Businesses, Individuals Take Home Innovation Awards
The awards were handed out during a ceremony at the Horizon Convention Center.
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowNearly a dozen individuals and organizations have received awards at an inaugural event hosted by the Muncie Innovation Connector. The Excellence in Innovation Awards honor established and emerging entrepreneurs in east central Indiana.
The categories of recipients are Excellence in Innovation, Young Innovator’s Award and Big Idea Pitch Competition winners.
The winners are:
Excellence in Innovation Award (who will also be included in the Innovation Connector’s Innovation Wall of Fame):
- Thomas Office Solutions in Muncie
- Littler Diecast Corp. in Albany
- Jacks Camera Shop Inc. in Muncie
- Carrera Manufacturing Inc. in Portland
- Boyce Systems in Daleville
The Young Innovator Award:
- John Pugsley, Daleville High School
2015 BIG Idea Pitch competition (selected by a panel after delivering two-minute pitches to award show attendees):
- First Place: Brent Allred and Tyler Harris – Avec Audio
- Second Place: Alex Call and Hunter Radke – Healthy Cookie
- Third Place: Mark Ullom – Digital X-Ray Holder
- Fourth Place: Greg White – GW Hops & Honey
- Fifth Place: Johnell Kelley – Royale Curves
Winners of the Big Idea Pitch earned cash and services prize packages combined to total nearly $40,000.
Innovation Connector Executive Director Ted Baker says "the Excellence in Innovation Awards and the finals of the BIG Idea Pitch Competition met all of the criteria we established, including the number of businesses and individuals that were involved. Our region has a strong base of entrepreneurial and innovative leadership, and these two events were intended to highlight and encourage this strength. The Innovation Connector will continue to create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to develop and grow their business ideas and businesses right here in East Central Indiana."
