing program of ECCA, representing Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUSD #10, Rantoul Township High School #193, and Villa Grove CUSD #302.

The third video features HL Precision Manufacturing, Inc., Frasca International, Inc., and Litania Sports Group – all companies who have partnered with ECCA to not only sponsor students in the manufacturing program, but offer positions for students through internships and part-time work. The video also highlights Ben Perkinson, a Champaign Unit 4 grad who successfully completed the ECCA program with support from HL Precision Manufacturing, Inc., and now works for their company.

The idea for these videos – created by Five Foot Productions – was a direct result of feedback from a round table co-hosted by the Champaign County EDC and Champaign County Chamber of Commerce on National Manufacturing Day in 2016.

To learn more about ECCA, visit their website at http://www.parkland.edu/ecca.

 

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2017 Innovation Celebration Finalists Announced

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

Veriflow Systems, Inc. Announces Expansion in Champaign

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:

Download a PDF of the press release here.

Water Tower Accolades – Champaign Named Top 12 in Country

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.

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