Eight awards recognizing leadership, innovation and technological achievement were given to businesses and individuals in South Carolina at the 18th annual InnoVision Awards Dinner, held Thursday Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville.
Kayla Shine and Alexa Eyring won the Young Innovator Award, named in honor of Dr. Ibrahim Janajreh. As students at USC’s Center for Advanced Technical Studies in Chapin, S.C., under the leadership of Krystal DuBose, the two developed assistive technology that benefits unsteady hands by way of a unique feeding utensil.
Zverse, based in Columbia, received InnoVision’s Technology Development Award for their LAYR technology, which is a revolutionary software that readily analyzes and converts 2-D images into 3-D printable content.
Milliken & Company, headquartered in Spartanburg, earned the nod from the independent judging committee for the Technology Integration Award, for their Milliguard UVX200 HF product. Milliguard is a novel reactive ultraviolet absorber that allows the polyurethane industry to reduce UV absorption while improving indoor air quality.
SC Future Minds in Florence received the Education Award for developing a branded, digital “Donate Now” button for school websites across the state. Their innovation provides an easy way for public schools to solicit on-line donations for students and teachers.
Cognito Forms in Columbia was given the Small Enterprise Award. Cognito Forms is an intuitive, user-friendly online document builder that enables companies all over the world to create sophisticated and complex forms for the best value.
SmartVista, based in Spartanburg, received the Sustainability Award. The company has repurposed reclaimed fibers into a rapid deployment absorbent media to contain dangerous spills. The SpillArmor absorbent barrier can be deployed in 30 seconds and requires no more training than is necessary to work a fire extinguisher.
Pursuit Alert in Pickens received first place in the Community Service category for their development of a patented, state-of-the-art mobile warning system to alert motorists and civilians of the danger of an active law enforcement pursuit or emergency response.
Dennis Hayes won the 2016 Dr. Charles Townes Individual Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual who exhibits a commitment to the advancement of technology and the community through his technology-oriented contributions. A Spartanburg native, Hayes, along with Dale Heatherington, developed and marketed the first high-quality IBM PC modem.
Founded by Deloitte in 1999, the InnoVision Awards Program is “dedicated to the advancement of technology in the state through communication, education and recognition of the spirit of innovation and technological progress,” according to event organizers.
For more information, visit innovisionawards.org.
