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Finalists for 2011 NHHTC Entrepreneur of the Year Announced

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

The current founders of three successful New Hampshire technology companies have been selected by a panel of judges as finalists for the 2011 NH Entrepreneur of the Year.  They are: Erik Dodier, co-founder of PixelMEDIA, Bill Rogers, founder of Ektron, and Jeff Sercel, founder of JPSA.  The winner will be announced at the NH High Technology Council’s 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Awards Dinner. 

high-tech-council-logoThe 23rd annual NHHTC EOY celebration will be held on Monday, May 9, at 5:30 pm at the Radisson, Center of New Hampshire in Manchester. Bill Warner, super-angel investor, serial entrepreneur and founder of Avid Technology, Inc. and Wildfire Communications, will be the keynote speaker. Several FIRST Robotics teams will also be on hand to demonstrate their robots during the reception.

Launched in 1988, the NHHTC EOY celebration is the signature event for the NHHTC.  Over the years, the NHHTC has recognized over 50 New Hampshire entrepreneurs for their significant contributions toward advancing technology and demonstrating leadership, ingenuity and innovation.  The evening event attracts more than 300 tech industry leaders from across the region and includes networking, a banquet, the keynote address, and an awards ceremony recognizing this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

“We had a lot of very good applications this year, demonstrating the strength of innovation across New Hampshire.  The selection committee had a hard time narrowing it down to three finalists.  Eric Dodier, Bill Rogers, and Jeff Sercel really demonstrated their innovative approaches to business success, and the committee selected these three as finalists for the 2011 honors,” said James Cook, chair of the NHHTC EOY Committee.

Erik Dodier is co-founder of PixelMEDIA Inc., the largest web development company in New Hampshire.  Located in Portsmouth and founded in 1994, PixelMEDIA has grown from a two-person multimedia company into the successful full service digital marketing studio that it is today.  Today, the company employs 60 people and has four facilities.  Spearheading the efforts to launch PixelMEDIA in 1994 at just 24 years old, Dodier assumed the responsibility as President and CEO while also acting as the only salesperson. The quick acquisition of area clients and the subsequent growth of PixelMEDIA demonstrate Dodier’s talent in each of these roles.

 

Dodier currently oversees all business activities while also remaining active in the New Hampshire community assisting both businesses and non-profits. Current positions include serving as a board member and entrepreneurship advisor at the UNH Whittemore School of Business, sitting on the Board for Optima Bank, partnering with New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center (NH-ICC) to continue to promote business in the state, and sponsoring technology events in New Hampshire such as TechWorld 2010, BarCamp Manchester, and regular eCoast events. In 2010 alone Erik donated over 740 pro-bono hours of PixelMEDIA time to worthy recipients.  

Bill Rogers founded Nashua-based Ektron in 1998 with a simple vision: enable business users to easily author and publish content on websites. Rogers has sparked a revolution in the way organizations create and manage interactive web, intra net and extranet sites. He recognized early on how important websites would become to companies’ business models, and guided Ektron in creating a web content management, marketing optimization and social software platform that provides all the functionality webmasters, designers and developers want in a single application. In his role as a hands-on chief executive officer, Rogers is actively engaged in keeping Ektron a market and technology leader. He sets the company’s strategic direction, aligns product development with his forward-looking vision for website technology and is involved in all aspects of Ektron’s operations. In addition, he frequently participates in industry events and solicits feedback from Ektron’s customers and partners to stay on the leading edge of web technology. 

Rogers also co-founded two other successful technology companies. At Global Telemedix, a telemedicine software developer, he led product development and spearheaded key strategic relationships with technical partners and investors, such as Hewlett Packard Medical Products. At Zydacron Inc., co-developer of the first video conferencing chip set, Rogers conceptualized and executed product development initiatives and pursued strategic partnering efforts with major technology firms, such as IBM. Early in his career, Rogers also worked on new technology development in DuPont Corporation’s desktop publishing group and at MIT Lincoln Labs. 

Jeffrey Sercel began his career in 1983, as a laser engineer at the first excimer laser applications lab and development facility In North America, Tachisto Inc. After receiving his BS degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Arizona, he has devoted over 25 years of his life to become a leading expert in excimer, DPSS and ultrafast industrial laser technology. Sercel was selected as the NHHTC EOY in 1994 for his pioneering work at Resonetics, Inc. an excimer laser micromachining company that he founded in 1987.   

In 1994, he started JP Sercel Associates, Inc. (JPSA) as a consulting service, from which he ran from his home, utilizing a virtual company of technology specialists. During this period, JPSA solved problems and developed processes for industrial laser applications using Sercel’s extensive knowledge of physics modeling, optical and opto-mechanical engineering, CAD, robotics, machine vision, and high accuracy motion control and automation. Located in Manchester, JPSA is a leading supplier of industrial grade UV excimer, DPSS, and ultrafast laser micromachining systems and services to customers worldwide. Applications include LED, solar, semiconductor, research and biomedical markets to name a few. JPSA’s novel laser systems operate at wavelengths from 157nm to 1064nm, and are essential to a growing set of today’s industrial micro-machining applications.   

The judges are successful business leaders and entrepreneurs selected by the NHHTC.  This year’s judges include Nancy Briefs, Jesse Devitte, Steve Boucher, Andy Lietz, Rajesh Nair, and Mark Galvin, and Matt Pierson.

abi Innovation Hub – Relaunch 2.0 – Thinking Big!

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Congrats to our friends and colleagues at the abi Innovation Hub on their recent relaunch – here’s a press release that gives the entire scoop on the kickoff event:

The abi Innovation Hub (abi Hub) held a relaunch event on March 31, 2011 to celebrate its’ new vision. About 70 people, who have some connection or interest in the world of start ups, attended the event. They were invited to self tour the abi Hub, a 15,000 square foot facility, while enjoying beverages and edibles. The abi Hub embraces a vibrant look with inspirational wall hangings of photos and quotes from innovators and entrepreneurs who have paved the way for all entrepreneurs. 

abi-hub-relaunch-lobby“The abi Hub is all about ideas, innovation and impact,” says Jamie Coughlin, vice president of strategic initiatives and entrepreneur in residence, “and we wanted our décor to reflect that view.” 

The event included a presentation kicked off by Coughlin, who clarified the mission of the abi Hub. “We’re here to nurture high growth startups and create an environment where entrepreneurs have access to the resources, connections, experience, and capital to support the journey of putting ideas into action. We want this to be a place that embraces all things entrepreneurial, a community of innovation.” 

The abi Hub, located in the Manchester Millyard, boasts 15,000 square feet of space. There are thirty-five full time offices ranging from 150 to 500 square feet. There are currently two units available for rent. In addition to traditional offices, there is co-working space. “We recognize that in today’s world many businesses launch from non-conventional spaces and we wanted to have options in place that would suit their needs,” said Coughlin, “and, it’s very affordable, starting at $100/month.” 

There are currently 20 full time businesses and fifteen co-working residents that call the abi Hub home. Whether full time or part time, all residents are embraced into the abi Hub entrepreneurial community. The abi Hub also has shared space, including private meeting rooms and a conference room that includes impressive audio/visual equipment that can be used by all members.  

Scott Merrick of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen's Office receives thanks from abi Innovation Hub Vice President of Operations Michele Petersen after he read a statement from Senator Shaheen.

Scott Merrick of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen's Office receives thanks from abi Innovation Hub Vice President of Operations Michele Petersen after he read a statement from Senator Shaheen.

Michele Petersen, vice president of operations followed Coughlin’s presentation. “As a result of the support by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, we’re fortunate to have received an SBA grant that serves two purposes. The first was to “tech up the place” which we’ve definitely done.  The second is to pursue a Soft Landing’s Designation, provided by the National Business Incubator Association.” This status says to the community that the abi Hub is a great place for an international company to land a business.” Although Senator Shaheen was unable to attend the relaunch event, she sent a written statement, which was read by Shaheen office staffer Scott Merrick. 

The presentation continued with representatives of two abi Hub resident companies highlighting their businesses. The first was Kent Murphy from Accreon, an information technology and business solutions company based out of New Brunswick, Canada, where they employ 100 people. Accreon has a 20 year history in the information technology and business solutions industry. They work with clients throughout the Maritime Provinces, Ontario and the United States, and have successfully established themselves as a leader in their industry. They look forward to replicating that same success here. Murphy expressed enthusiasm for the initiation of their first US office in Manchester and the good fortune of having discovered the abi Hub. To learn more about Accreon, visit www.accreon.com 

The second abi Hub resident speaker was Derek Hopkins, president & CEO of Liquid Health Labs, Inc. This company is part of the fastest growing category of the nutrition industry, the functional beverage market. The company has successfully introduced PowerCap to the market, a patented cap filled with nutritional supplements and additives that you infuse into consumable liquids. Hopkins demonstrated the product by removing a cap from a bottle of water, replacing it with the PowerCap, pushing down on the top and releasing the supplements into the water. The end result was an instantly enhanced beverage. For more information visit www.mypowercap.com.   

Bruce Wilson, president & CEO of Cellular Specialties, Inc. also took part in the presentation. Coughlin concluded by thanking event sponsors, which comprised the abi Hub board of directors, Matt Pierson and the Boston Beer Company, and asking all in attendance to consider how they might become involved. After the presentation, attendees continued touring, networking and enjoying the refreshments, with the exciting energy continuing late into the evening.

Congrats abi Innovation Hub!