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1400 ONE SUMMIT SQUARE
FORT WAYNE, IN 46802
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At Carson Boxberger, weve earned a reputation for success by
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InnovationInnovationAwardsBusiness Weeklyusiness WeeklyBusiness Weekly
Awards
5thAnnual
5th
AnnualA SPECIAL PUBLICATION OFGREATER FORT WAYNEusiness Weekly
826 Ewing St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 426-2640
Fax: (260) 426-2503
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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESKit Anguiano
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George O. WitwerPublisher Emeritus
Terry HousholderPresident, CEO
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General Manager
Donna ScanlonChief Financial Officer
Bret JacometOnline Director
er Fort Wayne Business Weekly is
blication of KPC Media Group Inc.
2010 All rights reserved
E D I T O R S L E T T
Five years of innovation
After our first Innovation Awards competition in 2006, acommon refrain heard around the Greater Fort WayneBusiness Weekly office was, OK, that was a lot of fun.
But can we do it again next year?Not only was the scale of the competition and the size of the
event daunting, we wondered just how many more innovativecompanies and ideas we would find in 2007.
Turns out, there was no need to worry. Innovation surroundsus. It permeates the entire region. Our difficulty now lies inselecting seven category winners from the stack of applicationswe get each year.
This years winners come from very different backgrounds, butthey all share one ideal: making life better for their customers andthe community around them by offering innovative products andservices.
These awards wouldnt be possible without the support of our
corporate sponsors, BKD LLP, Lake City Bank, NAI HardingDahm, Sperry Van Ness Parke Group, the Northeast IndianaInnovation Center and PHP.
We also were fortunate to have a highly experienced group ofInnovation Awards judges select the 2010 Innovator of the Year.The judges for this years competition were: Don Wood, presi-dent and CEO, 80/20 Corp.; Don Willis, chairman, FourthWaveLLC; Dorian Maples, owner, Dorian Maples & Associates; TomCottrell, managing partner, BKD; Lora Thrasher, COO, Briljent;
and Elton Bishop, founder, DigitalHydraulic LLC, which was the2009 Innovator of the Year.I hope the stories in this publication will inspire others to
create their own innovative products and services. And maybenext year or in the years that follow, well be able to recognizethem, too.
Barry Rochford
Editor, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
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B LE OF C ONT ENT S
Editors letter...............................................................................2
Innovation Awards judges......................................................4
Sponsors .....................................................................................5
EMERGING COMPANY
Honor Education LLC..............................................................6
2009 Innovator of the Year update.....................................8
HEALTH CARE
OrthoPediatrics..........................................................................9
MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION
Whitley Steel Products & Fabrication .............................12
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Summers Sky LLC................................................................14
REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN
Pathfinder Services Inc. .......................................................16
RETAIL
The Green ABCs ..................................................................18
TECHNOLOGY
Indiana Metropolitan Area Network Inc. .........................20
Past winners ............................................................................22
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I N N O VAT I O N A WA R D S J U D G
udged by their peers
d Willis Maples Cottrell Thrasher Bishop
udging for the fifth-annual Innovationrds competition was divided into twods.
n the first round, representatives fromvation Awards corporate sponsors
through the applications that hadreceived. Several applications were
mitted in more than one of the sevenvation Awards categories: emergingpany; health care; manufacturing andibution; professional services; real
e, construction and design; retail; andnology.irst-round judges were:Jim Brunnemer, PHP;Remound Wright, Northeast Indianavation Center;Drew Dunlavy, Lake City Bank;Ed Baker, BKD LLP;Linda Ritter, Sperry Van Ness Parke
up; andJohn Caffray, NAI Harding Dahm.he first-round judges tried to deter-
if the company truly was innovative,hey used a broad definition of innova-It could be an entirely new businessept. It could be a business conceptto this region, but one that exists else-re. It could be a new product, serviceusiness process within an existingpany. It could come from a startupure or a large corporation, as long as itcated within northeast Indiana and
hwest Ohio.ategory winners then appeared beforecond panel of judges composed of
essful entrepreneurs and executivesthe founder of the 2009 Innovator of
the Year, DigitalHydraulic LLC. Each cate-gory winner gave a short presentationabout the innovation, then answered ques-tions from the panel.
Second-round judges were: Don Wood, president and CEO, 80/20
Corp.;
Don Willis, chairman, FourthWaveLLC;
Dorian Maples, owner, Dorian Ma& Associates;
Tom Cottrell, managing partner, B Lora Thrasher, COO, Briljent; an Elton Bishop, founder, Dig
Hydraulic LLC.After all the presentations w
completed, the panel selected the 2Innovator of the Year.
FILE
Elton Bishop, founder of DigitalHydraulic LLC, was named the 2009 Innovator o
the Year in Business Weeklys annual Innovation Awards competition.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO
ALL OF OUR SPONSORS
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ean, Jared, Alyssa and Tristan Duganworking hard to turn a concept theirher dreamed up 10 years ago into aessful, education-oriented softwareness.onor Education LLC, a name momDugan also came up with, movedthe Dugan family home in August to
ubicle in the Northeast Indianavation Center in Fort Wayne. Theans also use an Innovation Centererence room to teach the 22 middleol children who have enrolled in their
h Academy, which launched inember.
Sean, 24, and Jared, 23, both graduatedfrom Indiana Tech in the spring withdegrees in software engineering. Alyssa,21, and Tristan, 19, are both seniors atIndiana Tech majoring in elementaryeducation.
Like the majority of the children in theirTech Academy classes, the Dugans werehome-schooled. The offspring of Steve andLisa Dugan have been working oncomputers since they were tots.
Ive been programming since I was 8,
Sean told Business Weekly in March 2The four began began seriously tal
about how to combine their intereststalents to create a software business over a year ago; and both Sean and Jwere able to arrange Indiana Tech inships during the 2009-2010 school that allowed them to put more time intand get school credit for the projec
The Dugans also began participatina program, called BizWhiz, that learned of at Indiana Tech.
After a year of meetings with busiadvisers and other students intereste
starting businesses, they won a $2grant for approved business expenses a$6,000, in-kind award for a years wor
m left, Alyssa, Tristan, Jared and Sean Dugan founded the software company Honor Education LLC.
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E M E R G I N G C O M PA
tudents become the teachers
DOMINIC ADAMS
n See TEACHERS on PAGE 7
Company: Honor Education LLC
Founders: Sean, Jared, Alyssa andTristan Dugan
Website: HonorEducation.com
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e space in the Student Venture Lab atnnovation Center. Alyssa also received4,000 internship to work with thengs business.unding for the program is provided byLincoln Financial Foundation, Grabillk and the Edward M. & Mary McCreaon Foundation.he Dugans also have begun to bring inle income of their own from their Techdemy classes, which they hope to
nd. Their younger sister, Michaela, 15,dy is pitching in to help teach.ut the real meat of the business, itsal and actual heart and soul, is Forge,tual world creation kit that students
use, independently or in school, to turngs like mathematical equations, scien-formulas and other abstract informa-into tables, graphs and two- or three-
dimensional dynamic visualizations.Forge also uses a graphics engine that is
used to make video games.Wed like to think of Forge as the Lego
for gaming, where its constructive enter-tainment for the next generation, Tristansaid.
In one of the classes the Dugans areteaching, students are building their ownvirtual Egypt.
Were helping kids to build it in 3D,design temples and pyramids, and thenplay a character to explore it, Alyssa said.
The Dugans also have a second product:a visual version of the programminglanguage Python, which is extensivelyused in professional scientific computing.The visual version is a block-basedsystem. Instead of typing code, you candrag and drop blocks to construct yourprogram, Jared said.
Theyre already done for you. You just
have to find the blocks you need.The user-friendly programs also c
be marketed to certain people in prosions such as advertising and architecwho may not need to create modelssimulations very often and dont nehigher level of programming expertise
The Dugans havent yet begunmarket or sell their products. At this pwe just need to finish everything, Jsaid.
The company also has a secpurpose: to support a school in Bangla
the family helped found about 11 yago. The Dugans and the nonprofit founded to raise funds for the scprovide about $1,500 a month to kegoing.
The name of the business, HEducation, came from the familys exence with the school and the culture tthat truly honors and values education
nued from PAGE 6
TEACHERS: Forge lets students visualize abstract concepts
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2 0 09 E M E R G I N G C O M PA N Y WI N N
lton Bishop may develop a taste fordinavian cuisine by the time the tech-
gy he has developed a digitalaulic transmission has revolution-the hydraulic equipment industry.he head of DigitalHydraulic LLCented a paper on the technologicalkthrough at the Scandinaviannational Conference on Fluid Power
weden the summer before winning theInnovator of the Year Award at
ness Weeklys Innovation Awards lastember.n Oct. 14, he gave a presentation on
Linearization of Digital Hydraulicsformer Output at the Thirdkshop on Digital Fluid Power inpere, Finland.The (digital hydraulic transmission) is
now widely considered to be the most effi-cient hydraulic drive technology in exis-tence, he said in a recent e-mail on hisway home from Europe.
Fort Wayne-based DigitalHydraulic isdeveloping an advanced version of theDHT that will be nearly production ready,he said. We are in negotiations withseveral of the largest hydraulics companiesglobally.
Bishop invented the digital hydraulictransformer in 2001 following three yearsof extensive research. Ordinary hydraulicequipment used for a lot of very heavywork wastes about 65 percent of the energyit consumes, on average, and Bishopstransformer is much more efficient.
In a demonstration, a test-phase Dprototype built in 2007 required 71 perless energy to perform a task than contional, valve-controlled hydraulic eqment.
Conventional hydraulic equipmcould be retrofitted with the system Bicreated, and by late last year he had staon development of a version that coulavailable for testing in the field. A numof companies that use hydraulic equipmhad expressed interest in the testing.
Bishop expected to be able to develversion of the DHT within two yearscould be produced efficiently, with pfor DigitalHydraulic to outsourceproduction in northeast Indiana.
The company would set up regicenters to retrofit hydraulic equipmincluding mining and construction eqment that consumes millions of doworth of oil every year.
n Bishop invented his digital hydraulic transformer in 2001 after three years of research.
nnovation keeps Bishop on the go
FILE PHOTO
Company: DigitalHydraulic LLC
Founder: Elton Bishop
Website: www.DigitalHydraulic.com
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09 WINNER UPDATE
Since its inceptionDecember of 2008,
r o k e C a r e N o wwork has grown toude 21 regionalpitals and two hubpitals in a 18-countya of northeastana and northwesto.
Robotic cameramputer carts are
loyed in each of theonal markets in the
ergency departmentthe inpatient critical department at each location. Fortyne neurology stroke specialty physicians have duplicate
camera and computer equipment at their homes, offices andthe hub hospitals to provide 24-7-365 capability to diagnoseand plan treatment for patients with strokes and other neurological conditions. Three helicopters stand ready to transpor
the patients to Fort Wayne to receive treatment.Results indicate that stroke patients seen within the
network will reach treatment in time to receive clot-bustingstroke-reversing medications 17 percent to 18 percent of thtime. This compares to national averages of 3 percent to 4percent. This indicates that a patient will benefit from SCNNservices at five to six times the national mean average. Fostroke patients, this means the difference between disabilitydeath or a meaningful recovery.
SCNN remains the only stroke telemedicine networactively in operation in Indiana. It is the only one in the U.Sthat partners two competing hospitals in one network.
Steve SmithFort Wayne Neurological Cente
ons were, where their unmet needs, said Nick Deeter, chairman, presi-, CEO and co-founder ofoPediatrics.inally, one doctor said: If you really
to do something for kids, make at cast saw, Deeter recalled.fter discussing the matter with other
opedic specialists, they found theestion had a lot of merit.Some kids are more traumatized by
emoval of the cast than the breakinghe bone, Deeter said. Orthopedicnologists even referred to the task asngling, because they had to chase
kids down, calm them down and eventhem down during the process.he company decided to tackle the job.
didnt know we couldnt do it,er said.he companys product designersded not just to address the soundlem, but examine other issues thetional oscillating saw presented: theand risk of burns; the possibility ofthe way the saw scattered the debris;
heavy vibrations; and just the generalness of the large, open, furiouslying blade. They identified 10 issues,itized them, and then set to work.
Working with a design firm inMichigan, they came up with an innova-tive approach.
Why not make it work a lot like a canopener? Deeter said.
And in many ways, thats what theQuiet Cast Removal tool they developedresembles. Powered by a rechargeablebattery, the handheld QCR is affixed atthe opening of the cast and then guideddown and around, cutting cleanly andquietly.
There is no vibration to hurt the users
hand and arm; very little heat is gener-ated, and very little debris is shed.
The company spent about $4 million inresearch and development money tocreate the QCR, and I think there areabout 10 different patents involved,Deeter said.
The QCR was extensively tested at 30different clinical sites. At the CincinnatiChildrens Hospital, its decibel level wasmeasured in comparison to a traditionalcast removal saw, and the audiologydepartment had to ask the observersnearby to stay quiet because they couldntdetect the QCRs whisper above the back-ground noise.
Roderick Newbold, a certified ortho-pedic technologist at Emory Orthopaedicand Spine Center in Atlanta, has been
using the QCR since it went on the main July 2009.
He said it puts both parents and dren at ease when he shows them thedevice.
It truly has changed not only my less crying, less anxious patientsparents but the lives of the chilwho have already suffered a traumwhich they had to get a cast in the place, Newbold wrote in a product tmonial.
In the United States, at least, cast
not used often anymore on adSurgical options are much more commBut they are an accepted techniquechildren, whose bones are shaped diently, heal differently and are growing.
OrthoPediatrics estimated therestill about 175,000 traditional cast sawuse in the United States. That givescompany a huge base for its replacemproduct, even if only 10 percent or sthe old saws are replaced each year.
OrthoPediatrics, which curreemploys 50 people, moved into new son Nov. 8. The new location consolidthe two downtown offices the comhad been using and is close to SymmMedical, which is the companys dedevelopment and manufacturing partn
nued from PAGE 9
CUTTING: Company estimates 175K traditional cast saws still in u
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HEALTH CA
FILE PHOTO
Steve Smith
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M A N U FA CT U R I N G & D I S T R I B U T I O
ony Lytle is always working on onention or another, and hes gother one in the works for pets. Het say what it is trade secrets and
but hes tried it out on his owndogs and spoken with a patent
ney.the new invention takes off like his
gie Fountain did, he may one dayble to quit his day job as owner oftley Steel Products & Fabrication in
will.ytle, 52, has his daughter to thankthe Doggie Fountain. In 2006,
nie Galentine, now 27, asked herer to develop an outdoor waterce for her dog that would bethier and more reliable than a waterl. Her dog, she told her father, oftenked the bowl over during long,
upervised days outside in themer heat. And when the dog didntk the bowl over, the water would
n become stagnant and slimy.bout a week after his daughters Lytle took a sip from a water foun-in a store he was visiting and inspi-n struck.
I stopped, he said, and turnednd and looked at the fountain, ands when I go, If I can turn that into
ething that can work for a dog he result of the ensuing four yearsial and error is a 6-pound, spring-ed steel fountain that can be hookedo a garden hose. In a matter of days,e said, most dogs can be trained toon the devices paw pad to activate
fountain. When a dog takes its pawhe pad, the fountain stops.he Doggie Fountain received aty patent March 16, and Illinois-d Allied Precision Industries, theufacturer and marketer, unveiledproduct March 23 at the Global Peto in Orlando, Fla. Two and a halfths later, Allied had received orders
m retailers for 15,000 units, which
can be priced for as much as $39.99.Lytle gets 5 percent of sales to
retailers, and he said his first check forsix weeks of sales was about $3,900.
One of the retailers that placed orders
was farm and home supplier Rural Kwhich has stores in Angola, Kendalland Decatur, and in Van Wert, Ohio
In June, Allied National SManager Sal Occhipinti s
Everybody wants this. Its the mincredible thing Ive ever seen as faresponse. Weve yet to have anyb
Dogged pursuit of an idea
FILE
Company: Whitley Steel Products& Fabrication
Founder: Tony Lytle
Tony Lytles German shepherd, Boston, steps on the Doggie Fountains paw pa
activate the water.
n See FOUNTAIN on PAGE 13
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A N U FA CT U R I N G & D I S T R I B U T I O N
weve made a presentation to saydidnt want it.ytle, a welder by trade, has always
faith in his ability to createhanical things, although hes not
where his passion for tinkeringes from.Even when I was 12 years old, my
ms mixer and toaster would breakshe would throw them out, he said.
go in the garbage and try to figurewhy they broke. Ive just alwaysd mechanical stuff.I used to play cowboys and Indiansalways tried to make a better bowarrow. You know, that doesnt shootght. How can I make it shootghter?irtually nothing Lytle does innting or fixing things surprises his, Charlotte.Hes got, like, an Einstein brain,
said. If he ever went to college ton engineer, he would be one of the
nued from PAGE 12
FOUNTAIN: Inventor has been tinkering with things since childhoo
FILE PHOTO
Charlotte Ly
holds a Dog
Fountain
created by h
husband, To
One of the f
retailers tha
ordered the
product was
Rural King,
which has
stores in
Kendallville,
Angola, Dec
and Van WeOhio.
09 WINNER UPDATE
This has been a busy year for us
e at USCombatGear.focused most of ourrgy this year on
mpleting all of the
ms that were neces-y for us to get ourduct into the inven-
of the Army Airce Exchangevice.We just recentlyhed becoming elec-ic data interchange
mpliant and settingour ordering inter-
e with our EDI soft-e firm and AAFES.product is now in the inventory, and we will be receiving
ers shortly for our combat pack and M-16 magazine well
covers.We are beginning work with the Navy and Marine Corp
base exchanges, or more commonly known as NEXCOM. Witcompletion of both of these contracts we will be working witseveral thousand locations and we expect very good salefrom these locations. Once this is completed, we will then belooking at new products to enter into our line for placement athese locations.
We were awarded an EDGE Award at the IndianaStatehouse, which was presented by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillmanand also present was state Rep. Dick Dodge.
We will be aggressively marketing our product to civiliamarketplaces and have sent samples to Cabelas, GandeMountain and Dicks Sporting Goods stores.
We are keeping very busy and are focused on keeping themomentum. I truly feel that we would not be as far along as ware now if it was not from the assistance that we received fromthe Small Business Development Center. I will be forevegrateful to its staff.
James Nichol
USCombatGea
FILE PHOTO
James Nichols
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P R O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C
a society can be judged by the qualityfe possible for its most vulnerablebers, ours could be earning better
ks soon with the help of a service a Fortne couple is starting.he business is Summers Sky LLC. Itnamed after Summer and Skylar
gins, the 8- and 12-year-old daughters ofounders, Bradley and Karen Duggins.he younger daughter, Summer, wasfour months premature at St. Johns
pital in Springfield, Ill. Its neonatalsive care unit helped her survive insuf-nt lung development, two strokes and aorated bowl, but brain damage shered left her with cerebral palsy.ealing with the condition has requiredial care throughout Summers life.e are plenty of programs to help, but
ing what is available in a given area andwould work best for a particular caserequire a great deal of time and effort.is why the new service was started.he service provides a navigator to care-s of children affected by disabilities,Bradley Duggins, who left a position asle and training leader at Weaverorn Co. to found Summers Sky.he navigation service will be availablerson and online. Individual consultationaddress caregiver questions specific tocase, and a website will provide more
ral information on a broad range ofitions contributing to severe impairment
on appropriate care.he website also will provide informa-about and links to other sites for
rams, agencies, support groups andional resources established to helpal-needs children and their caregivers.here are virtual libraries of informatione vast number of programs designed toserve the needs of impaired individuals,not anything that identifies the qualitye source they are being directed to,
gins said.There are many out there that doderful things for these kids every day,hey need to be lifted up, he said. This
is an effort to shine a light on what they do
with excellence.We put the caregiver in control and
recognize that the family has needs also,
Duggins said. The whole family goes
through this experience The family n
as much attention, if not more, at time
the child.
The level of expertise that goes
collecting information for the Summers
portal, the screening involved in compili
and the way it is organized and presewill enable most caregivers to learn
they need to know more efficiently than
A helping hand in hard times
DOUG
Company: Summers Sky LLC
Founder: Bradley and KarenDuggins
Website: www.SummersSky.com
Bradley Duggins left a job at Weaver Popcorn Co. to start Summers Sky LLC,
which provides information and consultation services to caregivers.
n See SUMMERS SKY on PAGE 15
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d plugging terms into a search engine,gins said.hrough coaching and the informationable on its portal, Summers Sky willcaregivers develop and carry out planseet the education and therapeutic needs
mpaired family members and deal withed costs through financial planning.also will help caregivers determine thecourse of action in matters requiringcacy and mediation, and will help them
are for changes that could take place inlives as a result of the responsibilitiesare handling.he reach of the service will not beed to the area, but Duggins noted theheast Indiana Advocacy Coalitionrted at a news conference this summerwere 22,000 individuals with disabili-
n northeast Indiana.
Summers Sky will generate income withits Web portal through advertising sales andthe sale of memberships to access the part ofit that is not operated for free as a public
service. It also will collect fees for the ngation, training and referral serviceprovides, Duggins said.
In addition to its sales to caregiversbusiness will sell its services to employers so they can offer them company benefit, he said. It also will acdonations. The web portal is under devement and will be operational within the 12 months.
Duggins believes Summers Sky make enough money to contribute
programs in the area that serve people disabilities and said he will find that satisfying.
The path taking him to the startup business he hopes will benefit caregfamilies throughout the area hasnt all lollipops and rainbows; its been a lenging experience, he said. But its filled with joy.
We Take Fast and Make it Immediate.
iMAN strongly believes that communities should play a rolin controlling their own broadband destiny. As the nextessential utility that helps retain jobs and attract newbusiness development, iMAN is committed to making sure
Northeast Indiana achieves intelligent status.
INDIANA METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK
(STEUBEN COUNTY)
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nued from PAGE 14
DOUG LEDUC
Karen Duggins co-founded Summers
Sky LLC with her husband. The busi-
ness is named after the couples chil-
dren, Summer, center, and Skylar.
SUMMERS SKY: Company will sell services to employers
O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S
09 WINNER UPDATE
Financial Education Solutions is devel-g a financial literacy curriculum fordle schools. Our curriculum is unique inh its design and in its adherence toana financial literacy education stan-ds.The design of our curriculum is innovativeed on its use of videos and classroomvities to teach financial concepts. Each of15 lessons in our curriculum begins withort instructional video, which is followedclass activity designed to reinforce the
cept taught in the video. This format,
ue to our curriculum, makes it muche effective than those currently in use.Since winning the Innovation Award,ncial Education Solutions has
mpleted the beta prototype of itsculum, tied it to Indiana standards and
cessfully beta-tested it in two Indianaools. Based on the feedback from thisfeedback received from other educa-we are currently designing the final
duction version of our curriculum, whichbe available in January.
James Langford
Financial Education Solutions
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doesnt take too much to tip aeowner already struggling to keep
mortgage payments into foreclosure.it doesnt take too many fore-
ed, vacant and decaying houses toa stable city neighborhood into a
e that no one wants to call home.t the beginning of 2010,tington-based Pathfinder Servicesched an innovative program to savehborhoods at that tipping point bybbing houses previous owners hadbecause they couldnt keep up their
ments or afford big-ticket repairsa new furnace or water heater or
he nonprofit agencys communityelopment arm, Pathfinder
mmunity Connections, finished itsrehab project in July and hopes tovate as many as 15 homes over an
month period.athfinder also offers programs to
educate potential homeowners,k them through the loan process and
provide down-payment assistance.lly, as the residential rehab effortsnd, that program will help matchntial buyers with affordable,
ated and renovated homes.ut the houses also may be
hased by market buyers whoeciate the value of an old homebbed with the goal of being energyient and maintenance-free for 10s.he first house, at 210 W. Sherwoodace, in south-central Fort Wayne, isted in the southwest portion ofison Hills, a graceful, tree-linedhborhood characterized by solides built in the 1940s. Although thee, priced at $89,900, has yet to find
uyer, it has generated praise ofhbors pleased to see it repaired andwed.The neighbors are thrilled to see itd again, said Laurie Mitchener-
Oncheck, Pathfinders real estate acqui-
sition manager.The exterior of the gabled, two-story
home, once green and white, has beenrepainted in a soft gray with black and
white trim helping accent the all-windows. The kitchen and upsbathroom have been updated, a high-efficiency furnace and air cotioning were installed and there alsoa new water heater and new applian
The three-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath hhas almost 1,300 square feet of spnot including the attached garage
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R E AL E S T AT E , C O NS T R UC T I O N & DE S I G
Laurie
Mitchene
Oncheck
Pathfind
Services
real esta
acquisiti
manager
stands in
front of a
house in
Fort Way
that the
Huntingt
based
nonprofi
has
rehabbed
an effort
improve
overallquality o
the neigh
borhood
Home sweet home
DOMINIC ADAM
Organization: Pathfinder Services
Website: www.PathfinderServices.org
n See HOME on PAGE 17
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nished basement.reston Allen Homes worked withfinder on the rehab project.
Mitchener-Oncheck was a littleppointed the home hadnt sold askly as she thought it should, butd that the housing market is stilland the inventory of unsold homes
ains high.he nonprofit already has anothere purchased with a donation
m a private benefactor targeted asecond project. That house is in Fortnes Renaissance Pointe neighbor-
d. Once the Sherwood Terrace home, profits will be invested tohase and rehab a third home, and sond so forth.The word profit isnt necessarily a
word, Mitchener-Oncheck toldness Weekly earlier this year.
viously, if youre in the negative,
you cant keep it going.There is a lot of interest and localexcitement about this program, so weare very conscious of trying to do itslowly, she added. We want to do itright without holding a lot of inven-tory.
Homes in Huntington and Wabashalso will be considered for the neigh-borhood revitalization program.
The organization that becamePathfinder was created in 1965 to assistchildren with developmental disabilities.It expanded its programs and servicesthrough the 1970s and changed its nameto Pathfinder Services in late 1981.
Pathfinder Community Connectionswas formed in 1997 to bring together allnecessary resources to allow its clientsto achieve the American dream of homeownership and build to wealth throughhome equity one household at a time.It serves 23 counties: Adams, Allen,
DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Hamil
Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGraLaPorte, Marshall, Miami, NoRandolph, Shelby, St. Joe, StaSteuben, Wabash, Warrick, Wells Whitley.
It recently was honored by the RLocal Initiatives Support Corp. anational conference in Eugene, Ore.returning to basic community devement procedures through neighborhengagement.
nued from PAGE 16
HOME: Pathfinder has purchased second home in Fort Wayn
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A L E S TAT E , C O N S T R U C T I O N & D E S I G N
09 WINNER UPDATE
A year ago, we touted sustainable design and BIM as anvation and a focus of MSKTD. Since then, a lot haspened. The construction market is actually slower than weected, and the tightening of money has hurt both private ande-funded projects. That being said, we continue to focus oninnovations from a year ago.
BIM (Building Information Modeling) uses software calledVIT. We are now 100 percent REVIT users on all of our proj-s. We are now much smarter and proficient with the use. Wetinue to purchase larger screens and more powerful
mputers to make full use of the software. The ability to use thee-dimensional aspects and the integration of all engineeringgns is working well. This is both costly and time-consuming
mplement and maintain. I think were becoming much betterdelivering a better design and final project to our clients.
Sustainable design is very important to our firm and the finalrs of the facilities. We continue to utilize and expand ourgns with green in mind. Sustainable design is not unique to
KTD, but the amount of sustainable designs we have accom-hed is leading this effort. We have two LEED-certified build- and five in process for certification. All are major corporateinstitutional projects.
Last February, our own building became certified as a Green
Business of Fort Wayne. At that time, there were only aen or so businesses that worked to meet the requirements.think this shows our commitment of our efforts in designing
for the future of our environment starting in our own workplaceFor the upcoming year we fully expect to find more REVIT
functions we currently do not utilize and get even stronger witthat software engine. We expect to broaden our designs usingmore and more environmentally conscious products and basiplanning approaches. We think were doing the right things ithese two areas of our business.
Jim Kratza
MSKTD & Associates Inc
FILE PHOTO
Jim Kratzat
n There is a lot of interest andlocal excitement about this prograso we are very conscious of tryingdo it slowly. We want to do it righ
without holding a lot of inventoryLaurie Mitchener-Onc
Pathfinder Se
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RET A
pril Brewster Smythe had a definingment three years ago. A benign tumor
hly the size of a baseball was discov-in her brain. It was removed and sheved, but it changed completely her
ook on life.t made me realize how mortal I was,
said. I mean, it really came home toI remember looking at my grandchil-and thinking: I may not be here to see
m grow up. And so, I wanted to be able
to leave something that mattered and Icant think of anything that matters morethan this.
The this is the Green ABCs, a fledg-ling company that is producing a growingseries of products using the alphabet toteach children about green technology,practices, principles and lifestyles.
Smythe, 57, and her son ChristoLangschied, 33, have spent the last tyears developing the Green ABCs have thus far created a website, a booof flash cards and a coloring book. Onhorizon: prop boxes for each ofalphabets letters that contain play iconnected to a letters theme and tronic geolocation that identifies plrelated to green practices.
The Green ABCs recently mad
first sale: 15 flash card booklets at $1each to a Fort Wayne parochial sch
Growing up green
BARRY ROCHFORD
Company: The Green ABCs
Founders: April Brewster Smythe,Christopher Langschied
Website: www.TheGreenABCs.com
Green ABCs mixes vocabulary with concepts concerning environmentally sustainable practices,
nology, principles and lifestyles.
n See GREEN on PAGE 19
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TAIL
the and Langschied are focusingketing efforts on schools and on home-oling parents. Eventually, they hopeplace their products with majorlers.hey also are targeting consumers whoort industries in the so-calledtyles of health and sustainability
ketplace.he Fort Wayne natives have gotten
tance with their company from theheast Indiana Innovation Center,re the companys office is located. Thevation center granted the company00. Smythe and Langschied, mean-e, have put $1,500 of their own moneythe enterprise.he Green ABCs also was assisted byass at Fort Wayne Community
ools Anthis Career Center, whichuced the artwork for the flash cards.mythe, a freelance writer, andgschied, a former military weathercaster, chose the alphabet to focus onn because, they said, language is a keyarning.When youre having new words andconcepts added to language, its very
ortant for people to grasp those things,her you believe in them or not, said
gschied. Its just to be conscious ofything going on around you.aid Smythe: The words begin theess. So if these kids learn a word likeermiling, and theyve learned it from
on, theyre going to think aboutrent ways to innovate as they growr.
Hypermiling, the act of using methodsthat maximize fuel economy whiledriving, was named 2008 Word of the Yearby the New Oxford American Dictionary.Another word used in the flash cards,locavore, was named 2007 Word of theYear by the dictionary. A locavore issomeone who only eats foods grown andharvested within a 100-mile radius of his
or her home.Smythe said the flash cards and the
coloring book are foundational products
that hopefully will lead to more interaexperiences such as field trips and crethought on the part of young people.
I think its important for childrelearn to create at an early age, she saithink our kids are losing that abbecause they arent doing creative thTheyre sitting around playing vgames.
These (Green ABCs) tools are thkids are going to need to be able to surin our world.
GREEN: Teaching the words instills values for later on in lifenued from PAGE 18
DOMINIC
The Green ABCs was started by Christopher Langschied and his mother, April
Brewster Smythe.
ll our readers how youll help their business grow.If your companys goods or services can help another company grow, shout it to the hills. Or better yet, shout it directly at keydecision makers and business owners who are serious about, and successful at making their businesses grow. They are theones who need you and can afford you.
Since YOU are interested in growing your business, youll want to know that advertising in Business Weekly is THE placeto shout your message to reach your best prospect our targeted readers many, dedicated and smart enough to maintain
double-digit growth, even now. And, they didnt get there without partaking in what companies like yours offer to help busi-nesses grow.
nd out more call 260-426-2640. www.fwbusiness.com Tell them. Theyre reading.
GREATER FORTWAYNE
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T E C H N O L O G
ARRY [email protected]
n urban areas these days, high-speedr-optic networks are taken forted, with Internet service providers
mingly leapfrogging one another withhes for increasingly faster broadbandbilities.
n many less populated cities andnties, however, there is a digitalde. They lack a fiber-optic infrastruc-because telecommunications compa-have decided installing the miles
n miles of glass cable isnt cost-effi-.
Yet, businesses, hospitals, governmentagencies and other organizations in ruralareas just like their counterparts inurban areas need bandwidth to func-tion in a technology-driven world.Recognizing this, some bright minds inSteuben County got together and decidedthey couldnt wait anymore for someoneelse to build a fiber-optic network.
So theyre building it themselves.
In 2001, Bill Geiger and Donaldson started Indiana MetropoArea Network Inc., or iMAN, whichnonprofit supporting organization ofSteuben County Community FoundaTheir mission was simple: create a brband network that was affordablconnect to.
In the late 1990s, Donaldson owhis own technology business, and hesubcontracted by a telecom companinstall a fiber network for School CiMishawaka, which wanted all ofbuildings connected. He grew alarme
Donaldson, left, and Bill Geiger, center, started Indiana Metropolitan Area Network Inc. in 2001. It is
ding a fiber-optic network in Steuben County, and a portion of the connection fees generated
ugh iMAN support the Steuben County Community Foundation, led by CEO Oren Skinner, right.
DOMINIC ADAMS
Organization: Indiana MetropolitanArea Network Inc.
Founders: Bill Geiger, JadDonaldson
n See IMAN on PAGE 21
Making the connection
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the company dealt with the schoolict saying only it could build theork and what it was charging. Thepany wanted the entire cost to buildnetwork paid up-front, and there wasonthly charge of $1,000 per building,he life of the building, to maintain
network.I didnt want to see happen toben County what happened to
hawaka, Donaldson said. So he
d to Geiger, and the two beganulating a plan.
We came up with a way to offer thee kind of services to this communitywe did in Mishawaka, but to do it abit differently, Donaldson said.
While cities have developed their own-optic networks, Donaldson ander chose to place iMAN under therella of the community foundation tohasize the projects goal of benefitingf Steuben County. It also provides a
raising source for the foundation, as aon of all connection fees goes back toommunity foundation.The magic here is that whateverey gets spent to build this fiber-opticork from the funding side of
ding it to the usage side of actuallyg the services it all stays here incommunity. It all comes back to themunity foundation, Donaldson said.sing $50,000 in grant funding, theypleted a feasibility study, which today serves as a road map for the
d-out of the network. The city ofola, which initially contributed
0,000 to the project, was the first toconnected in 2003, Geiger said,wed by Cameron Memorial
mmunity Hospital and theopolitan School District of Steuben
County.Steuben County government offices
are connected to the network, as are TrineUniversity, Tri-State Medical Imaging,Vestil Manufacturing and UniverticalCorp. In the seven years since making itsfirst connection, iMAN has installed 10
miles of fiber-optic cable at a cost ofabout $450,000.To date, Angola has contributed about
$200,000 to iMAN, Fremont $10,000 andthe community foundation $200,000.
In October, Geiger said iMAN wasworking to extend the network toFremont. The nonprofit estimates that in2011, it will generate more than$126,000 in connection fees; of that,more than $82,000 would go back to thecommunity foundation to distributewithin the communities served by iMAN,
while about $44,000 would be used topay for the ongoing installation of thenetwork.
Geiger said iMAN will build the back-bone of the network, but it is up to eachindividual community to determine thenumber of fiber connections it needs. The
more connections, the more fundingcommunity would receive throughfoundation.
So its kind of like the harder community would like to workbuilding out and deploying the fibermaking the connections, the biggerreturn it will be for each of the commties, he said.
Oren Skinner, CEO of the SteuCounty Community Foundation, saidrevenue iMAN has generated has he
out during these difficult economic tiOur community in the last sevyears has really been hurting becausthe loss of jobs, and the human needbeen such that weve pretty much limour granting to those human needs. this helps carry that out, Skinner sai
Depending on a companys or orgzations needs, their connection coulas little as 10 megabits per second omuch as 10 gigabits per second. connection remains dark until the installs the necessary equipment to data, and the equipment governs howdata is sent and received.
IMAN doesnt provide Interneaffiliated services, and there are no pto connect residences to the netwGeiger said an Internet offer, howecould use the system to provide resitial broadband. And other compacould take advantage of the iMnetwork.
It will allow for-profit serproviders to come to our communi
We all know about the big three: InteTV and phone. But in the technoworld, theres many more services toffered. Theres voice-over (Inteprotocol), off-site distance stordistance learning and various other thyet to be developed, Geiger said.
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nued from PAGE 20
IMAN: Part of the connection fees go to the community foundatio
09 WINNER UPDATE
In spring 2010, Fort Wayne-based TrustBearer Labs, whicheloped the TrustBearer Access online authentication system,
purchased by VeriSign Inc., which is headquartered inuntain View, Calif.
TrustBearer was started in 2004 by David Corcoran. ItsAccess authentication system is used by health care providerand government agencies, among other clients.
In August, Symantec Corp. acquired VeriSigns identity and
authentication business.
By Business Weekly staf
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
To date, iMAN has installed about 10
miles of fiber-optic cable.
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PA ST W I N N E
The innovators
06
erging company SensoryCritters.com
ancial services BeniComp Group Inc.; Bank of Geneva
lth care Schwartz Biomedical
nufacturing and distribution Rubber Innovators LLC
profit Foundation for Art and Music in Elementary
cation; Science Central
fessional services Digital AV
l estate, construction and design RealtyFlex
porate LLC
ail Stop & Shred
hnology Zoom Information Systems
ovator of the Year Rubber Innovators LLC
07
erging company Sorbashock LLC
ancial services HomeFree Systems LLC; Wells Fargo
lth care LacPro Industries LLC
nufacturing and distribution Superior
ufacturing, a division of Magnatech Corp.
fessional services DeSoto Translation & Marketing Inc.
l estate, construction and design NAI Harding Dahm
ail Crazy Pinz
hnology Effect Web Media
ovator of the Year LacPro Industries LLC
2008
Emerging company NewsMogul LLC
Health care Solstice Medical LLC
Manufacturing and distribution Tippmann Industria
Products Inc.
Professional services Star Financial Bank
Real estate, construction and design Basic Eleme
Design LLC
Retail Fort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot
Technology Intrasect Technologies
Innovator of the Year Solstice Medical LLC
2009
Emerging company DigitalHydraulic LLC
Health care StrokeCareNow Network
Manufacturing and distribution USCombatGear
Professional services Financial Education Solutions
Real estate, construction and design MSKTD &
Associates Inc.
Retail Build A Computer
Technology TrustBearer Labs
Innovator of the Year DigitalHydraulic LLC
To nominate your company or organization for the
2011 Innovation Awards, visit www.fwbusiness.com
0 marks the fifth 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:
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As an employer, you know that a happy, healthy workforce is a productive
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which is exactly what PHP provides. We have an array of options that we can
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A healthy workforce.
The first step to buildinga healthy community.
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26/283201 Stellhorn Road, Fort Waynewww.niic.net
2010Innovation Awards
PROFESSIONAL SERVICESCategory Winner
2010Innovation Awards
EMERGING COMPANYCategory Winner
2010Innovation Awards
RETAILCategory Winner
Were especially proud o our three winners in this years Innovation Awards competition
because all three are based on innovations or children! While many people associate uswith biomedical, engineering, and ventures, companies devoted to the
er generations are well represented on the Innovation Park campusin act, two o this
years winners are products o our Student Venture Lab which ofers young people the op
portunity to launch and run their own businesses. Congratulations to all our winners, and
thanks or making 2010 another banner year or the Innovation Park.
Creating jobs and companies
for future generations ...
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For innovative solutions to your banking needs, it
pays to See Lake City!
Member FDIC
Fort Wayne North
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10429 Illinois Road
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It cures disease and advances technology and is always applauded andawarded. Lake City Bank congratulates the nominees and winners of this years
Innovation Awards and thanks you for maintaining the American
entrepreneurial and innovative spirit!
Innovation
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experience guidanceAs proud sponsor o the 2010 Innovation Awards, BKD salutes this
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Whats driving you? Improving perormance? Reducing risk? Te list is
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