cleveland-based eventworks becomes sole U.S partner for 3D design technology
Now it's cool to think inside the box.
EventWorks, Inc., a Greater Cleveland event-planning and audio-video production company, has become the sole U.S partner for a 3D design technology that has already taken Europe by storm. The technology combines holographic, free-floating images that are displayed with a physical product inside a glass case. The result is a unique and visually stunning way for companies to market their brand or product.
"We jumped into the technology because we thought it was really great," says Joel Solloway, owner of EventWorks. "We do large-scale events in terms of setting and lighting design, and we're always looking for something different." EventWorks formed a strategic partnership with Cleveland-based EDR Media to design custom animation.
As an authorized U.S. partner with Real Fiction, the Copenhagen-based developer of the holographic technology, EventWorks has been able to reach out to potential customers around the country and the globe. While large-scale holographic technology can be expensive, Real Fiction's products are highly affordable, with units ranging from around $6,000 to $15,000.
So far, EventWorks has added a salesperson to promote the technology and may soon add support staff. RubberMaid Commercial will be using the holographic tool for an upcoming trade show, and Coca-Cola has shown interest in using the technology for advertising and marketing.
Clevelanders can catch a glimpse of the holographic technology on November 6 at the SPACES Gallery in Cleveland. As part of the gallery's fundraiser, "App to the Future," EventWorks will be showing samples of work the company has done for Virgin Atlantic, BMW and other clients.
SOURCE: EventWorks, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
EventWorks, Inc., a Greater Cleveland event-planning and audio-video production company, has become the sole U.S partner for a 3D design technology that has already taken Europe by storm. The technology combines holographic, free-floating images that are displayed with a physical product inside a glass case. The result is a unique and visually stunning way for companies to market their brand or product.
"We jumped into the technology because we thought it was really great," says Joel Solloway, owner of EventWorks. "We do large-scale events in terms of setting and lighting design, and we're always looking for something different." EventWorks formed a strategic partnership with Cleveland-based EDR Media to design custom animation.
As an authorized U.S. partner with Real Fiction, the Copenhagen-based developer of the holographic technology, EventWorks has been able to reach out to potential customers around the country and the globe. While large-scale holographic technology can be expensive, Real Fiction's products are highly affordable, with units ranging from around $6,000 to $15,000.
So far, EventWorks has added a salesperson to promote the technology and may soon add support staff. RubberMaid Commercial will be using the holographic tool for an upcoming trade show, and Coca-Cola has shown interest in using the technology for advertising and marketing.
Clevelanders can catch a glimpse of the holographic technology on November 6 at the SPACES Gallery in Cleveland. As part of the gallery's fundraiser, "App to the Future," EventWorks will be showing samples of work the company has done for Virgin Atlantic, BMW and other clients.
SOURCE: EventWorks, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
downtown architecture firm designs award-winning dots headquarters, adds design staffers
What's a fashion store without a fashionable nest? Cleveland architecture and interior design firm Vocon was tasked by Dots to devise a new Glenwillow-based headquarters facility that reflected the fashion retailer's penchant for innovation.
Vocon's design of the 192,000-square-foot office and distribution center oozes hip femininity and panache. Pink, the company's corporate color, is splashed across the modern lobby and used as an accent everywhere from the conference rooms to the lunchroom. Circular coffee tables, casual chairs and bathroom fixtures playfully reinforce the spherical Dots brand.
Dots' commitment to innovation is also reflected in a slew of modern-office amenities: coffee bars, indoor basketball court, indoor and outdoor walking tracks, and a Nintendo Wii gaming center speak not only to the times, but to the company's appreciation of its employees.
For its efforts, Vocon received an award from the Ohio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The project was singled out for its urban flair and attention to detail.
Vocon's recent projects have included the redesign of 60 KeyBank locations as well as graphics and interior design work for Tri-C's new Center for Creative Arts. Vocon's increase in design work has caused the firm to add new staffers to its team of 60-plus members. Vocon recently was ranked 43 on Interior Design magazine's list of "Top 100 Giants," with $12 million in design fees.
Dots has 400 stores in 26 states and employs more than 300 people in Northeast Ohio.
Vocon's design of the 192,000-square-foot office and distribution center oozes hip femininity and panache. Pink, the company's corporate color, is splashed across the modern lobby and used as an accent everywhere from the conference rooms to the lunchroom. Circular coffee tables, casual chairs and bathroom fixtures playfully reinforce the spherical Dots brand.
Dots' commitment to innovation is also reflected in a slew of modern-office amenities: coffee bars, indoor basketball court, indoor and outdoor walking tracks, and a Nintendo Wii gaming center speak not only to the times, but to the company's appreciation of its employees.
For its efforts, Vocon received an award from the Ohio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The project was singled out for its urban flair and attention to detail.
Vocon's recent projects have included the redesign of 60 KeyBank locations as well as graphics and interior design work for Tri-C's new Center for Creative Arts. Vocon's increase in design work has caused the firm to add new staffers to its team of 60-plus members. Vocon recently was ranked 43 on Interior Design magazine's list of "Top 100 Giants," with $12 million in design fees.
Dots has 400 stores in 26 states and employs more than 300 people in Northeast Ohio.
SOURCES: Vocon, Inc., Dots
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
cleveland's pediacath snags $500k to develop first line of pediatric catheters
You would think that something as vital as a cardiac catheter designed specifically for children would have been on the market years ago. Sad truth is, a lack of financial incentives previously prevented such a device from being produced.
"There aren't many players in the pediatric medical device space because there isn't huge cash-out potential," explains Tim Moran, founder of Cleveland-based nonprofit PediaWorks. The issue, he notes, is simply a matter of market share. Whereas the adult medical device market caters to patients aged 18 to, well, death, the pediatric market stretches only from birth to 18. "And people in that younger age group are, thankfully, relatively healthy."
The out-and-out lack of medical devices designed for young patients often leaves practitioners scrambling for suitable off-label replacements. In fact, there are relatively few devices that are FDA-approved for pediatrics. The associated problems can range from pain and discomfort, as in the case of an ill-fitting airway mask, to matters of life and death, illustrated by the absence of pediatric pacemakers.
Thanks to a new joint venture between PediaWorks and Medikit, a manufacturer of interventional cardiology products headquartered in Japan, Cleveland will serve as new headquarters for PediaCath, the first developer of pediatric catheters.
In addition to the use of its rapid prototyping facilities and top-notch R&D engineers, Medikit is kicking in $500,000 in seed funding. PediaWorks will be providing executive management services and access to a network of pediatric clinical advisors and research partners. The Cleveland Clinic is also involved in the project.
PediaWorks was formed in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to help children through the development of medical devices.
"There aren't many players in the pediatric medical device space because there isn't huge cash-out potential," explains Tim Moran, founder of Cleveland-based nonprofit PediaWorks. The issue, he notes, is simply a matter of market share. Whereas the adult medical device market caters to patients aged 18 to, well, death, the pediatric market stretches only from birth to 18. "And people in that younger age group are, thankfully, relatively healthy."
The out-and-out lack of medical devices designed for young patients often leaves practitioners scrambling for suitable off-label replacements. In fact, there are relatively few devices that are FDA-approved for pediatrics. The associated problems can range from pain and discomfort, as in the case of an ill-fitting airway mask, to matters of life and death, illustrated by the absence of pediatric pacemakers.
Thanks to a new joint venture between PediaWorks and Medikit, a manufacturer of interventional cardiology products headquartered in Japan, Cleveland will serve as new headquarters for PediaCath, the first developer of pediatric catheters.
In addition to the use of its rapid prototyping facilities and top-notch R&D engineers, Medikit is kicking in $500,000 in seed funding. PediaWorks will be providing executive management services and access to a network of pediatric clinical advisors and research partners. The Cleveland Clinic is also involved in the project.
PediaWorks was formed in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to help children through the development of medical devices.
SOURCE: PediaWorks
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
arisdyne's technology helps ethanol producers increase output at same cost
Everyone knows that powdered sugar will dissolve more quickly in your
coffee than a sugar cube — and that stirring will help either dissolve
even faster. Applying that principal to manufacturing is not so simple,
but new technology from Cleveland-based Arisdyne Systems is helping corn ethanol producers achieve higher yields from the same raw materials and energy.
Arisdyne's hydrodynamic cavitation technology harnesses the power of cavitation, the tiny implosions that occur in any turbulent fluid. As the company's web site explains, "The system is calibrated to produce optimum process conditions. Shockwaves resulting from the implosions impact the surrounding process fluid. Tiny droplets or particles result producing high-quality emulsions and dispersions."
And greater yields. The technology has helped Corn Plus of Minnesota increase production by 4 percent, according to Arisdyne vice president Fred Clarke. "Which, if you think about it, is like getting free money," he adds. Corn Plus licensed the technology in June, after two months of testing, and in July reported in its newsletter that "data from the first couple of months are very promising and the unit's operation has been consistent."
Arisdyne installed another system just two weeks ago, and has signed contracts with two other clients, Clarke says. The outlook for next year? "It's bright," Clarke says. There are about 200 ethanol plants in the U.S., and Clarke estimates that 120-140 posses the "downstream" factors necessary to benefit from Arisdyne's system.
Source: Fred Clarke, Arsidyne
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Arisdyne's hydrodynamic cavitation technology harnesses the power of cavitation, the tiny implosions that occur in any turbulent fluid. As the company's web site explains, "The system is calibrated to produce optimum process conditions. Shockwaves resulting from the implosions impact the surrounding process fluid. Tiny droplets or particles result producing high-quality emulsions and dispersions."
And greater yields. The technology has helped Corn Plus of Minnesota increase production by 4 percent, according to Arisdyne vice president Fred Clarke. "Which, if you think about it, is like getting free money," he adds. Corn Plus licensed the technology in June, after two months of testing, and in July reported in its newsletter that "data from the first couple of months are very promising and the unit's operation has been consistent."
Arisdyne installed another system just two weeks ago, and has signed contracts with two other clients, Clarke says. The outlook for next year? "It's bright," Clarke says. There are about 200 ethanol plants in the U.S., and Clarke estimates that 120-140 posses the "downstream" factors necessary to benefit from Arisdyne's system.
Source: Fred Clarke, Arsidyne
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
tremont electric takes the i-stage
On October 18, venture capitalists, engineers, journalists and tech
geeks from around the world will gather in San Francisco for i-stage, a
competition in which inventors and developers vie for VIP access to the
massive International Consumer Electronics Show in January. For the
finalists who will present their creations, it's an opportunity of a
lifetime — and not just because of the $50,000 prize. Imagine if the
NFL held open tryouts, and the winner got to play in the Super Bowl.
Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.
LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.
"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.
At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."
For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.
Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.
LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.
"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.
At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."
For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.
Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
stem-cell therapy from athersys shows promise in brain injuries and heart attacks
The October issue of the journal Experimental Neurology reports
on a study showing that MultiStem, a patented adult stem cell therapy
product from Cleveland-based biopharmaceutical firm Athersys Inc., mitigated the damage of traumatic brain injuries in lab experiments.
MultiStem uses multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPC, which "are obtained from the bone marrow or other tissue sources of healthy, consenting adult donors," according to an Athersys release. In an abstract of the study, the researchers explain, "Traumatic brain injury causes … an increase in circulating immune cells leading to increased blood brain barrier permeability. The intravenous injection of MAPC preserves … the integrity of the blood brain barrier."
As an unrelated 2007 Science Daily article explained, "The cells that make up the blood-brain barrier help the brain and immune system communicate. … Changes to the blood-brain barrier could give important clues about injuries to the central nervous system and the growth of tumors."
MultiStem appears to be an unusually versatile therapy. The same week that the Experimental Neurology report was released,
Athersys presented findings from clinical trials with heart attack patients at Transvascular Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C. That ongoing work involves Dr. Marc Penn, Director of Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Athersys CEO Gil Van Bokkelen notes that while the recent trials were designed primarily to test safety, "we also saw clear and compelling signs that patients were experiencing improvement in heart function."
Van Bokkelen says Athersys and its many partners, including Pfizer, are excited about the potential of MultiStem as a "very powerful multifactor delivery system" that can treat a wide variety of patients.
Source: Athersys
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
MultiStem uses multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPC, which "are obtained from the bone marrow or other tissue sources of healthy, consenting adult donors," according to an Athersys release. In an abstract of the study, the researchers explain, "Traumatic brain injury causes … an increase in circulating immune cells leading to increased blood brain barrier permeability. The intravenous injection of MAPC preserves … the integrity of the blood brain barrier."
As an unrelated 2007 Science Daily article explained, "The cells that make up the blood-brain barrier help the brain and immune system communicate. … Changes to the blood-brain barrier could give important clues about injuries to the central nervous system and the growth of tumors."
MultiStem appears to be an unusually versatile therapy. The same week that the Experimental Neurology report was released,
Athersys presented findings from clinical trials with heart attack patients at Transvascular Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C. That ongoing work involves Dr. Marc Penn, Director of Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Athersys CEO Gil Van Bokkelen notes that while the recent trials were designed primarily to test safety, "we also saw clear and compelling signs that patients were experiencing improvement in heart function."
Van Bokkelen says Athersys and its many partners, including Pfizer, are excited about the potential of MultiStem as a "very powerful multifactor delivery system" that can treat a wide variety of patients.
Source: Athersys
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
cervilenz inc. offers another tool for doctors and pregnant women
Five months after the commercial launch of its medical device, CerviLenz Inc. of Chagrin Falls is ramping up for a national marketing push in the third quarter.
The wand-like CerviLenz measures the vaginal cervical length of pregnant women showing signs of preterm labor. In August, Ob.Gyn. News reported that in a study involving 52 women, CerviLenz was "similar in efficacy" to another widely used test that, unlike a CerviLenz test, requires lab work.
"Immediate and quantifiable measures of cervical length using the CerviLenz probe may be less variable than the most common way of measuring — by digital exam — and speedier than waiting for fetal fibronectin [test] results," according to Ob.Gyn. News.
The device helps reduce the guesswork in treatment: The article notes that only 21-27 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor will actually deliver prematurely. And, "In asymptomatic women, cervical length shorter than 25 mm has been linked to a sixfold increase in risk for preterm birth."
About 25 hospitals are currently evaluating the product. "The hospital purchasing process is really complicated," with multiple rounds of testing, says Melanie Sweeney, CerviLenz Inc.'s director of marketing. But the company should soon start receiving the feedback it will need for a major sales push.
CerviLenz Inc.'s backers include Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc., North Coast Angel Fund of Mayfield Heights and Chrysalis Ventures, which has a Cleveland office.
Source: CerviLenz Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The wand-like CerviLenz measures the vaginal cervical length of pregnant women showing signs of preterm labor. In August, Ob.Gyn. News reported that in a study involving 52 women, CerviLenz was "similar in efficacy" to another widely used test that, unlike a CerviLenz test, requires lab work.
"Immediate and quantifiable measures of cervical length using the CerviLenz probe may be less variable than the most common way of measuring — by digital exam — and speedier than waiting for fetal fibronectin [test] results," according to Ob.Gyn. News.
The device helps reduce the guesswork in treatment: The article notes that only 21-27 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor will actually deliver prematurely. And, "In asymptomatic women, cervical length shorter than 25 mm has been linked to a sixfold increase in risk for preterm birth."
About 25 hospitals are currently evaluating the product. "The hospital purchasing process is really complicated," with multiple rounds of testing, says Melanie Sweeney, CerviLenz Inc.'s director of marketing. But the company should soon start receiving the feedback it will need for a major sales push.
CerviLenz Inc.'s backers include Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc., North Coast Angel Fund of Mayfield Heights and Chrysalis Ventures, which has a Cleveland office.
Source: CerviLenz Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
iguiders' online shopping aid to debut with major retailer in october
For some, the allure of online shopping is never having to deal with a
pushy salesperson. The downside of avoiding a human is how
time-consuming it can be to search on your own. Try typing "car" or
"blender" or "snarky t-shirt" into Google and see how long it takes to
find precisely what you want. So it's not surprising when Envirosell,
which studies shoppers' behavior, reports that web surfers are 40
percent more likely to linger on sites with some sort of personalized
experience.
That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.
"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.
A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.
Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."
"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.
The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.
Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.
"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.
A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.
Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."
"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.
The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.
Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis