Making Change: Innovation

Illustration by Jeff CrowtherCreativity comes in many forms. Can northeast Ohio’s reputation as a breeding ground for innovation have a positive impact on the region’s economic future?

By David Budin

Northeast Ohio has enjoyed an international reputation as a home of – or at least a launching pad for – creative types for a century. A couple of years ago, Northern Ohio Live published two companion features, one on the unusually large number of significant pop musicians to have come from this region, and the other on the large number of comedians and comedy writers to have started here. And, of course, for all 27-plus years of Live’s existence, the magazine has focused on all of the abundant arts activity in the region.

Creativity and innovation. You can look at the list of Cleveland Arts Prize winners – about 250 of them since the early 1960s – to start to form a picture of what has gone on here in the area of creativity and innovation. You can look at the list of some 600 recipients of Northern Ohio Live’s annual Awards of Achievement (just one-third of the total number of nominees) in the past 27 years for an even more in-depth understanding.

But to classical music, pop music, visual arts, dance, theater, film, writing and comedy, add engineering, biomedical research, science and technology. Whether or not the list appears incongruous to you, bear in mind that just a few years ago, it wouldn’t have included those last four disciplines. Only recently have these pursuits come to be viewed in the same creative light as the arts.

This may have to do with northeast Ohio’s shifting economy. Sandy Pianalto, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said in a speech last year, “After a century of relying on the heaviest types of traditional industry – coal, steel, automobiles, rubber and electrical equipment – we have been deeply affected by global trends, including rapidly changing technology and increased international trade.”

Now the region is becoming known for things like its world-renowned healthcare, and emerging fields of bioscience, alternative energies, advanced manufacturing and polymer expertise. It has shifted from manufacturing some of the largest, heaviest things “to the little things – like nano things,” says John Finley, chair and CEO of MemPro Ceramics, one of those new companies.

Finley agrees that most of this region’s denizens are not fully aware of this revival and potential reversal of fortune.“I think that’s right,” he says, “and I think this kind of activity can really help the region return to some of its greatness in manufacturing and tech, and wealth creation.”

The economy here is shifting because it has to. But it’s also changing because it can. That same creative spirit that for so long has driven all of the arts activity is now at work in new areas.

For example, look at Ingenuity Fest. The summer festival, started by Cleveland Public Theatre founder and former artistic director James Levin, and Cool Cleveland e-zine founder and publisher Thomas Mulready, is looking forward to its fourth annual event, possibly the first and only one in the country that showcases arts and technology equally, and, in many cases, combines them for exhibits and performances.

Several organizations have sprung up relatively recently to help the new innovators launch and develop businesses around these new areas of interest, with NorTech as one of the leaders. NorTech – whose stated mission is, in part, “To build a vibrant and globally competitive economy by linking and leveraging the region’s technology, entrepreneurship and innovation assets” – has launched its own annual prize program, the NorTech Innovation Awards.

One of the 2007 winners was MemPro Ceramics, which, according to NorTech, has combined polymer processing with ceramic production to make a new filtration technology using ceramic nanofibers that capture and filter undesirable particles while removing gaseous pollutants from the environment. The innovation will dramatically reduce the costs of using catalysts in the production of pharmaceutical and biotech products and fine and bulk chemicals, as well as food and beverages.

“It was really terrific that NorTech recognized the value of this technology,” Finley says, “and it has certainly helped us to gain some visibility in our markets.”

Finley, who is from Colorado and started his company there (where it still maintains offices and facilities), is a believer in the northeast Ohio region, where he says he spends 80 percent of his time. “I’ve been in the filtration industry for 25 years or more,” he says, “and we were looking for some technology that would allow us to get into a very difficult area of filtration, which is hot gases – industrial and energy and automotive gases. A friend of mine, George Chase, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Akron, invited me two years ago to come to the University of Akron to see what he and his students were doing. And that was really the beginning of this whole effort.”

It didn’t take him long to notice the creative boom that was happening here, outside the arts. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely,” he says. “And the University of Akron is really right in the center of that. They’re doing a lot on technology transfer, which is exactly what we did with them: to take some of their techno, and we’re now commercializing it.”

Painting, bioscience, comedy, nanotechnology, music… to the creative and innovative mind, it’s the same process.

The Innovators
John Finley’s MemPro Ceramics Corporation was one of seven recipients of NorTech’s 2007 Innovation Awards, which are presented at the organization’s Innovation Summit and recognize breakthrough innovations in northeast Ohio. Granted, MemPro’s innovation – filters – is less a glamorous product than it is a potentially indispensable one; the company also represents the draw that northeast Ohio technology (in this case, developments at the University of Akron) has for companies located elsewhere. To NorTech, these qualities are award winning. Here are a few other Innovation Award winners and the potentially world- or life-changing technology they’ve developed.

Winner: AnalizaDx
Year: 2007
Innovation: This Cleveland-based cancer diagnostics company has developed a proprietary platform technology capable of detecting changes in the structure of proteins in biological fluids like blood and urine. These changes, when connected to an underlying disease process, could serve as a sensitive detection method for cancer. The technology offers advantages as compared to other so-called biomarker approaches, including an inherent sensitivity to natural biological variations.
What it means: The AnalizaDx process is performed in a very cost-effective, high-throughput manner, resulting in an economic basis for early diagnosis and screening.
Moving forward: The company has formed multiple clinical collaborations with leading institutions such as the National Cancer Institute, University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
To learn more: www.analiza.com

Winner: Kent Displays
Year: 2006
Innovation: The company’s flexible, no power, cholesteric liquid crystal displays permit image retention without using any power, resulting in unprecedented energy savings in many applications. The company is based in Kent, Ohio.
What it means: In addition to contributing to the design of energy-efficient products, this technology eliminates the need for “refreshing” a display, with no risk of image burn-in, ghosting or other problems common to typical displays.
Moving forward: Since winning a 2006 Innovation Award, Kent Displays is currently producing flexible displays for several customers in volume. Markets include wristwatches, mobile devices and smart cards. In addition, the company is marketing its displays for medical applications and low-cost, high-security reusable badges for government and commercial consumers.
To learn more: www.kentdisplays.com

Eric and Cary Senders

Winner: 6062 Holdings
Year: 2006
Innovation: Entrepreneurs Eric and Cary Senders acquired exclusive global rights from DuPont to develop and commercialize an artificial soil technology.
What it means: Unlike conventional hydroponic materials, 6062’s material is environmentally friendly and produces larger plants in less time, with less water. The Beachwoodbased company’s distribution strategy is focused on areas of the world where soil quality cannot support the population, and access to clean, fresh water is or may become limited.
Moving forward: 6062 has three national distributors in place for its Sure To Grow products, and officially launched the line at the Orlando Indoor Gardening Expo in November 2007. The company also received a grant from the Ohio State University Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, to conduct an 18-month study of the growth medium and its broader applications.
To learn more: www.suretogrow.com

Starting Point
During the past few years, organizations have been springing up all over this region to assist new tech-related companies. Here are 10 of them.

Akron Commercialization Center offers a range of commercialization services to help technology-based businesses succeed. In addition, laboratory and office space are available for the University of Akron-related enterprise development. www.uakron.edu/acc

Akron Industrial Incubator is a successful small-business incubator created through a cooperative partnership involving the city of Akron, the Akron Development Corporation, the University of Akron and the state of Ohio. www.ci.akron.oh.us/aii

BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment and acceleration initiative designed to grow bioscience companies, including emerging medical device, biopharmaceutical and healthcare services firms. It provides management counsel, clinical access, business development and capital access services to these companies. Based in Cleveland, its founders and partners are the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Health System, Case Western Reserve University and Summa Health System. www.bioenterprise.com

Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE) is a comprehensive regional innovation center and resource hub that supports all facets of the startup, development and growth of enterprises. Created by a partnership between the Lorain County Commissioners, Lorain County Community College and the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, GLIDE’s objectives are to grow jobs and spearhead economic growth in Lorain County and throughout northeast Ohio. www.glideit.org

JumpStart’s mission is to accelerate the growth of early-stage businesses and ideas into venture-ready companies by delivering vital, focused resources to entrepreneurs by providing business development services, as well as seed capital funding to early-stage companies in northeast Ohio. JumpStart’s goal is to solidify and grow northeast Ohio’s position as a nationally significant center for entrepreneurship and innovation. www.jumpstartinc.org

MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, formerly known as CAMP (Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing Program), supports, educates and champions manufacturing with the goal of transforming the region’s economy into a powerful global player by providing a range of services, including encouraging the most modern manufacturing strategies and techniques, and advocating for manufacturers in dealing with the multitude of regulatory agencies. www.magnetwork.org

The Nano-Network was founded by a group of scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to improve and expand nanotechnology research and commercialization efforts in the region, acting as a hub for the awareness, development and commercialization of nanotechnology in northeast Ohio. The Nano-Network includes engineers (electrical, mechanical and chemical), scientists (medical and materials) and business professionals from both industry and academia. www.nano-network.org

NorTech is a group of technology and business leaders with a vision to enhance the prosperity of the region through science, technology and innovation. Working together, these leaders, local and state government and industry representatives have defined missions, policies and targeted actions that will promote new businesses and quality job growth in northeast Ohio. NorTech has engaged in cross-cutting initiatives that build an innovative, diverse and entrepreneurial economy independent of any specific industry or technology sectors, as well as industry-specific initiatives that build on existing strengths in strategically selected technology and industry segments including biosciences, electronics (e.g., instruments, controls and MEMs), fuel cells, information technology, and polymers and advanced materials. www.nortech.org

Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA) promotes the advancement of the region’s technology community and information technology industry. NEOSA is an industry-led, industry-driven organization made up of more than 450 member companies representing all facets of information technology. www.neosa.org

Youngstown Business Incubator is a charitable non-profit corporation supported, in part, by the Ohio Department of Development to accelerate the formation, growth and success rates of scalable, technology-based businesses in the Mahoning Valley. Target businesses must have the potential to create a substantial and sustainable number of new jobs with a proprietary and patentable intellectual property that is commercialized through the sale of new products or services in the marketplace. www.ybi.org

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