Presented by the Chattanooga Technology Council, the Early Innovator Award honors emerging technology-based companies that have produced a groundbreaking prototype product or beta stage software application that represents the potential for a significant competitive advantage.

The Early Innovator Award recognizes companies that are in the early stages of development having achieved less than $100,000 in revenue to date.

The 2010 Early Innovator Award Finalists will present at the April meeting of the Chattanooga Technology Council held on Wednesday, April 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. It will be held at the M.L. King Building, 317 Oak St., Room 108.

The 2010 Early Innovator Award Finalists are:

Ron Patch, Owner, Enerfit
Electronic Controls, Inc. has patent-pending methodology and control strategy for retrofitting existing single zone, commercial air conditioning units that saves energy, reduces relative humidity, controls indoor air quality, and extends the life of the unit. The Enerfit solution is designed and manufactured in Chattanooga and is being tested locally prior to full commercialization. Field tests are yielding total unit energy savings ranging from 40 percent to 70 percent by managing fan power consumption.

Jason Perry, President, Engagency
Engagency is developing a new social city guide and community media network, designed to make localized media and marketing a more animated and interactive experience. The pilot program, WhatsUpChattanooga.com, launched in 2010 with the goal of adding a new online component to the city's ongoing renaissance and economic development efforts. WhatsUpChattanooga.com brings new widely popular social media, messaging, and Google Map technology to the traditional community bulletin board concept. It employs an innovative publishing model, which gives local businesses and organizations the tools to be publishers, and the means to directly engage their audience. By relying on the goodwill and involvement of publishers, Engagency is democratizing access to local information and introducing new voices to help tell the story of our regions' quality of life. Attracted by Chattanooga's unique qualities, Engagency's founders relocated their interactive web design agency here in 2006. Encouraged by their success serving local clients, including Mohawk Industries, Playcore Inc., and DJO Chattanooga, they were inspired to invest in the Scenic City's future by developing a local media portal that they now hope will spread nationwide.

Dr. Ken McElrath,CEO, Skoodat
Skoodat makes education data useful, for everyone, in real time. Skoodat's cloud education toolbox and platform enable education organizations to get out of the information technology infrastructure business and focus on education innovation. Skoodat removes the barriers associated with older technologies, providing cloud software applications, a development platform and infrastructure services that can help schools dramatically cut costs while improving performance through effective, practical use of historic and real-time data. Skoodat solutions are fully integrated through an open cloud development platform and a standards-based, certified cloud infrastructure that has been proven over 10 years by more than 67,000 customers and over 1.5 million current, daily users.
As a visionary social and environmental entrepreneur, Skoodat also helps schools preserve resources for today and tomorrow by eliminating the need to install and power expensive server farms and by dramatically reducing paper use. Skoodat is proud to be a salesforce.com Power of Us partner and a certified B Corporation, demonstrating our commitment to social and environmental stewardship.

Lunch will be provided. Cost is $20 for non tech council members and is included in membership dues for tech council members. Reservation deadline is Thursday, April 15. To make a reservation, call 209-6813, or register online http://www.chatc.org/index.php?mode=calendar&page=116.

Past Early Innovator Award Recipients:
2009 – Adaptive Methods has developed the Rapid Deployment Shelter System (“RDSS”), a portable shelter system that is ideal for humanitarian, military and disaster relief efforts. In its transport configuration, the RDSS is the size of a convention shipping container. In its expanded configuration, the unit provides 400 square feet of rigid-walled shelter. The RDSS can be deployed by one person in less than two minutes. The technology behind the RDSS was licensed by Adaptive Methods from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, and The Enterprise Center here in Chattanooga has been instrumental in the development of the shelter system.

2008 Cushion by Design - Their innovative process infuses silicone and other additives into foam to create advantages in multiple applications.

2007 Floodbloc, Inc. - Used to remove chemicals from a body of water, SAP750 releases the absorbed water at or better than water treatment facility level.

2006 RemagenSafeRooms - Products exceed Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines and National Storm Shelter Association standards for tornado shelter design.

2005 Tricycle samples save carpet mills the cost and time of creating tufted samples and reduce the number of tufted samples discarded in landfills.