Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Consultant to Receive Tibbetts Awards for Outstanding Contributions

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is proud to announce the 2015 Tibbetts Awards to 23 small businesses, six individuals, and – for the first time – three supporting organizations for their exemplary roles in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Wayne Brass, certified business consultant with the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development, will be among those formally honored in Washington, DC, on June 15 during a White House ceremony featuring keynote speaker Cady Coleman, accomplished scientist and NASA Astronaut noted for her six-month expedition to the International Space Station. Tibbetts awardees will also be honored at the June 16 kickoff of the National SBIR/STTR Conference where thousands of the best and brightest in the innovation ecosystem convene annually.

Brass has been a long-time supporter of the SBIR grant program. “The SBIR grant program is a powerful tool for small businesses to respond to a government agency’s need,” he said. “Hence an opportunity is created with the agency for a contract plus commercialization of the product.”

Named for the late Roland Tibbetts, widely accredited as being the ‘Father’ of today’s SBIR/STTR programs, the annual Tibbetts Awards are presented to leaders from all over the United States who have been instrumental in supporting the success of the programs and/or utilizing SBIR/STTR investment to develop an ‘idea’ into a product or service that benefits the federal government’s research and development needs, the general public’s wellbeing, and the nation’s economy through technological innovation and the creation of high quality jobs – sometimes in newly created industries.

“I am so looking forward to celebrating these entrepreneurs who are driving U.S. innovation in diverse and amazing ways across the country,” said Javier Saade, SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Investment and Innovation. “This will be my second Tibbetts Awards ceremony, and I can honestly tell you, on behalf of the SBIR/STTR family, it is thrilling to be in the company of these visionaries developing and commercializing technologies that strengthen our nation’s defense, improve the health of our citizens, and enhance education.”

The 2015 Tibbetts Awards will go to the following small businesses that have excelled through SBIR/STTR investment and to the individuals and supporting organizations that have advanced the success of the SBIR/STTR programs without economic participation:

Companies	City & State
ANDRO Computational Solutions	Rome, N.Y.
Aspen Aerogels, Inc	Northborough, Mass.
Behavioral Imaging Solutions	Boise, Idaho
Bexion Pharmaceuticals	Covington, Ky.
Bioo Scientific	Austin, Texas
Celdara Medical	Lebanon, N.H.
FarSounder, Inc	Warwick, R.I.
FlexSys, Inc	Ann Arbor, Mich.
Frontier Technology	Beavercreek, Ohio
Hybrid Plastics, Inc	Hattiesburg, Miss.
Hydronalix, Inc	Green Valley, Ariz.
Hysitron, Inc	Prairie, Minn.
LI-COR Biosciences	Lincoln, Neb.
Lift Labs	Mountain View, Calif.
Out of the Fog Research	Mountain View, Calif.
Orbital ATK	Northridge, Calif.
Precision Combustion	North Haven, Conn.
Senes Tech	Flagstaff, Ariz.
StormCenter Communications, Inc	Halethorpe, Md.
Systima Technologies, Inc	Kirkland, Wash.
Techshot, Inc	Greenville, Ind.
TissueTech, Inc	Doral, Fla.
Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals	Lexington, Ky

 

Individuals

R. Wayne Brass	Clearwater, Fla.
Jacques Gansler	College Park, Md.
Amanda Gentry	Arlington, Va.
Peter J. Grazaitis	Aberdeen, Md.
Thomas J. Piazza	Odessa, Fla.
Larry Pollack	Fort Belvoir, Va.

Support Organizations

Launch	Sausalito, Calif.
MassVentures	Boston, Mass.
New Orleans BioInnovations	New Orleans, La.

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About the Programs

The SBIR/STTR programs represent the nation’s largest source of early stage research and development funding for small businesses. The programs are administered by the SBA in collaboration with 11 federal agencies, which collectively supported more than $2.5 billion in federal research and development funding in fiscal year 2014. Additional information about each program can be found at www.sbir.gov.

About the National Conference

The SBIR/STTR National Conference is held concurrently with the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo. The largest gathering of its kind, attendees are able to interact with federal agency representatives, industry leaders and veteran SBIR/STTR awardees to learn about accessing and competing for SBIR/STTR investment, building strategic partnerships, and creating commercialization strategies. Additional information on conference opportunities can be found at http://nationalinnovationsummit.com/program/National_SBIR_Conference.html.

About the Road Tour

The SBIR Road Tour is a national outreach effort to engage local research and development small businesses, innovators, and researchers about opportunities available through America’s Largest Seed Fund, the SBIR/STTR programs. Attendees are able to meet and interact directly with national and state program managers and representatives from state- or locally- sponsored support organizations. Additional information on SBIR Road Tour dates and locations can be found at http://www.sbirroadtour.com/dates.php.