The Two-Wheeled Hybrid: E-Bikes Hit the Road in PA
By: Rebecca VanderMeulen, 9/9/2010
Visionary entrepreneurs are hoping to ride e-bikes to profits, and it's getting easier to buy bicycles with batteries and electric motors statewide. A proposed state law would also make them street legal.
Faces of Energy: Deborah Kosmack, Consol Energy R&D
By: Joe Petrucci, 9/9/2010
She has been an engineer in most every capacity in a half-dozen industries for 30 years, and she's helping multiple companies improve coal's future as a viable clean energy source. She also plays a mean hammered dulcimer.
Q&A: Karl Borton, River Common in Wilkes-Barre
By: Joe Petrucci, 9/2/2010
He was always close to the old river, but never like this. This Wyoming Valley native is re-shaping people's notions about the Susquehanna and contributing to downtown Wilkes-Barre's ongoing revival.
A New Vision for 3-D Takes Shape in PA
By: Rebecca VanderMeulen, 9/2/2010
The makers of TV shows and movies are producing more and more of them in 3-D. Two Eastern Pennsylvania companies are cashing in by providing them with the latest in three-dimensional glasses.
Q&A: Sherry Kramer, Lehigh Valley Food Co-Op
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/26/2010
In re-discovering the power of local food and community, this registered nurse is connecting farmers and food producers with nearby customers in and around Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton in new ways.
Q&A: Niraj Pathak, Innovatrix Labs
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/19/2010
The Luzerne County resident is part of a team that has developed a potentially game-changing computer security platform and is intent on adding Hazleton to the technology boom in Northeastern PA.
Crime Pays for PA Tech Firms That Are Making Communities Safer
By: John Steele, 8/19/2010
This isn't a citizen's arrest. Rather, multiple technology firms are working at bringing emergency responders, school and other institutions up to speed with the latest and most effective security and monitoring gadgetry.
Bulding Supplies Al Fresco in Lancaster
By: Joel Berg, 8/19/2010
Two Ricks, Frescatore and Scott, got their start in recycling 20 years ago and have taken their next sustainable step with Fresco Green Building Supplies, connecting sustainable products with customers and installers in Lancaster and beyond.
Snap! They Actually Built a Better Mousetrap
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/12/2010
Woodstream Corp. of Lititz teamed with Philadelphia product designers Bresslergroup to retool a product often tinkered with but rarely profited from. The next-generation Victor Quickset Mousetrap is now a model for sustainable product design.
Faces of Energy: Tom Joseph, Epiphany Solar Water Systems
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/12/2010
History, his own family's and that which lives in books, drives his work ethic, and it may not be long before the rest of the world drinks in the New Castle native's system that purifies water with concentrated solar power.
PA Artisan Trails Blazing New Path for Artists and Their Communities
By: Sara Hodon, 8/11/2010
You can get your kicks on Route 66, but can you get collectible glass pieces or award-winning sculpture made of man-made disposables? The PA Artisan Trails have turned well-traveled routes into prime creative space, enriching artists, tourists and local economies.
Q&A: Adrien Treuille, Carnegie Mellon University
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/5/2010
Sometimes even the brightest minds need a push in the right direction, and this rising computer graphics star is making real-time simulations, science and technology commercialization more accessible for everyone.
Has the Time Come for Time Banks?
By: Joe Petrucci, 8/5/2010
Exchanging services like gardening for pet-sitting may seem like simplistic bartering, but time banks from across PA are taking the concept to a new level for better health, tighter-knit communities and skills development.
Central PA Startups Delve into Nanotech for Solar Solutions
By: Joel Berg, 7/29/2010
The next big thing in solar technology just may be germinating inside labs in Lancaster and State College, where researchers are tweaking nanotechnology to cut the costs and boost the efficiency of solar panels.
Faces of Energy: Atta Gueye, Plextronics
By: Joe Petrucci, 7/29/2010
She's an adrenaline junkie who is part of a team that's "changing the world." If she and her company continue to establish efficiency excellence, more accessible solar technology will soon be a reality.
Q&A: Chris Molineaux, Pennsylvania Bio
By: Joe Petrucci, 7/22/2010
He's got big shoes to fill and big priorities as the new president of PA's only statewide membership organization for the biosciences, and he'll draw on a career's worth of relevant experience in the most dynamic political and healthcare environments.
Faces of Energy: Dave Patton, Illuminex
By: Joel Berg, 7/15/2010
When this 24 year-old Mechanicsburg native isn't moving boundaries for Lancaster-based Illuminex, using nanotechnology to build smarter solar power systems, he's repairing motorcycles and running marathons.
Spectacle: York Made It
By: Brad Bower, 7/1/2010
They don't call York County the Factory Tour Capital of the World for nothing. Manufacturing has served as the area's backbone since it was settled, and we captured the sector's most enduring images on a recent tour of several hot spots.
Q&A: Erik Wesner, Success Made Simple
By: Joe Petrucci, 7/1/2010
The Amish can do much more than make pretzels and raise barns. In fact, they operate businesses better than most, boasting a 95 percent success rate according to this author's new book, which tells the lesson-filled entrepreneurial story of the Amish in Lancaster County and beyond.
No Funny Money: Local Currency Sustains Local Economies
By: John Steele, 6/30/2010
Community organizer Paul Glover has brought the idea of local currency to Eastern PA, where multiple communities are cashing in and improving the health of local business districts as well as underserved residents.
Q&A: Alexandra Wenger, DressDibs
By: Joe Petrucci, 6/24/2010
"OMG, she's wearing my dress!" This recent Cedar Cliff High School graduate knows the feeling, and she built a website that allows high school girls to get first dibs on their formalwear and avoid dress duplication on their big nights.
Penn State Berks Growing Food Tech in Greater Reading
By: Rebecca VanderMeulen, 6/24/2010
More than 1,200 Pennsylvania food-processing companies produce edibles
on every segment of the food pyramid. Penn State University's Berks County
campus is planning a center to feed their efforts to innovate.
Faces of Energy: Dustin Eplee, Energy Wall
By: Joe Petrucci, 6/17/2010
He's not even 30 and has already done more in his career than most entrepreneurs hope to accomplish in a lifetime. The Penn State graduate has developed technology and served as a thought leader to create more energy efficient buildings.
Q&A: Leigh Twiford, TECHQuest PA
By: Joe Petrucci, 6/10/2010
She connects legislators, companies and resources to better utilize technology across Pennsylvania, and her job is becoming increasingly more important as government and industry
look to get leaner and more efficient.
Drilling Down: Marcellus Shale Drives Innovation Across PA, Region
By: Rory Sweeney, 6/10/2010
Disposal of wastewater is among the chief concerns that various companies and local governments are dealing with in Marcellus Shale natural-gas drilling, and they're coming up with groundbreaking solutions that can help the environment and their bottom line.
Search No More: PA Companies Lead Online Marketing Revolution
By: Sara Hodon, 6/10/2010
Finding help to ensure others find you online is as easy as a click. Internet marketing companies like Solid Cactus in Wilkes-Barre and WebpageFX in Carlisle are among the leaders in search engine optimization and related services for businesses small and large across Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Guitar Hero Puts Musical Robots Centerstage
By: Marty Levine, 6/3/2010
Carnegie Mellon grad Eric Singer is an award-winning developer of music
technology that can make anyone sounds like a one-man band and has won
over boundary-pushing artists like jazz legend Pat Metheny.
Q&A: Sairam Rudrabhatla, Penn State University-Harrisburg
By: Joe Petrucci, 6/3/2010
He has quietly worked to build interest in biotech in Central PA, and now he and area students and faculty will have a place to conduct serious biofuels research and give Pennsylvania several renewable energy solutions.
Q&A: Andy Rumbold, Wash Tyme
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/27/2010
This Bucks County startup maker of all-natural soaps may also have a
degreaser that can help clean wildlife affected by the massive Gulf
Coast oil spill, and the best part is it's a natural byproduct of used
vegetable oil.
Drilling Down: Impact of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play
By: Rory Sweeney, 5/27/2010
How did Bradford County gain 2,000 jobs in this economy? Look below the surface, more than a mile to be exact, and it's natural gas explorers who are turning a recession into a boom for rural PA. But at what cost?
Robert Morris Actuary Program Beats the Odds
By: Chris O'Toole, 5/27/2010
Pennsylvania's actuarial acumen is widely recognized as among the nation's best thanks to programs like those at Temple University and Robert Morris University, where future actuaries get a leg up in pursuing careers in actuary science.
Q&A: Mary Pat Donnellon, Mission Research
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/20/2010
It's her company's mission to help nonprofits support theirs, and the affordability and functionality of the Lancaster firm's GiftWorks fundraising software goes a long way toward that end. She's also good at just asking for money.
When Scientists Become Entrepreneurs
By: Dan Eldridge, 5/20/2010
The No. 2-ranked life sciences hub in the nation, Greater Philadelphia has overcome big pharma's job losses thanks to a growing number of entrepreneurial scientists either forced or compelled to go it alone.
A Dream House for Emergencies
By: John Steele, 5/20/2010
It costs less than $10,000, is made from recycled materials, and can be assembled by two people and a rock. Snyder County's Lake Forest Panel Systems could have the perfect solution for emergency housing.
PA Higher Education Goes Global
By: John Steele, 5/13/2010
Enrollment of international students is at an all-time high for PA schools thanks to numerous efforts from institutions across the state to attract them. The goal is to offer a world-class college experience for everyone on campus.
Community College Expansion Could Transform Poconos
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/13/2010
Once driven mostly by tourism, Monroe County's explosive population growth left a void that the $72 million makeover of Northampton Community College's branch campus in Tannersville is expected to fill, resulting in a redefined workforce and community center.
Q&A: John Fosnacht, SoftGenetics
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/13/2010
As co-founder of the State College firm producing software that analyzes DNA sequencing, this biotech veteran has stayed in front of the rapidly developing sequencing and genomics services market.
Campaign Trails Lead Jobseekers to Opportunity
By: John Steele, 5/6/2010
Electing politicians is big business in Pennsylvania. Fewer donations mean campaigns are working overtime and those aspiring to careers in politics must be passionate and wear many hats.
Wilkes-Barre's New Jobs Site Anything But Low-Rent
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/6/2010
Community college student Gerard Durling has put the spotlight back on the jobseeker with his online startup, rentsomeone, and early results indicate that has a wide appeal.
Q&A: Jiddu Tapia, Gamesa
By: Joe Petrucci, 5/6/2010
The wind energy giant's latest addition is charged with developing its operations in Pennsylvania and beyond, including the deployment of its new G-90 turbines, which can each power more than 500 homes.
Sherman’s Second Act a Big Hit in Stroudsburg
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/29/2010
The 1929 Broadway-style theater’s revival, led by New York native Rich Berkowitz, has put the Monroe County seat back on the map and stimulated success up and down Main Street.
Disc Golf Catches on All Over Pennsylvania
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/29/2010
It is attracting all kind of players, protecting open space and
providing potential revenue streams for the recreation industry, and PA
has helped spread the sport up and down the East Coast.
Q&A: Dan Schimmel, Breadboard
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/29/2010
Art and technology are increasingly becoming intertwined as new media
creates new possibilities, and this longtime painter is helping
showcase the most exciting what-ifs at the University City Science
Center.
Silicon Simmering in NEPA
By: Sara Hodon, 4/22/2010
Dot.coms and e-commerce firms are about as prevalent as coal mines once
were in Northeastern PA, where entrepreneurs are finding the region’s
work ethic has translated well to tech-based business.
A Distinctive Destination Built to Last
By: John Steele, 4/22/2010
The rural-urban Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia has been honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as much for its past as its commitment to the future.
Q&A: Karen Gunnison, Murata Business Center
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/22/2010
This former lawyer and one-time county commissioner candidate has become a force for entrepreneurs in Central PA, continuing the success established at Carlisle’s business incubator.
Minor Leagues, Major Success in Hershey-Harrisburg
By: John Steele, 4/15/2010
It’s Opening Day on City Island. And how ‘bout them Bears?
Hershey-Harrisburg has all the right moves, which is why it has been
recognized as the nation’s top minor league sports market.
Villanova Firm Follows the Action Like No Other
By: John Steele, 4/15/2010
With 10 patents, Ed Dougherty is one of Pennsylvania's most dynamic sports inventors, and his robotic WaveCam allows teams to capture video from every conceivable angle.
Q&A: Dr. Mark Lovell, ImPACT
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/15/2010
He has spent his career finding better ways to measure concussions, and has even talked well-paid, devil-may-care athletes out of pushing their luck with a brain injury. But this doctor is more concerned with how concussions impact PA's youngest athletes.
Spectacle: Geek Art/Green Innovators Festival
By: Heather Mull, 4/8/2010
Techies meeting Greenies meeting the Artsy. The region's first indy art and technology festival came to Pittsburgh last week, turning the Penn Avenue Arts District into a visually compelling sector of green innovation.
Networking Springs Fountains of Youth
By: John Steele, 4/8/2010
As our workforce and cities change, the race is on to attract young, well-educated and entrepreneurial workers. Pennsylvania has a number of groups leading that charge and they are strengthening local economies.
The 21st Century Lumberjacks
By: John Steele, 4/8/2010
Talk about seeing the forest for the trees. Wayne's Finite Carbon is working on a national scale in the emerging carbon credits market, while aiming to keep investments and job creation local.
Q&A: William Stewart, Climate of Uncertainty
By: Joe Petrucci, 4/1/2010
What started with a daughter's question resulted in a 192-page effort to distill one of humanity's greatest dilemmas into a core series of questions and answers that block out political posturing. Philly attorney William Stewart's new book could be exactly what global warming needed.
Central PA's Innovation Matchmaker
By: John Steele, 4/1/2010
Pennsylvania's a big place. The Innovation Transfer Network is helping scale it down for entrepreneurs, businesses and more than a dozen colleges who are open to collaborating on the long, winding road to commercialization.
The Foodie House Party: Spinal Tapas Rocks Philly
By: Felicia D’Ambrosio, 4/1/2010
They're more than just the house band at the local commercial kitchen; Tim McGinnis and Brian McManus are culinary rockers offering up a different kind of dinner experience for foodies in Philadelphia.
Q&A: Razi Imam, Landslide Technologies
By: Joe Petrucci, 3/25/2010
He's an entrepreneurial rock star with humble roots, big ideas and a new book and company set to debut this summer. His recent Carnegie Science award says he's also smart enough to know when to get out of the way.
Hungry? Click Here
By: Chris O'Toole, 3/24/2010
Call it Foodie 2.0. Online food service is a growing industry in PA, and the goal is to deliver fresh, local food fast to homes and businesses alike across the Commonwealth.
Q&A: Doug Michels, OraSure Technologies
By: Joe Petrucci, 3/18/2010
This CEO of the Bethlehem-based oral and fluid diagnostics company has played a significant role in its success. He'll have a chance to do the same in developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy as part of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Communities Come Alive at Destination Hotels
By: John Steele, 3/18/2010
Lancaster Arts Hotel and James Gettys Hotel are turning community
synergy into hospitality, connecting visitors with more than just a
bed and free breakfast, and creating the beginnings of a tourism boom.
Michael Scott Means A Lot in Scranton
By: Sara Hodon, 3/18/2010
Authenticity abounds on the hit sitcom The Office, and it's largely due to the city's willingness to play along. Scranton has been reaping the benefits ever since, as fans and locals alike have joined in the fun.
Harrisburg's History Making Household
By: Joe Petrucci, 3/11/2010
Rising utility rates motivated the Wilsons to make some changes. In the process, they became the world's first homeowners to sell a carbon credit, and they're hoping others follow their lead.
Q&A: Dan and Denise Marcolina, Marcolina Design
By: Joe Petrucci, 3/11/2010
These early adopters of Photoshop have earned attention for pushing the software's capabilities to its limits, and were tapped by Adobe recently to develop a presentation for Photoshop's 20th anniversary.
Spectacle: Philadelphia Flower Show
By: Michael Persico, 3/4/2010
It raises $1 million for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's urban greening program and thanks to the likes of Moda Botanica, we can imagine a different kind of concrete jungle taking root in our cities. We got an early peek at the show's highlights.
Simple is Better for Entrepreneurial Food Scientist
By: Rory Sweeney, 3/4/2010
Malathy Nair left her career with a large food manufacturer to form Better Bowls, and she is trying to convince shoppers that her all-natural instant puddings and gelatin mixes are healthier and tastier.
Western PA's New Family Tradition
By: Chris O'Toole, 3/4/2010
Father-and-son IT specialists Stan and Matt Hoffman represent next-generation work ethic on and off the job. Both are working to promote technology education and careers.
Waiting on the rail in Scranton
By: John Steele, 2/25/2010
While other projects in PA have received stimulus dollars and the promise of jobs, the Electric City hopes for a reconnection with NYC and cutting-edge Maglev demonstrates its speed in Western PA.
Philly's Ship Comes in at the Navy Yard
By: Dan Eldridge, 2/25/2010
The historically diverse corporate campus is home to the unique, the untested and the unexpected. From Urban Outfitters to Heliosphera, companies are enjoying life on the 1,200-acre peninsula.
Q&A: Drew Becher, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
By: Joe Petrucci, 2/25/2010
At 40, he has already earned the trust and respect of the likes of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Bette Midler. Now the passionate Ohio native is hoping to bring technology and a deft greening touch to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Bridging Nano Commercialization's Valley of Death
By: Rory Sweeney, 2/18/2010
The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center is helping ideas survive with funding, resources and talent throughout the state, creating innovation that would otherwise wither away.
Q&A: Slavko Milekic, University of the Arts
By: Joe Petrucci, 2/18/2010
The medical doctor and professor from the former Yugoslavia is an innovator in cognitive science and is developing an eye-tracking webcam that will make the iPhone seem so 2007.
Q&A: Valerie Gaydos, Private Investors Forum
By: Joe Petrucci, 2/11/2010
She wants entrepreneurs to believe in angels and government to pay attention to the real and unique payback that angel investors can provide. That payback will be on display along with the hopes of 30 companies at the upcoming Angel Venture Fair.
Welcome to Bike-a-delphia
By: Dan Eldridge, 2/11/2010
The City of Brotherly Love is home to an increasing number of two-wheeling, fossil fuel reducing, gas-money saving, good-time having, ecological footprint-reducing bicycle evangelists.
Coal’s Future in PA: Cleaner or Leaner
By: John Steele, 2/11/2010
The state’s once dominant coal industry looks to reinvent itself and become more viable as alternative energy gains momentum.
Q&A: Carmen Scott Dawson, AdVanz LLC
By: Joe Petrucci, 2/4/2010
This former top IT sales rep nearly lost everything when undiagnosed Lyme disease unleashed a whirlwind of medical problems upon him. Now, the Erie native is back home engaging and empowering unlikely entrepreneurs throughout the state.
Art and Local Food Flow Through Jim Thorpe
By: James Williams, 2/4/2010
A husband-and-wife team's art gallery and farm-to-table restaurant inside a 170 year-old renovated factory are putting a new shine on quaint Jim Thorpe, which now has a little cutting-edge to go with its historic, rural charm thanks to the Carbon County Cultural Project.
Reaching Out to Veterans Who Reach for Success
By: Marty Levine, 2/4/2010
A Robert Morris University program assists entrepreneurial veterans at the its Massey Center for Business Innovation & Development, where ex-military can get help to begin their own missions.
Spectacle: The 94th annual PA Farm Show
By: Brad Bower, 1/28/2010
For those seeking a heaping slice of Pennsylvania, the annual PA Farm
Show, the largest indoor agricultural event in the country, serves it
up. This year’s show, the 94th annual edition, ran from Jan. 9-16 at
the sprawling Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
Q&A: Matt Bieber, Originate Ventures
By: Joe Petrucci, 1/28/2010
At 25, he has a career's worth of experience in finance, politics and entrepreneurism. He was also just promoted to prinicipal with Originate Ventures in Bethlehem, where he helps evaluate the potential of entrepreneurs in waiting for a hands-on venture capital firm.
PA has Rx for modernizing healthcare communications
By: John Steele, 1/28/2010
It took 40 years for the telephone to find its place in a doctor's office. Email hasn't taken that long, and Pittsburgh pediatrician Paul Rosen is among many throughout PA who are working to modernize communications in healthcare, with or without reform.
Q&A: Ed Sheehan, Concurrent Technologies Corporation
By: Joe Petrucci, 1/21/2010
Born in Johnstown, Ed Sheehan returned there 20 years ago to start a family and help a young, growing company. Now CEO, Sheehan has helped bring jobs, technology and prestige back to his birthplace.
A Med School Mulligan: Technology Drives TCMC
By: Rory Sweeney, 1/21/2010
The country's newest medical school, which opened last year in Scranton, is already poised for the future with a forward-thinking mission that integrates technology into every corner of the campus.
Higher Ed Moves to Front of the Class in PA
By: John Steele, 1/21/2010
Various studies indicate higher education impacts PA to the tune of tens of billions of dollars every year. We found the industry continues to evolve across the state in ways as varied as the institutions themselves in our higher education progress report.
Q&A: Rick Hirsh, Fastech Integrated Solutions
By: Joe Petrucci, 1/14/2010
With two recent acquisitions, this IT solutions company in Delaware County is positioned to expand its revenues and stature as an integrator of its customers' technologies, and its CEO is on the hunt for more deals.
Blobs, Bars and Camps: Engaging Entrepreneurs
By: Dan Eldridge, 1/14/2010
Info-sharing forums for entrepreneurs have become the latest start-up trend. Philly Startup Leaders has revved up the growth of ideas and resources throughout the state.