Growth Companies

250 N. Main St.
Jacobus, PA 17407
717-278-2436

Tom Caltagirone founded Aptagen in southern York County in 2004 and didn't fully begin operations until the spring of 2006, when the company's office was less than 1,000 square feet and Caltagirone was operating as a self-funded man on a solo mission to eliminate the time and cost of drug discovery, which can easily take more than $1 billion and take up to six years.

Caltagirone is no longer working alone in close quarters, and is helping make aptamers--DNA- and RNA-based substances that bind with specific molecules--a household name. The worldwide market for aptamers is valued at $10 million and is expected to explode to $1.9 billion by 2014.

Despite its growth and the anticipated growth of its market, Aptagen is still largely the only horse in the race. The aptamers it designs are intended for delivering drugs and diagnosing disease. The company recently more than doubled its office size and expects to add three more scientists to its team of 15 (which includes interns). Depending on how much its business increases, Aptagen could be on the move again by 2012.

With what it believes is the only aptamer product catalog in the world, Aptagen has its eyes on therapeutic, diagnostic and nanobiotech applications for its aptamers.

717-278-2436
250 N. Main St.
Jacobus, PA 17407

There are many times when hand-mixing ingredients can achieve a particularly effective end result, like beautifully elastic pizza dough or a lump-free gravy. When it comes to treating heart conditions, however, time is of the essence. For instance, ventricular fibrillation, a condition that causes the lower ventricles to rapidly contract and pump little to no blood, can lead to collapse and cardiac death within minutes if not immediately treated.

That's where Prism Pharamceuticals comes in. In late 2010, the King of Prussia-based specialty pharma firm that's focused on developing and commercializing acute care cardiovascular products, received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its premixed, intravenous bag called Nexterone, which delivers the effective anti-arrhythmic agent amiodarone IV more quickly, efficiently and accurately.h

The use of pre-mixed, ready-to-use treatments has been recommended by such industry players as the Joint Commission, U.S. Pharmacopeia, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Nexterone can also be used to treat ventricular tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and comes in several dosage strengths. The mixture has a two-year shelf life and is designed for use in automated dispensing cabinets and crash carts.

610-265-7710
1016 West Ninth Ave., Suite 130
King of Prussia, PA 19406

In his dental implant practice, Dr. James Rutkowski has observed that the use of a new product called OsteoXcell-1000 accelerated bone growth by 60 percent. The growth is significant in the oral surgery arena, in which current bone graft products often are cost-prohibitive or limit alternatives available to the patient. Slow or impaired healing can cause health complications and discomfort.

It's why Rutkowski founded Clarion Research Group in 2007 and why the company is poised to make a big splash in the dental and orthopedic markets. The company recently took home $160,000 in funding from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania as well as an additional $585,000 from Western PA angel investors.

OsteoXcell, Rutkowski has found, allows for faster and more predictable new bone growth is 10 times less costly than traditional options, helping to make implant dentistry considerably more affordable and reducing patients' healing time in half.

814-226-8615
35 S. 2nd Ave.
Clarion, PA 16214

According to experts, 58 percent of companies suffered financial losses as a result of supply chain disruptions in 2008, and there is no better way to measure a supplier's ability than to ask one of its customers.

Those are themes that make eVendor Check, a pioneer in helping companies select reliable, high-quality suppliers worldwide. The Hawley, Wayne County-based firm determines supplier performance and risks by collecting direct customer feedback. Its laser focus and methods have been widely recognized as a potential game-changer. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania has been a huge fan, making multiple investments since the company was founded in 2008, including $200,000 in the last year.

570-521-6290
325 Park Place
Hawley, PA 18438

We all know how hard it can be to find a job. Increasingly, employers are finding it almost as dificult to find the right person for their job openings, particularly with the proliferation of online sites to advertise positions, spammers, and different files to open containing resumes or work samples.

It's why Pittsburgh-based The Resumator was founded in 2009, and it's why the startup is earning plenty of attention for its web-based social recruiting and applicant tracking tools. The company earned $100,000 in seed funding from Innovation Works in late 2010.

The Resumator platform allows employers to simply advertise jobs across social networks and to free job aggregators, create branded sites for applicants and compile submitted resumes to a single source. An employer can then discuss, rank and track candidates, including search and filter tools for the resume database.

888-353-0887
700 River Ave., Suite 237
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

116 Research Drive
Suite 221
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610-849-5040
www.rvibe-live.com

Brayden Johnson McCormick might be best described as a connector. The holder of a doctorate in music from Boston University has long merged media with technology, starting with the design of Fidelity Investments' infrastructure for portfolio management sites and later the organization of digital music files through his Bethlehem-based company rVibe.  

Since moving into the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeast PA incubator at Lehigh University under the banner of Johnson McCormick Technologies in 2004, the former commuter has grown his technology to serve a variety of needs.

610-849-5040
116 Research Dr., Suite 221
Bethlehem, PA 18015

331 E. Foster St.
State College, PA 16801
814-231-5253
www.matsonbiofuels.com

When most people think of biodiesel, they think of a clean and ideally cheaper fuel. Most, however, don't realize that the process to make biodiesel is largely the same as it was 100 years ago. When Dr. Jack Matson, the well-respected former Penn State environmental engineering professor who has been at the helm of the State College engineering and environmental consulting firm that bears his name for 30 years, began working with a grad student, Dheeban Kannan, 10 years ago, they strived to make improvements on the process. Specifically, they started looking at using solid catalysts instead of sodium hydroxide.

A decade later, that early research seems poised to pay off. A spinoff company called Matson Biofuels is now working with two companies in Erie--American Biodiesel Energy and Fluid Technologies-to build a system that will set Matson's process in motion and continuously produce biodiesel (rather than one batch at a time, as it is typically produced).

814-231-5253
331 E. Foster St.
State College, PA 16801

1041 Old Cassatt Rd.
Berwyn, PA 19312
610-640-4200
www.vertexinc.com

The most recent global recession has had many ripple effects. One of them is an unprecedented era of what Berwyn-based global corporate tax solutions provider Vertex Inc. calls hyper-regulation. As systemic changes have impacted how corporations plan and manage their tax operations, Vertex has been busy creating a solution it believes is as groundbreaking as it is vital.

In the fall of 2010 the company rolled out Vertex Enterprise, a comprehensive solution intended to integrate all tax processes with host Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Business Intelligence (BI) systems on a single platform utilizing a tax warehouse. Vertex believes the breakthrough technology enables corporations to make more insightful and effective tax strategy decisions and deliver more consistency to their bottom lines.

Vertex Enterprise addresses a key issue wrought by hyper-regulation and a crowded marketplace--there are many varied corporate tax technology solutions offer fragmented applications or point solutions and spreadsheets. However, Vertex's latest offering appears to do what the others can't--address global transparency and address future issues as regulations change.

610-640-4200
1041 Old Cassatt Rd.
Berwyn, PA 19312

12 Penns Trail #106
Newtown, PA 18940
267-756-7094
www.mdbpartners.com

By definition, a boutique consulting firm is destined to stay small. That doesn't, however, mean it has small goals. Veteran CEO  Michael D. Becker had a big vision when he launched MD Becker Partners in November, 2008. His strategy and consulting firm, focused on both public and private companies in the life sciences industry, was born to provide strategic advice that is backed by real-world, in-house experience to help companies increase visibility, unlock stakeholder value and access resources for growth.

Becker and Janet Dally, the firm's other senior partner, have a combined 35 years of experience on both the scientific and financial side of biotechnology. Becker raised in excess of $130 million in new capital for several publicly-traded biotechs prior to launching MD Becker. The company's work is as varied as its clients' needs.

267-756-7094
12 Penns Trail #106
Newtown, PA 18940

PO Box 8161
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
www.terradime.com

When the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in July, 2008, that trailers used as temporary shelter for displaced hurricane victims in Louisiana and Mississippi  contained elevated formaldehyde levels, it was recommended the residents were immediately relocated. Seems awful enough on its own, but even worse, most trailers used in this manner are typically dumped in a landfill after they're no longer needed, multiplying the negative environmental impact of the harmful chemicals and pollutants they emit. It's not surprising that these kind of trailers are known as "toxic boxes."

Perhaps that's why the folks at Terradime Modular, a manufacturing and innovation enterprise focused on energy efficient technologies, held such a large, international product launch in in October, 2010 that included a tour by former PA Governor Tom Ridge. One of the products, created by alumni from Carnegie Mellon University, is called Ecoplex, and it's the first mass produced modular trailer that doesn't contain cancer causing toxins and is 100 percent recyclable. The Ecoplex offers other benefits over toxic boxes, like up to 10 times more daylight and better air quality, wind resistance and climate adaptability.

PO Box 8161
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

201 Lackawanna Ave., Suite 213
Scranton, PA 18503
570-479-7543
www.hydro4ge.com

Writing software might be the new rocket science, having (in many cases) become almost as sophisticated as the devices that operate the programs. And in a world where injecting convenience into complexity to create efficiency is an extremely valuable tool, a Scranton-based company is poised to revolutionize the way software developers work.

Hydro4GE has developed what it bills as the most effective and efficient system on the market for developing and maintaining web-based applications. The company's system shortens the traditional software development lifecycle by eliminating low-level coding and unit testing. The company's Fourth Generation Platform as a Service is the key, which automatically constructs the end-user application based on a data architecture that the developer creates. Hydro4GE makes it clear it is not to be confused with rapid prototyping tools, bur rather enhances application design by further automating code construction, which can be tedious and error-prone.

570-479-7543
201 Lackawanna Ave., Suite 213
Scranton, PA 18503

Solar power has fast become one of the most-crowded sectors in Pennsylvania, which ranks behind only California in total number of solar jobs. In Bethlehem, CEWA Technologies has managed to carve out its own niche with a laser focus, one that involves a solar power collector that will focus the sun's rays on a certain spot, heating up fluid and creating energy. The system differs from the ever-common photovoltaic arrays.

CEWA's work will compete with the average solar power system , which can take up a lot of space and prove costly and time-consuming to install. CEWA's existing system, which generates one or two kilowatts, installs in less than 48 hours. The dishes the company is currently developing put out 30 kilowatts at peak production and are small enough to fit on a roof or even hillsides not conducive to standard solar systems. The dishes also will have aluminum coatings that are replaceable and cheaper than the current standard.

610-419-4952
205 Webster Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015

2068 East Finley Drive
Claysville, PA 15323
724-663-5827
www.newtonconsulting.com

Rick Newton has been down this road before, working at well-known information technology comapnies that were focused on profits before customer service. It's why he wants the IT firm he founded in 2003 and serves as president, Newton Consulting, to be known as the "anti-consultant" consulting firm.

Newton's unusual operating model is based on shared ownership with a heavy emphasis on customer service. It has helped the company attract top talent, thanks to its pay-for-performance compensation structure based on employees' direct contribution to clients and the company, resulting in higher than average compensation. Newton serves clients across the continent and in Europe, growing to $10 million in annual revenue, 42 employees and 40 partnering subcontractors. Between 2007 and 2009, the company's revenue grew by 24 percent and it increased its staff size by 78 percent.

724-663-5827
2068 East Finley Drive
Claysville, PA 15323

116 Research Drive, Suite 223
Bethlehem, PA 18015
www.electrikusinc.com

You're inside your comfortable, well-lit home when a storm starts brewing. The storm escalates and before you know it, the lights are out. The usual move is to grab the nearest candle and fire. For the well-prepared, perhaps a flashlight or generator are at the ready. All of the temporary remedies have their drawbacks, which is where the innovators at Electrikus Inc. come in.

The Bethlehem company is developing a line of smart battery backup systems for residential power outages. Its first product is called Illumaguard, a patented energy-wise battery backup for home lighting. It is inconspicuous and intelligent in the way it discharges and re-charges and enables a household lamp to light up automatically at the onset of a power outage, operating for eight hours on a full charge.

116 Research Drive, Suite 223
Bethlehem, PA 18015

100 Technology Drive, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-770-1302
www.biosafe.com

The computer on which you're viewing this has a keyboard than can have up to 60 times the amount of microbials than on toilet seats, averaging 3,300 bacteria per square inch. If you're still reading, you're among those clamoring to hear more about Biosafe, the Pittsburgh-based company responsible for developing an antimicrobial with best-of-class safety, effectiveness and durability in protecting product surfaces from bacteria, mold, mildew, fungi and viruses. What's more, it's permanent.

Most recently, Biosafe launched an antimicrobial treatment for computer keyboards that will be used in a worldwide education program led by Intel Corp. The treatment, based on Biosafe's patented silane technology, is added to the surface of the plastic keys. The computers are Intel-powered Classmate PCs for children in grades K-8, sold overseas in Central and South America, Portugal and Spain. The partnership has Biosafe, which has been part of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, planning to hire for sales and marketing positions as it continues to commercialize its antimicrobial treatments for industrial, medical and consumer applications.

412-770-1302
100 Technology Drive, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15219