http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/204427/publisher_ID/40/
Published May 24, 2011, 08:25 PM

Honoring N.D. innovation

5th annual Innovate ND program awards top entrepreneur honors Tuesday
The five best-developed and most ready to launch business ideas were awarded the top prize of $15,000 in cash and free professional services to get started.

By: Ryan Johnson, Grand Forks Herald

A UND student team’s idea to use remotely piloted aircraft to help farmers improve crop yields was one of five winning business ideas that received $15,000 in cash and statewide recognition Tuesday in a statewide entrepreneurial competition.

This year’s Innovate ND, an economic development initiative designed to help North Dakota entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into successful ventures, drew 58 applicants.

The pool was narrowed down to 18 finalists with proposals ranging from wood-based environmentally friendly men’s underwear to a new medical device designed to track physical and occupational rehabilitation progress while merging exercises with computer gaming.

Not everyone could go home with top honors during the awards ceremony Tuesday evening at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The five best-developed and most ready to launch business ideas were awarded the top prize of $15,000 in cash and free professional services to get started.

But UND Entrepreneur-in-Residence Jeff Stamp cautioned the winners that they’ll face their real test once their business idea becomes a reality.

“While we’ll celebrate your accomplishments tonight, we’ll be waiting to see how well you perform in the marketplace because the real measuring stick of your success will be with customers,” he said.

Award winners

The following five teams and individuals received top honors from this year’s Innovate ND:

• Field of View, LLC: UND students David Dvorak and Jonathan Alme were awarded for their business idea of using remotely piloted aircraft to take high-resolution images of crops in the field, information that could help farmers increase yields and profits.

• Lift’N Buddy: This Fargo team, with members Aaron Lamb, Richard Cossette, Nate Trostad and Douglas Snider, became the first two-time winner of Innovate ND for their idea of a new mobile lifting device that combines a standard two-wheeler’s durability with automatic lifting and lowering capabilities.

• Tommies LB Roller: Stan Tomlinson, Mike Tomlinson and Jason LaDuke of Turtle Lake picked up recognition in this year’s competition for their idea for a specially tool designed for electricians and electrical linemen to pull large conductors through electrical conduits. The tool could help prevent hand injuries and insulation damage while saving time and money.

• The LightsOn Safety Solutions: Bismarck entrepreneurs John Holtan, Chris Lane, Kara Holtan and Mike Holman were among the winning teams for their idea for a self-certification system for mining companies and firemen. The system trains these workers on how to interpret hazardous gas atmospheres, teaching them what to do in a dangerous situation without putting them in harm’s way.

• Talon by Safe Pursuit, LLC: Another Bismarck team, with members Evan Anderson, Jon Sanstead, Chris Loraas and Ken Walter, picked up top honors for a new device on law enforcement vehicles to quickly and safely bring fleeing vehicles to a stop. The device securely grabs the back of the fleeing vehicle as soon as contact is made with its bumper.

The People’s Choice Award, determined by tallying more than 2,200 online votes over the past two weeks, went to Valley Med Flight. Daniel Malott and Benjamin Dorman of Grand Forks received the $500 cash award for their business proposal to provide safe and efficient independent air medical transportation to the upper Red River Valley.

West Fargo business idea EZ-Ad App, a mobile application designed to help small businesses affordably advertise and brand themselves, received the “In the Zone” award. The award, sponsored by Fargo-based Kilbourne Group, will give team members Mark Schroeder, Chao You, Jake Joraanstad and Brian Walsh 1,500 square feet of downtown Fargo retail space rent-free for one year.

Innovate ND is coordinated by the North Dakota Department of Commerce, UND’s Center for Innovation and North Dakota State University’s Research and Technology Park. Forum Communications Co., which owns the Herald, is the program’s lead sponsor.