Tonight (Wednesday) in Westlake, a dozen area firms that have attained sucess in the high tech arena are being honored.
ideastream's Rick Jackson reports.
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In the minds of many people, the phrases "Northeast Ohio" and "World Class Technology" aren't often linked.
But don't say that around Kevin Oswald.
KEVIN OSWALD"
"The high tech industry within this region of Northeast Ohio is fertile, and its' growing, and there's opportunity here..."
And the developments coming from local companies both large and small, will change how people live.
Oswald's Kent Displays is a 75 person company in Portage County that has taken in more than $13 million in Third Frontier funding since 2006. To people who say 'why spend tax money like this?', winning the NorTech Innovation Award for 2010 is what he called '...a validation'.
Part of why the firm's being honored is for its' creation of an ultra thin plastic display.. made to conform to something like cell phones, or laptop computer cases. It's one of several innovations that could soon seem common place.
The profits, and the credit, will trace back here.
OSWALD:
"Kent Displays holds all the basic patents on this particular type of cholesteric liquid crystal technology."
The company will share the stage with 11 other winners: from as large as NASA, to as small as the three full-time person shop of Tremont Electric - winners for their work in kinetic power as an energy source for recharging MP3's, phones and more.
Just three years ago, Aaron Lemieux quit a Fortune 500 firm, to start Tremont Electric - in a basement. He says its been a challenge - and there were no guarantees.
AARON LEMIEUX:
"If you have the dream, then you just have to go ahead and start executing on it. There's gonna be hiccups along the way, there's gonna be adversity. Your job as a budding entrepreneur is to work through that adversity."
The 12 recipients of the NorTech innovation Awards were chosen from 20 finalists.
Rick Jackson, 90.3.
