Energy : Innovation & Job News

Shale gas is as old as the earth, but three high-tech innovations have won their companies $25,000 each in the 2013 Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation Competition. 
 
"Innovation, research and technological advancements have been and continue to be the catalyst for shale gas development's sustained success," said Kathryn Klaber, CEO of the Marcellus Shale Coalition in a statement. "Without forward-looing thinkers and companies willing to invest in new technologies, the natural gas revolution that we're witnessing today would not have been possible."
 
The winners, chosen from more than 70 applicants, are:
 
Pyrochem Catalyst, New Brighton, which has developed a catalyst technology, known as "Reformer," for converting natural gas and carbon dioxide to hydrogen-rich synthesis gas for use in fuel cells and processes for making chemicals and transportation fuels. The company is the early stages of commercializing its technology for its initial target markets -- fuel cells and refining applications.
 
REV LNG in Ulysses is a full-service, distribution company for liquid natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to traditional diesel fuel. The company is one of the first in the U.S.  to deploy small-scale, mobile liquefaction units that can be hooked up to existing gas pipelines to create LNG.
 
Atlantis Technologies in Richboro has developed a "Radial Deionization System," which is 10 times the speed, 15 times the range and less than half the price of previous technologies that deionize wastewater from oil, gas and mining operations.
 
Sources: Bill Hall, Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center; Jeffrey Harrison, Pyrochem Catalyst; David Kailbourne, REV LNG
Writer: Elise Vider

Laboriously cutting corn root specimens into ultra-thin sections for x-ray study at a rate of four or five an hour, Penn State horticulturalists approached the university's Applied Research Lab for a better way.
 
It was there that Benjamin Hall developed an imaging technique that uses lasers to create digitized, 3D models from physical samples and boosts productivity to 11 sections – per second.  Last year, Hall and Brian Reinhardt established Lasers for Innovative Solutions (L4IS) to develop and commercialize the technology.
 
Besides speed, the 3D models are much more cost effective and allow for easier electronic collaboration and analysis (scientists can "dissect" specimens without damaging them). "The amount of data we get out of them is enormous, measured in terabytes," says Hall.
 
L4IS got an immediate boost with an early investment from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA and space at the BF TechCelerator in State College. This week, L4IS was a finalist in the Shell Gas Innovation Competition.
 
Besides plant biology, "new applications are showing up every day," says Hall, who says that potential uses range from healthcare – think tissue and biopsy analysis – to manufacture of semiconductors to the oil and gas industry.
 
For now, the startup is focusing on developing its technology for tomography – imaging by sections – with a pending patent and developing a capacity for chemical analysis of samples using a spectrometer.
 
Source: Benjamin Hall, L4IS
Writer: Elise Vider

With a new moniker, the Technology Council of Pennsylvania (the trade group formerly known as TechQuest Pennsylvania) shined a spotlight on technological innovation earlier this month, honoring companies, individuals and one government entity with its 21st annual PA Tech Awards.
 
The Mechanicsburg office of GL Noble Denton,  a global technical service provider for the oil and gas industry, was named innovation company of the year. David Bonsick, the Technology's Council's president and CEO, says the award recognizes the company's technological advances in drilling, refining and delivery of both natural gas and water.
 
Harrisburg's Red Privet, with its emphasis on optimizing customer and online interaction, was named startup company of the year. "They knocked the ball out of the park," says Bonsick.
 
Concurrent Technologies Corporation in Johnstown, a nonprofit, applied science research and development professional services organization, was named technology provider of the year and WebPageFX in Carlisle an Internet marketing firm, was technology company of the year.
 
Also honored were Ken Moscone of QBC Diagnostics in Port Matilda, Chuck Davis of Harrisburg University and David Zinn of the Southwestern School District as, respectively, post-secondary and K-12 technology educators, and the PA Department of Labor and Industry as public service innovator.
 
From more than 75 nominations, "the diversity of the winners, everything from web design companies to medical and defense technologies, really demonstrates the tremendous scope and breadth of the Commonwealth's technology industry," Bonsick said.
 
The organization says it adopted its new name as a rebranding to emphasize the diversity of its 200-plus members and the fact that it represents technology companies statewide.
 
Source: David Bonsick, Technology Council of Pennsylvania
Writer: Elise Vider

Software, social media, sales and storage are some of the sweet spots for eight companies receiving $315,700 in new investments from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s  (BFTP/NEP).  

These five early-stage companies will receive loans:

Bison Analytics of Lewisburg, $35,000 to complete development of its business intelligence software for small businesses that use QuickBooks™ accounting software. Bison will continue software enhancements, develop a sales strategy for the company’s cloud-based product, and analyze follow-on funding tactics.
 
Cerora Inc., a resident of Ben Franklin TechVentures business incubator in Bethlehem, $50,000 to re-engineer software and hardware, and commercialize the Cerora brainwave sensor, a medical-grade, portable, and affordable electroencephalogram (EEG) that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain.
 
EggZack another TechVentures firm, $48,000 to complete efforts to improve the inbound sales process, which promotes EggZack through informative social media content marketing. EggZack markets a patent-pending software as a service (SaaS) solution aimed at marketing small businesses.
 
Everest Business Services in West Wyoming, $50,000 to establish brand recognition and sales by leveraging partnerships and Internet sales strategies. Everest utilizes proprietary software to provide short-run, digital print products.
 
Dunmore's GiveGab,  $35,000 to implement a sales and marketing strategy to begin commercializing premium features of GiveGab's proprietary web-based software platform that facilitates communications between volunteers and nonprofits networks.
 
BFTP also named three established manufacturers as recipients of 1:1 matching funding for work with a college or university partner on technology-based manufacturing innovation. They are:
 
Consolidated Storage Companies, Inc.,  of Tatamy and Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center, $25,000 to help complete a plant-wide production analysis at this manufacturer of storage systems and tool chests in order to optimize manufacturing processes.
 
EcoTech Marine  of Allentown and Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center, $22,700 to complete implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning system with features to accommodate expansion and maintain quality. EcoTech makes pumps and lighting for hobby reef aquariums.
 
Hydro Recovery, Blossburg and Penn State, $50,000 to investigate the economic extraction of useful materials from residual “frac” water, used in the development of natural gas wells.

Source: BFTP/NEP
Writer: Elise Vider
 
 
 

Ardmore's Gregory FCA,  which bills itself as the largest public relations firm in Pennsylvania, and Safeguard Scientifics  of Wayne are on the hunt for the best unknown business in America.
 
"Maybe it's that killer technology startup that has yet to make the radar. Or perhaps it's some new wonder drug that will increase life expectancy. Or could it be that new sustainable business that's doing great financially while doing good for the world," said Gregory CEO Greg Matusky in a blog post.
 
The contest purse comprises $10,000 in cash and a $40,000 PR campaign.
 
The judges include Matusky, Safeguard CEO Stephen T. Zarrilli, Daniel Roitman of Stroll, a Philadelphia-based education e-commerce platform company, and Miles Spencer, an angel investor and co-creator of the reality show Money Hunt.
 
Here’s what they say they're looking for:

* The current operating success, recent growth and future viability of the company.
* The story behind the company and its products or services.
* The company’s current visibility and awareness.
* The likely positive impact of the application of a public relations campaign to the company and its products and services.
* The social shares and number of votes received in support of the company’s nomination as outlined in the contest rules. While this contest is not based on votes or Likes, an applicant’s ability to engage and connect with employees and customers will be considered.
* How well the submission explains why the company should be selected as The Best Unknown Business in America and how it can benefit from exposure.  
 
The contest closes at midnight June 18 and the winner will be announced in July. To learn more and submit an entry, visit Gregory FCA's Facebook page. 
 
Source: Alicia Buonanno, Gregory FCA
Writer: Elise Vider

We may not mess with Texas, but Pennsylvania ranks third in new facilities and expansions – and first in the Northeast – according to the prestigious annual rankings published last week in Site Selection magazine. 
 
The 2012 Governor's Cup went to the Lone Star State, which led the nation with 761 projects in 2012. (The publication counts private-sector projects that meet one or more of these criteria: a minimum $1 million investment, creation of 50 or more new jobs or construction of new space of at least 20,000 square feet. Equipment upgrades, additions and construction jobs don't count.)
 
Ohio was second with 491 projects and Pennsylvania was next with 430 in the national rankings. Ranked by region, the Keystone State's 430 easily beat the number-two state, New York, which came in at 119. In new manufacturing, Pennsylvania had 130 projects, compared to New York's 26; in manufacturing expansion, the Commonwealth's 97 beat the Empire State by 49.
 
Site Selection was also upbeat about Pennsylvania in a January profile assessing the impact of the energy sector on the state's economy. 
 
With such fertile ground for new and expanded commercial ventures, new features on Team PA's SiteSearch website are well timed. The site now includes heat maps that provide a visual representation of demographic statistics. The new business search allows for queries of businesses statewide by geography, type, number of employees and annual revenue.
 
"The enhanced functionalities of PA SiteSearch puts more information at the fingertips of site selectors or company officials looking to locate to, or expand their operations, in PA," says Matt Zeigner of Team PA. 
 
The race is on for 2013.
 
Source: Site Selection magazine
Writer: Elise Vider
 

Energy conservation ranks with motherhood and apple pie, but for many small businesses the upfront costs of renovation and retrofit are daunting.
 
Now the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP)  is offering up to $400,000 in loans to small businesses to retrofit their buildings.
 
The so-called Advanced Energy Retrofit Demonstration Program is intended to promote energy-savings measures in commercial buildings smaller than 250,000 square feet and to accelerate the development and commercialization of promising clean and alternative energy technologies.
 
"This program will encourage the use of advanced energy efficiency products in building renovations, reducing costs and creating jobs," says RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO of Ben Franklin.
 
BFTP/SEP is partnering with the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on the program. "The opportunity being offered by Ben Franklin will help accelerate the adoption by the region's building owners of advanced building technologies and complement the EEB Hub's mission to reduce energy use in Greater Philadelphia's building stock by 20% by 2020," says Laurie Actman, the hub's deputy director.
 
Companies with fewer than 500 employees in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties are eligible. Applicants could be building owners, facility managers, tenants, mechanical/electrical/plumbing design firms, energy and design professionals and others with building renovation projects using energy retrofit measures. An email notice of intent to apply is due by noon, Friday, March 15 and the deadline for completed proposals in April 15.
 
Source: BFTP/SEP
Writer: Elise Vider

Six IT companies, two life sciences enterprises and one alternative energy firm in Greater Philadelphia are recipients of over $1.4 million in funding from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP). 
 
The nine early-stage companies are:
 
HealthQx, LLC – Wayne: $150,000
This healthcare technology company uses its software and data analytics to develop a system for the fair and objective benchmarking of payers and providers throughout America. The goal is to achieve better healthcare outcomes at a reduced per capita cost.
 
iMomentous, Inc. – Horsham: $250,000
iMomentous delivers a highly scalable mobile technology platform that enables companies to recruit, retain and engage their talent, capable of facilitating job applications, employee referrals, employee communications and collaboration.
 
MBF Therapeutics, Inc. – Ambler: $50,000
The availability of effective cancer treatments is one of the most significant unmet needs in veterinary medicine today.  MBFT’s state-of-the-art oncology products are intended to meet the growing demand for effective cancer treatments, which address not only symptoms but also the underlying disease.
 
Miria Systems, Inc. – Norristown: $200,000
Miria Systems is a provider of cloud-based applications that assist companies and clients with complex content and business process requirements where document conversion, workflow, media management, indexing, versioning and revision management are critical to their business needs.
 
QLIDA Diagnostics – Philadelphia: $250,000
QLIDA develops next-generation biomarker diagnostic tests. The company is collaborating with Drexel University on its proprietary platform enabling early detection of proteins associated with disease.
 
Rumble News Ltd. – Philadelphia: $150,000
Rumble’s technology platform is designed to give newspaper publishers a rapid, low-risk, scalable solution to reach, engage and monetize mobile consumers and extend the brand relationship. 
 
Solar Grid Storage – Philadelphia: $250,000
Solar Grid Storage’s mission is to assemble, deliver and finance a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy storage system as an integral component of solar plants placed behind the meter for commercial and industrial hosts.
 
tapCLIQ (Transout, Inc.) – Philadelphia: $100,000
tapCLIQ, developed by Transout, is a user engagement and advertising platform for mobile devices that offers contextual interaction at moments when the user is most receptive. Their ad solutions offer the easiest engagement for end users, and provide insightful experiences for advertisers and publishers.
 
Zaahah (StartUp Productions LLC) – Philadelphia: $30,000
Zaahah, developed by StartUp Productions, instantly connects users with shared interests by creating separate profiles for different pursuits (i.e. business, personal, academic, etc.)
 
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.
 
Source: Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Writer: Elise Vider

With Pennsylvania on the fast track to being the second leading natural gas producing state, the push is on for innovation. Now the Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center is offering a total of $75,000 in cash prizes for three gas-related innovations, new product ideas or service concepts that are either in development or recently launched.
 
"Innovations result in decreased costs, increased efficiencies and greater environmental protection.  As Pennsylvania continues to be a leader in shale gas production, we will continue on a path to be the 'state of innovation' as well," says Bill Hall, the center's director.
 
For the 2013 Shale Gas Innovation Contest "any idea related to the shale gas space is eligible," Hall says. Examples include vehicle conversion, natural gas utilization products/services, remote site monitoring, natural gas or NGL conversion technologies and water remediation for fracking operations. "The contest is a unique vehicle for getting emerging technologies exposure to a wide range of industry providers/customers," he adds.
 
Meanwhile, the 2012 contest winners are moving steadily ahead, Hall reports. The Larson Transportation Institute at Penn State has nearly completed testing and development of a dual fuel NG conversion technology for heavy-duty large diesel engines. And State College's Polymics is almost ready to test a prototype of its lightweight, reusable, leak-proof system intended to contain mud and fluids during pad construction. Hall says that several energy companies are interested in a demonstration project at a drilling site. 
 
The application deadline for the 2013 contest is February 1.
 
Source: Bill Hall, Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center
Writer: Elise Vider

The shale energy industry, which has created nearly 103,000 jobs in Pennsylvania, is "helping to knock the rust off of part of the 'Rust Belt' industries that have historically been prominent in the state's economy," according to a new study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 
 
The study found that shale will support nearly 221,000 jobs by 2020 and 387,000 by 2035 – 5.6% of the state's labor force. The value-added economic activity is equally impressive: $14.1 billion in 2012, $26.7 billion by 2020 and $49 billion by 2035.
 
But who is getting all these jobs? Gene Barr, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, says that more than 70% go to Pennsylvania residents but concedes, "We don't always have people with the required skills." With improving workforce training, he anticipates that the percentage will rise.
 
Hefty wages are a big incentive. The Chamber reports that gas jobs average $97,000, compared to $58,400, the state average. Barr notes that the industry supports a vast range of direct and indirect jobs, everything from drillers and machinists to engineers, lawyers and hospitality workers. The environmental concerns raised by shale extraction offer growth potential, too, he adds, for "innovative design to make the industry more environmentally friendly."
 
Barr illustrates the economic impact of shale with examples like the old-line Williamsport manufacturer that retooled or the Lancaster engineering firm that bought 75 pickups from a local dealer and expanded its headquarters, creating construction jobs.
 
Natural-gas-powered vehicles have further potential, Barr says. "If the auto industry can grow [its production of LNG and CNG vehicles], it makes the prospects for Pennsylvania as an energy supplier much, much greater."
 
Source: Gene Barr, Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Elise Vider

Aquion Energy is hiring 28 people for a variety of jobs at both their Pittsburgh office and Mt. Pleasant manufacturing center. The company, behind a revolutionary and sustainable battery storage technology, is scaling up a manufacturing center in the old Sony plant in West Moreland county. The jobs are based in their Lawrenceville R&D center as well as the plant, which is expected to be in production mid-late next year. 

Openings are in engineering, business management, electricians, logistics and manufacturing. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods in Findlay is poised for major hiring and a company expansion. The company is posting jobs in buying, web design, vendor relations, product management, operations management and many, many more.

Design and development studio, Deeplocal, is on the move to exciting new digs in the Strip District. The company is growing and reports four full-time and two internship openings for an account manager, junior creative director, part-time contract copywriter, software engineer, software engineering interns and mobile development intern.

The Mattress Factory on the North Side is looking for a full-time marketing manager for the Development Department, a person who will be responsible for developing, managing and implementing the art museum’s strategic marketing initiatives. Interested candidates should possess a passion for arts and culture. Experience with nonprofit organizations, particularly in the arts, is preferred. Strong interpersonal, written communication, and presentations skills are a must. 

The Mt. Lebanon Magazine in Mt. Lebanon is looking for a “great salesperson,” an account executive to sell print and online advertising. The magazine, published monthly by the Mt. Lebanon Municipality, prefers a motivated self-starter with excellent verbal and computer skills. Reply to D. Cyphers, Mt. Lebanon Magazine, 710 Washington Road, Pittsburgh 15228 or dcyphers@mtlebanon.org.

Just Harvest, an anti-hunger/anti-poverty advocacy organization in Pittsburgh, seeks a skilled and committed professional to coordinate and implement communications and media activities to build awareness and visibility for our mission and programs. 

Writer: Deb Smit

Wind and sun helped Shoener Environmental  weather the economic downturn. "Renewable energy kept us going through the recession," says president Ed Shoener.
 
The consultancy, with Pennsylvania locations in Portage and Dickson City, along with San Diego, CA. had long focused on helping commercial and residential real estate developers navigate regulatory and environmental mazes. But since the real estate market stalled, a shift to design and permitting of renewable energy projects has enabled the company to stay "steady and slowly growing," Shoener says.
 
Shoener has been working on wind energy projects since 2000; its portfolio includes the Krayn Wind Project in Cambria County, 25 turbines on a reclaimed strip mine and the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, one of the largest wind farms in Pennsylvania with 66 turbines on over 200 acres in Cambria and Blair counties.
 
Now, says Shoener, with technological advancements in solar, "utility-scale solar projects are a developing market on the East Coast," says Shoener. "It's sort of like where wind was a few years ago." Solar, he predicts, will be competitive with other forms of energy within 10 years.
 
One of Shoener's latest projects is a 103-acre solar farm in Lurgan Township near the Pennsylvania Turnpike that would be one of the largest solar installations in the state.  Shoener is working with the developer, Orion Renewable Energy Group in Oakland, CA, to secure permits in order for the $20 million project to begin construction.
 
Shoener founded the consultancy in 1994. Today the company employs about 40 and adds one or two jobs a year in Pennsylvania offices
 
 
Source: Ed Shoener, Shoener Environmental
Writer: Elise Vider