Now, western science is backing up this assertion. As a result, progressive city planners are reinventing how urban spaces should and should not function and how they can implement more humane, healthy design decisions to stimulate happier communities. As a result of extensive research in this field, experts suggest that less “concrete” and more “jungle” may be the recipe to alleviate many common modern malaises.

Statistics show that a lack of time spent in nature could be the cause of a rise in health issues including anxiety, depression, heart issues, diabetes, and more, specifically amongst people living in highly urbanized areas. To counteract the effects of the shortage of natural spaces in and around built-up areas, many urban planners are stepping up and voicing their concerns regarding existing cities “being designed for cars rather than people.” And, by voicing the urgency of transforming cities into more humane places, these trailblazing city planners are changing how urban spaces function now and into the future.

Many local and international programs and initiatives support the shift. The World Economic Forum reported last year that, in Canada, as many as 1000 health care professionals are writing scripts with instructions for patients to spend time outdoors. It is part of the country’s perception-shifting, evidence-based nature prescription program launched in 2022. Such scripts also provide patients with free park passes valid for 12 months as part of the PaRx initiative, which aims to improve Canadians’ overall well-being by giving them free access to nature for a minimum of two hours per week, “using the outdoors as natural medicine.”

Acknowledging this intrinsic relationship to nature is by no means new, of course. People have been expressing unique relationships to nature since time immemorial. Generally speaking, our ancestors spent much more time outdoors than the average modern urbanite does. And so, it does raise the question of whether our disconnect from nature as a result of changing lifestyles is not perhaps at the root of many personal and social problems.

“When my psychotherapy clients are feeling emotionally homeless, which is often, I take them back to that abode which, deep in their spirits, they remember as the domicile of their Earth Mother, their heart’s first home,” Phillip Sutton Chard said 30 years ago in his book The Healing Earth: Nature’s Medicine for the Troubled Soul. “I remind them of that greater family—that conclave of nature—of which we are all part. And most do remember,” he continues. He also notes that, in Lakota tradition, wise Elders believed that, when removed from nature, we tend to harden, slowly losing our humanity.

As a result, a growing number of urban planners like Lior Steinberg and others are taking up the benevolent battle and speaking out to drive positive changes in bringing nature back into cities, in the process making them happier places, more appropriate for life to flourish. And city dwellers appear to be ready to embrace such change. The New York Daily News reported polls showing New Yorkers to be happy to turn as much of 70 percent of vehicle space into areas for walking, cycling, and the like, just two years ago. While Rome was not built in a day, these attitudes are evident in changing values and residents being sufficiently empowered to voice their needs.

Reflecting on all these sentiments, author and professor Arthur Versluis wrote in Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America, “Our lives are a cacophony; insulated from wind and rain and sun, from heat and cold, we are ensphered in our own catacombs of metal and concrete and plastic. Living in such a world, is it any wonder that we turn to drugs, to ever more sensational means of stimulation, to entertainment that renders us catatonic? Insulated from nature, ungrounded, why should we be surprised at our own brutality? Where in such a world is there room for gratitude and for what should we be grateful?”

Becoming apparently and entirely disconnected from the understanding of the boundless power of nature, entire states and countries seem to lose sight of the impact of their environmental decisions within the bigger planetary scheme of things. As Dubai and many other places on Earth battle severe weather conditions courtesy of climate change, it would be safe to say that nature, when sufficiently displeased, is not always the stress-free haven we humans like to think of her as, but rather a law unto herself.

While in a corporate, industrial, and commercial sense, it may seem frivolous considering the planet to be a living entity endowed with rights, some countries have granted nature legal rights, giving the concept social merit and legitimacy. And the list of signatories is growing. Some of these countries include Ecuador, Bolivia, India, and the United States, with Pennsylvania being the first state on record to have committed to improving ecological and human well-being in this way.

But it is not only our health that improves in natural spaces. Bringing more plants and trees into urban settings also cools them down. This means slowly creating pleasant temperatures where new micro-ecosystems can thrive. Starting by creating tree canopies and allowing foliage to sprout between pavers, green is the new gold.

Ever notice that the shade beneath trees is cooler than the shade beneath shade cloth? That is thanks to evaporative cooling and sophisticated natural tree technology that typical urban, human-made shade simply cannot match without wasting precious resources like water. In addition, green urban landscaping not only cools cities down significantly; it also absorbs water better, helping to prevent flooding and erosion of precious topsoil.

One proponent of approaching urban landscaping with stormwater management at the forefront of every design decision is Kongjian Yu, who received the Oberlander Prize in recognition of his innovation in the field. A close brush with drowning as a child gave Yu the insight that to render powerful, rushing waters safe, settled soil and adequate plant growth are needed to guide its course and mitigate damage.

“How you manage water, how you treat water, how you make use of water is the key to [recreating] the Land of Peach Blossoms,” Yu says, underscoring the need for a revolution in how urban design adapts to nature to help create a symbiosis between humans and the powerful forces that threaten to overwhelm them at times.

From this symbiosis, we stand to gain greater personal satisfaction and a sense of peace and connection. “There are many studies that demonstrate how spending time in nature can improve mood, lower anxiety, and improve cognition and memory,” said Mayo Clinic nurse practitioner Jodie M. Smith, APRN., C.N.P., D.N.P., M.S.N., in a piece by Sara Youngblood Gregory for the Mayo Clinic. “Making time for nature is important for us to maintain resiliency and promote self-care in a world that demands a lot from us.”

From being proven to calm our sympathetic nervous systems in less time than it takes most to finish a hot cappuccino to mitigating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), taking time out to simply put bare feet on a lawn when the wild is out of reach goes a long way to finding connection, to self and the world. By remaining connected to nature, we too remain vitally alive—even in the urban hustle.

The post Bringing Nature Back<p class="company">Greener Urban Spaces for Human Health</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“Someone has to do this work, and I am not at all surprised that that someone is me,” were the words that dear Doc wrote to his beloved a few months before the injury. “I always tried to live in the here and now, because I knew that one day it would end, and now I’m sure of it. I want to have time to do everything, because who knows what tomorrow will bring.”

Vitalik Nezhinsky was born in the city of Belz in Western Ukraine. His father was a soldier, and when Vitalik was five years old, he and his family moved to Crimea. As a child, Vitalik served in the temple, to which he voluntarily came and brought his parents. From a young age, he saw this world in a special way and always tried to do something good for everyone, everywhere.

At the age of 16, Nezhinsky, a native of Crimea, without informing anyone, went to Kyiv to the Maidan, where he took an active part. As a result, he was forced to leave Crimea and complete his studies at a medical college in the Lviv Region. He spent his summer vacation when he was 18 in the East defending his country from the enemy. He lived abroad for several years, and after a full-scale invasion, immediately returned to Ukraine and stood up to defend it. He served in the 3^rd Separate Assault Brigade. He took part in the battle for Kyiv, the liberation of Kherson Oblast, in the battles on the Zaporizhia and Bakhmut fronts.
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He was awarded the badge “For assistance in the defense of Kyiv,” and a series of honorary badges of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “Steel Cross,” “Golden Cross,” “For Saved Life,” “For Wounds,” and “For Courage.”

He was seriously wounded on the outskirts of Bakhmut, and fought for his life for 103 days. On March 3, my heart stopped.

A person with an extremely kind heart and bright soul, Vitalik walked a difficult but very interesting path on this Earth. He lived, enjoyed, and rejoiced, even when it seemed that there was no longer a place for joy. His light always shone, and will always shine.

Vitalik and Anita loved each other so much.

The meeting of these two souls was not an accident; it was planned from their birth, soulmates who, in a short period of time, experienced the widest range of emotions that can possibly be felt on this Earth. In the Bible it is written: “God is love,” and God was with them. Is it fair that they spent so little time together? Unfortunately, it was not for them to decide. To receive such happiness, to feel such love and support from one another, is a great gift that is not given to everyone, and one for which they are grateful to the Almighty. Vitalik was not afraid to die, as he was afraid not to live. From their first meeting, they discussed and understood that life is a moment. And each of their moments was special.

They met on Rynok Square in Lviv, when he was passing through Lviv and walking with his sworn brother. Anita had also gone for a walk that evening with her friends, a date three weeks in the planning. The moment Anita and Vitalik’s eyes met, they realized that this was more than a chance meeting. The limited time they had in Lviv they spent together, looking into each other’s eyes for hours and seeing the boundless worlds within them. They say that to love is to see a person as God created them, and this is exactly how these two saw each other.

They soon had to go their separate ways and could communicate only in messages, and there was no less love in that than in the meetings in Lviv. Anita wrote a handwritten letter to Vitalik on his birthday and sent it to the front line, counting the days until he would be able to open it. He was delighted, his emotions and happiness were off the scale, and he answered her: “It is not usual for me to receive wonderful emotions, and here these emotions are an ocean. I don’t know who else has managed to describe me so openly, but you did. I would not have believed that in such a short period of time you could have managed to get to know me like that. It is very nice; it goes straight to the heart.” Anita was so happy at his response. They had known each other only a few months, but it felt like an eternity.

On November 21, Vitalik received very serious injuries while performing combat missions, and was taken to a hospital in Kyiv. As soon as Anita learned about it, she immediately went to see him. What followed was three months of hellish resuscitation, two weeks of which he was conscious for. Vitalik received an abdominal wound, an open leg fracture, a partial amputation of the right upper limb, and a fractured jaw. His own healthy skin was transplanted onto injured areas and, over three weeks, he survived 14 complex surgeries. Vitalik’s mother, who immediately came from the occupied Crimea, and Anita were always nearby. He was very happy that they were around, always saying that, “everything is fine, everything will be fine,” and always telling them how much he loved them.

It was a very difficult time for Vitalik as he went through hell on Earth, but until the end he was strong, indomitable, and reassuring to his relatives. Being himself in a very serious condition, having a phone holder near him, he wrote with one hand to the volunteers to convey what they needed for the military men who were lying with him in the intensive care unit, who were unconscious. Three weeks after his initial injuries and all the surgeries, he went into cardiac arrest for 23 minutes, but was successfully resuscitated. After that, he was under a medical coma and fought for his life for another two and a half months.

Anita and Vitalik’s mothers were nearby, supporting him and them both. They were sure that they would go through everything life had to bring together, no matter how difficult. After three months of intensive care, the feelings of fear, despair, worry, and powerlessness crept in amongst all the love, joy, and faith, and it was often scary to wake up, wondering what the news would be. Day after day passed. Anita and Vitalik’s mothers spent all their time in prayer together and near him, and they were sure, until the very last, that everything would be fine despite all the horror they witnessed every day in the military hospital. They cried together, they rejoiced together at small improvements, they became a family.

When Doc was conscious in the ICU, he asked Anita to be his wife and said that he really wanted a son. The two of them were sure that the best was yet to come—but the best was already lived. Ahead was only pain and bright memories. They knew that it was temporary here, that someday the end would come. Perhaps that is why every look, every touch, was piercing to the soul; they felt everything.

This story is about a strong warrior, about the incredible strength of a man who, from a young age, chose a difficult path, the path to voluntarily defend his country from the enemy. He cared about the future of his family; he cared about the future of the nation. He loved and he was loved very much.

After three months of hellish torment in the intensive care unit, Vitalik waited for the arrival of his beloved and in a few hours, holding hands, in love, went to eternity.

These are some of the terrible realities of today. Young people give their lives to protect their family, country, freedom, and future for their nation, and the best of them die in the thousands. It is simply impossible to describe the pain of this loss for women, children, and parents. Life seems to stop, and we have to learn to live in a new, different way. We live with the help and support of each other and our army, and we sincerely hope that soon we will be able to live in a free country, without worries, shots, and such great losses. The pain of those who lost loved ones in the war is a pain they will feel for the rest of their lives; it is a wound that will never heal. Strength is given only by God, shown in help given to the military and faith that we will win back our freedom and independence on all fronts. Strength is shown in the worthy examples of our fallen soldiers, the sons of Ukraine, who inspire with the strength of their own spirit!

As sworn brother and close friend, “Zub,” says of Vitalik:

“Friend Doc. He was a brave warrior, who, from the first days of the full-scale invasion, returned from Poland to defend his country. During our first acquaintance, I remembered this. He was always cheerful, brave, a true friend, even, I would say, a brother, with whom we could talk about everything in the world. I never doubted him; I knew that I could count on him at any moment, just as he could count on me. During such a short period, we became one family, and together we shared all that we had. Doc’s memory will live on forever—in the news, on billboards, in the gallery… and most importantly in our hearts. You know… it’s easier to live without light than without such loyal friends… A hero thrice. Glory. Glory. Glory.”

As Vitalik’s beloved, Anita, says of Doc:

“My Vitalik, my Doc, a part of my soul… I thank God that He gave me you. There is no point in asking why God took you; He has His own plans… With you, He gave me the feeling of crazy love. With you, He gave me strength. With you, He showed me the depth of the human soul, thanks to you. It is impossible to accept and understand the loss of Doc. Pain tears everything apart inside and time does not heal. But he and I believed that the soul is something more than just the physical body. And the belief that the soul of my loved one has passed a very worthy path on this Earth gives me strength and inspiration to walk my path with dignity!”

Vitalik Nezhinsky (Doc), he is a part of history. Starting from the Maidan, ending with a full-scale invasion. A man of incredible strength of spirit, wisdom and depth. The pride of the Ukrainian nation! Eternal Glory to the Hero of Ukraine and a special person!

Donations to Doc’s surviving family can be made here: https://send.monobank.ua

The post Fallen Hero<p class="company">A Soldier’s Story</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

With a population of 77,572, the City of Pittsburg is experiencing plenty of growth and development, including welcoming new businesses and residents. Companies and families alike are moving to the area for reasons that include quality of life, available land, reasonable housing costs, job availability, and, of course, ‘location, location, location.’

On days when there isn’t too much traffic, Pittsburg is 45 minutes from San Francisco, 30 minutes from Oakland, and about an hour from Sacramento. The city boasts convenient walkable amenities like a beautiful downtown with great mom-and-pop stores, restaurants, breweries, and wine bars while remaining relatively affordable for a Bay Area community.

“Pittsburg is a place where families can afford a good size house, put down roots, and continue to live in the city,” says Davis. “That situates us well as far as cost of living goes. We are really in a fantastic position to meet the needs of a lot of different aspects of our community.”

Nurturing opportunities
In his role as director, Davis has seen firsthand the positive results of a city council and local community joining forces; it’s a source of pride and makes his job as a public servant a lot more enjoyable. A native Californian, he came to Pittsburg looking for an opportunity to work in a diverse city with lots of development potential and similarities to some areas in which he was raised.

“I saw Pittsburg as a great place and could see almost immediately everything it had going for it when I visited,” he says. This included the downtown, projects under construction, and the state-of-the-art San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District, a 50-station, 131-mile (210 km) heavy-rail public transit system.

He was impressed with how the city was run, its financial stability, and the amount of wise investment made in reserves and other activities to ensure a sustainable government.

Immediately accepting a job as a planner, Davis worked in the city manager’s office for a few years before moving on to his current role. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be so involved in the areas of community and economic development because of the investments the city is making in these areas,” he says. “They’ve put a lot of faith in staff, but also, they put a lot of pressure on themselves to make sure they are delivering on economic development and the economic development potential of the city for its residents.”

Locals take great pride in their community, and the city values their input and is highly receptive to it. “That’s allowed us to make a lot of progress over the 10 years I’ve been here.”

Industrial roots
185 years ago, the area which is now home to the City of Pittsburg was formed following a 10,000-acre land grant from Mexico to the United States. Changing its name several times, it was called ‘Pittsburg’ (no ‘h’) in 1911, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Early industries included coal mining, commercial fishing, and boat building. These pioneering industries were followed by giants like U.S. Steel, and Dow Chemical (now Corteva) setting up business in the area. However, times and industries change. After more than a century, the steel mill shuttered at the end of 2023, and Corteva is winding down operations. Both companies kept generations of local families employed.

Rather than bemoaning the loss of these industry giants, the City of Pittsburg sees it as an opportunity to welcome other businesses. “I’m optimistic we’re going to see a lot of newer, clean tech jobs come to the area,” says Economic Development Manager Robert Carrera.

The city has made a commitment to keeping those areas zoned industrial for the long term and proposing alternatives to help potential large employers meet their bottom lines. “We as a city are very development-friendly and always look for ways to make things work here.”

Initiatives include expanding the use of the Pittsburg Power Company (PPC), such that the utility currently provides power to a separate region, allowing it to grow and provide rates at least 20 percent lower than the norm. Other areas include exploring grants and tapping into recycled water infrastructure so employers can use more recycled water, fitting into the area’s master environmental plan.

The area is also home to two Calpine natural gas power facilities, one of which is currently piloting carbon sequestration technology. Pittsburg is also seeing a considerable interest in hydrogen power. A company called H Cycle—which produces low-carbon hydrogen through a unique waste processing system—is planning to develop a facility to create renewable hydrogen on Corteva land.

Fostering a welcoming, business-friendly environment, the City of Pittsburg continues to attract entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes. “We believe we are one place in California where you can do large-scale, large-employment business,” says Carrera.

Smart strategies
Much of the City of Pittsburg’s success comes from vision and thoughtful planning, such as developing new housing conveniently located near the Pittsburg Center BART Station. In 2020, the city put out a Request for Proposal for its planned Bliss Avenue project, seeking a developer to create a mixed-use project of residential and commercial units and related amenities.

According to the city, “This is proposed to be done through increased development intensity and increased pedestrian and transportation linkages in the area within a half-mile radius around the recently opened BART station.” Most of the property is owned by the city and is part of 8,000 new planned homes in the area.

Having BART run through the area has several benefits for the local community. The project is creating much more transit-oriented development geared toward transit centers, increased density, and more walkable development.

The idea of creating a transit village around the new BART station surfaced around 2009. Much planning was involved in extending BART, which opened in 2018. Since then, the city has acquired more property and recognizes the growing demand for housing of all types near public transit. “Not only do we want mixed-use development, but we want mixed-income development that lifts the entire area,” says Davis.

In late 2022, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a 117-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel. The new hotel is slated for completion this August, and a second is in the works. The Courtyard is less than a quarter of a mile from the BART Station, with a newly opened Starbucks drive-through adjacent to it.

“Pittsburg is no longer just that place where you buy your starter home and look to get out of,” says Davis. “We want to be a place where successful professionals from our schools and our city can continue to live. And the pride in Pittsburg runs incredibly deep. Residents want to see the rewards for how hard they’re working: buying those homes, continuing to purchase nicer homes with more amenities, having a grocery store that’s proximate, a commercial area, parks, and other elements so they can really live, work, and play right in the community that they’re also proud of.”

‘Yes’ to quality
A development-friendly community, Pittsburg is indeed growing strategically, and favors quality over quantity with its initiatives.

With the city working with residents for the greater good, Davis says that the city “has been creative in figuring out how we get to ‘Yes,’ and in getting things done.”

This includes other creative initiatives, such as a $4.5 million trail connecting a regional trail to the BART system; working with the developers of the Marriott to provide a $600,000 grant for construction and a $4.3 million loan for the city-owned property; and doing what it can to cut red tape, change zoning, and get project approvals pushed through faster than before.

For Carrera, Davis, and their team, the big challenge is: what is going to be the main employment driver for the next 100 Years in Pittsburg? For the past century, it was U.S. Steel and Dow Chemical (Corteva), and the city is now transitioning.

“The next three to five years will determine what takes place in those areas,” says Carrera. “We’ve carved out a niche for ourselves, in that we’re leaning into our industrial history. We want to be friendly to industrial uses and provide a place for some of that and new industries. What I’d like to see is ensuring those areas are employment-generating locations that allow folks to live and work here just the way they have for the past hundred years.”

The post Getting to ‘Yes’ in Pittsburg – A Very Positive Place<p class="company">City of Pittsburg, California</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Founded in 1831, the University of Alabama is the largest employer in Tuscaloosa County, with approximately 10,000 faculty and staff. The university has grown significantly over the past couple of decades, both in size and prestige. “In the early 2000s, there were approximately 21,000 students, both in the undergraduate and graduate levels,” Smyth says. “Now there are just shy of 40,000. They’ve done a really impressive job of attracting talent from all over the country, really all over world. They have students from every state in the United States [and many] international students. The talent and the quality of these students is really something that’s noteworthy. Every year, the freshman class is the best and brightest freshman class they’ve ever had. So, it’s become a marquee destination, not just a regional institution any longer.”

This is good news for the entire region. “Obviously, that has a huge economic impact,” says Smyth. “Just having that number of students coming in here, spending money in the community, living here for four to six years. But the thing that I think is even more impressive is the burgeoning research enterprise and the impact that it has on the state. For the vast majority of the university’s history, it was not a place where a significant amount of research was conducted. It was a great place to get a traditional liberal arts education; if you wanted to go to law school or get a business degree, that was absolutely the place to do it. But if you were conducting research anywhere in the Southeastern United States, it was primarily done in Birmingham, or Atlanta, or in the research triangle in North Carolina, or Oak Ridge National Labs in Tennessee.”

This dramatic shift has taken place very quickly. “In the last eight years, UA has become a tier 1 research institution,” Smyth says. “They had over $250 million in sponsored awards last year and they’re one of the fastest growing R1 universities in the country. They’re the number one National Science Foundation-funded academic institution in the state. Their growth rate for NSF funding is over 158 percent and their research expenditures last year were approaching $200 million.”

This remarkable expansion did not happen by accident. “The university was really strategic and wise in the way that they went about growing the research enterprise,” Smyth says. They did not want to compete with nearby institutions, such as The University of Alabama in Birmingham, which conducts major medical research. “The campus in Tuscaloosa decided, ‘well, we don’t want to do something that somebody else already has an expertise in. We don’t want to compete; we want to carve out our own niche.’”

As a result, the decision was made to create five signature research institutions focused on cyber, life research, materials, transportation, and water. “The two that are the most mature are the transportation institute and the water institute,” Smyth explains.

The Alabama Transportation Institute (ATI) includes the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, a public private partnership between The University of Alabama, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., and Alabama Power Company, the largest electric utility company in the state.

“They’re focusing on everything that has to do with the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles and other forms of mobility as well. That’s something that’s really important as the automotive industry goes through this transformation.”

When it comes to water-based research, there are several different federal partners based on campus. The National Water Center, run in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been operating for around a decade. The newest addition is the state-of-the-art Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) created in partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Scheduled for completion this month, the facility was previously located in NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. “Several years ago, congress recognized that there was a need for new facilities,” Smyth says. “They directed the USGS to collocate with a complementary academic institution.”

This combination of resources in Tuscaloosa is unique. “The cumulative assets that exist are unparalleled anywhere in the world,” Smyth says. “There’s no place on Earth that has these types of facilities coupled with federal resources and just the brain power from the faculty and staff and students that are coming through. And so, we’re seeing that this is serving as a magnet for industry to come to Tuscaloosa to conduct research and then eventually locate here permanently.”

For example, Tuscaloosa has caught the attention of Techstars, the most active pre-seed investor in the world. “They were founded in Boulder, Colorado for the purpose of growing start-up companies that were coming out of the University of Colorado, and since that time, they have located in 50-odd locations all around the world. They’ve helped grow 4,000 companies through their accelerator program and the cumulative market value of those 4,000 companies is in excess of $111 billion.”

Up to this point, Techstars had focused on larger population centers. “Tuscaloosa is by far the smallest community where they have a physical presence and have ever had a physical presence,” shares Smyth. “Traditionally, they look to places that have at least a million population… The reason that we were able to attract them is because of all the things that are happening at the University of Alabama.”

As the local economy shifts direction, TCEDA is working hard to stay ahead of the curve. “We were established in the mid-1970s for the purpose of recruiting manufacturing companies to our area. Since that time, we’ve been involved in the recruitment of about 20,000 jobs and a little over nine and a quarter billion dollars in capital investment. But we also recognize as an organization and as a community that the economy is changing and if you’re going to continue to survive and thrive as a community, you have to adapt to those changes. And so fortunately for us, we have tremendous assets here that can help us compete in the so-called knowledge economy—the jobs of the future that perhaps require less brawn and more brain.”

The University of Alabama is not the only institution of higher learning that is developing this brainpower in Tuscaloosa. Stillman College, a Historically Black College founded in 1876, is also located in the community. In addition, the county is home to Shelton State Community College. “Stillman College offers a traditional liberal arts education, but they also do some research on cyber and biomedicine,” Smyth says. “And then Shelton State is an incredible place to get your traditional industrial skills.”

This combination of educational resources has been foundational to the community’s success. “We have so many partners in higher education that contribute to economic development in our community,” says Smyth.

TCEDA is eager to support the many businesses that are attracted to Tuscaloosa’s diverse economic opportunities. “When a company comes to Tuscaloosa County, we don’t want to just leave them to their own devices and say, ‘thanks for coming, good luck.’ When you come to Tuscaloosa, you become a partner with the community. We want to do everything that we can to help you succeed, whether that means finding qualified employees for your business or overcoming other obstacles—whether that’s related to transportation, or raw materials, or getting your finished product out to market. You have a true partner, not only with our organization, but with the local governments.”

Whether expanding or newly relocated to the county, local businesses have a lot to look forward to as they take advantage of the research boom. And this is only the beginning. “I think that we’ll continue to see opportunities,” Smyth says. As future opportunities emerge, TCEDA will be ready to continue to support the community’s businesses so that they can take full advantage of all the region has to offer.

The post A Rising Hub for Research<p class="company">Tuscaloosa County</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Home to nearly 70,000 people, the area is rich in both natural endowments and untapped economic potential, which stakeholders like Sauk County Development Corporation (SCDC) are working hard to take advantage of. The commitment of the Sauk County Development Corporation is clear: to elevate and enrich the quality of life that people already have or may come to know and love in Sauk County.

A gem of the Midwest
What makes Sauk County truly exceptional are the natural landscapes and the leisure and recreation they afford. Located in what is called the Wisconsin Driftless Area, the land was untouched by the glaciers of the last ice age, leaving intact terrain and landscapes of sandstone formations and pristine wilderness.

“The waterways, the forests, the prairie lands, the uniqueness of us being in this driftless region where the glacier didn’t come—and didn’t retract—and we’re left with all these rock croppings and formations and rolling hills that absolutely aren’t traditional Midwest,” explains Executive Director of the SCDC, Thomas Cox.

Some of the greatest draws in the area are Devil’s Lake State Park, the Wisconsin Dells, and Lake Delton. The area also happens to be the waterpark capital of the world, which makes it a tourist destination for many—but there’s much more to the local economy that gives people a reason to stay.

Cox acknowledges the economic importance and impact of tourism but sees the county’s true strength in its economic diversity, which will support sustainability in the longer term. The goal is to sustain what is, while investing in what the region could be.

For Cox, the question is, “How do we act in a community-responsible way that focuses on how we can sustain what we have?” which in this case is a strong tourist base, agriculture, which includes the dairy sector for which Wisconsin is well known, and a diverse manufacturing base which could benefit greatly from further investments in workforce development and modernization.

Being itself, but better
While many communities are beginning to understand the negatives that come with unbridled growth—particularly the need for more sustainable forms of development—Sauk County is more concerned about sustaining what is and maintaining the quality of life it already enjoys, bolstered by the strength of a growing economy. The focus is on creating a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and residents by offering the resources and support needed to maximize economic participation and strength.

For Cox, this begins with small businesses, which he sees as the economic pillar on which the unique lifestyle of Sauk County depends. “To me, they are the de facto quality of life. When we talk about going and doing things we enjoy, it’s grabbing a coffee, getting a massage, going out for a glass of wine or a cocktail, or to the cinema.”

It doesn’t stop there, of course. Understanding the economic foundation of the area means grasping the longstanding importance of traditional industries like agriculture and manufacturing. Cox wants to see these sectors uplifted and modernized to everyone’s advantage.

“Where I would like to see us grow is in the mix of the new with the traditional. How do we take agriculture and make it into an AI Agri-business driven industry?” he says. “We’re going to need to eat, we’re going to need to have these products; how do we do that in a way where we make sure that [producers and processors] have the very best of what’s coming down the pipe in terms of technology and support?”

He notes that the same issues exist with regard to manufacturing. “How are we going to enable our manufacturers to do the same or do more with the same resources that we have now? How do we get one and a half times’ extra productivity from each person without making them work an additional 20 hours a week? We have to integrate the technologies and the learning that we see in large companies.”

Manufacturing isn’t the dark and dangerous industry it used to be, which can largely be attributed to technological advancement. The same can be said for agriculture in the 21st century, and this technological advancement will be the catalyst for both sectors in the future.

Cox hopes to maintain and grow these businesses through the provision of “the right knowledge, at the right time, to the right people. And if we can’t provide them with the right financing at the right time for them, then we lose them—we lose our quality of life, our education, our healthcare, and our workforce—so it all ties together.”

Serving the community
Much of the focus in Sauk County is on maintaining the level of service its residents already enjoy, and health care and education are two services of which Sauk County is particularly proud and works hard to preserve. Sauk County is home to branches of Madison Area Technical College and the Wisconsin Universities System, as well as three health care systems, in addition to proximity to Madison and its many amenities. These institutions are major partners in community vitality as well as economic and workforce development.

With the help of Madison Area Technical College, the SCDC recently hosted an English as a Second Language (ESL) training session that was attended by 90 people hoping to improve their language skills and participate more fully in the economy, better meeting the needs of local businesses who require new talent to get ahead.

SCDC offers many programs, training courses, mentorships, and opportunities to collaborate and grow, but one of the most important things it does is listen intently to the needs of the local business community and address those needs through the provision of resources and support. “We lean on our traditional economic practices—business retention and expansion. Most of that is being out and having relationships with the community and understanding their needs,” Cox says.

Sauk County Development Corporation also relies on and values its partners, which include local and regional workforce development and economic development organizations, local chambers of commerce, as well as the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose traditional territory includes Sauk County.

“The Ho-Chunk Nation really wants to reach out to the community, and we are a springboard to allow them to jump into different types of things. These types of partnerships open up networks that we haven’t previously had and so the main goal for us is to foster more community growth,” Cox explains.

Collaborative success
Economic development is most effective when organizations aren’t siloed but work together toward a common interest or goal. With this in mind, Sauk County Development Corporation is creating a collaborative environment in which relationships and business ventures can thrive. By focusing on the county’s strengths, which include its endless natural resources and endowments, the unique character and quality of life each one of its communities offers, and a rich and diverse economic foundation, the belief is that the economic ecosystem will develop sustainably and be a model for growth.

“I want to make Sauk County the best place to do business in the Midwest,” says Cox—a goal that he says the team at SCDC will work tirelessly to achieve. “We’re always striving to do better. I don’t know if being the best place to do business is a goal we can achieve, but it’s one that we can always work toward.”

The post Will This Be the New Best Place for Business in the Midwest?<p class="company">Sauk County Development Corporation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Operating out of six locations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arizona, Illinois, New York, and Florida, Accurate Converter has led the recycling industry for almost 20 years and continues to forge a path into the future with innovative ideas and full transparency.

“Some major trends in 2024 within the industry have a significant bearing on Accurate Converter as well as the precious metal recycling industry, specific to PGMs (Platinum Group Metals, consisting mostly of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and iridium,” explains CEO George Lucas.

Palladium and rhodium are predominantly used in the automotive industry for catalytic converters, which make up most of the commodities Accurate Converter buys, processes, and recycles.

As the push to electrify automobiles intensifies, the long-term demand for palladium and rhodium will wane. Lower demand equals lower buying pressure, which translates to lower prices. Post-COVID, prices of these two metals have dropped more than 65 percent, making it extremely challenging for companies like Accurate Converter.

Another major factor impacting the industry has been the theft of catalytic converters and the uncoordinated and uninformed countermeasures taken by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to curb the theft.

Lucas has heard firsthand from numerous people about their catalytic converter theft experiences, whether it was a neighbor who had one stolen while parked in their own driveway or at the airport while away on a trip. “This was when converters were $300 to $400 apiece in recycle value. They were disappearing by the thousands,” he shares.

Consequently, the federal government pushed to have thefts quashed, with Homeland Security and the FBI also getting involved. Unfortunately, this task proved no easy feat.

“Literally every state, every city in the state, and every county in every state in the United States has a different regulation regarding catalytic converters,” Lucas says. “They have a different certification—one needs one type of license, another needs a different license. In the state of Florida, it’s illegal to purchase converters with cash, even in a business-to-business transaction. However, in several counties within Florida, it is legal. In some states around the country, you need a secondary metals recycling license to buy converters; in others you need a precious metal buyers license. Florida thought saying, ‘you can’t pay cash for converters’ would stop the theft.”

Unfortunately, there are many instances when automotive recyclers have tow truck drivers show up with cars wanting cash, or approach companies like Accurate Converter asking for $20,000 in cash for recycled catalytic converters.

“You have one county saying it’s illegal, a state saying it’s not, and the federal government saying they don’t know,” Lucas says.

Accurate Converter, and many of its competitors, maintain in-house legal counsel to track, decipher, and comply with the drastic variances across the country. “We have a location in West Palm in Florida, and right now our in-house attorney is working with a lobbyist who’s working with several law enforcement agencies in Florida to find out what the law says. What are we supposed to do?”

ISRI (the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) and IPMI (the International Precious Metal Institute) also has lobbyist groups, which Accurate Converter partly funds, to help change the laws, adds Lucas, but no state is coordinated with another state, and no county is coordinated with the county next to it. “The lack of coordination across the country between law enforcement agencies has been a nightmare for our industry,” he says.

Regarding precious metal recycling trends and market insight, Accurate Converter believes that prices of platinum, palladium, and rhodium will stabilize over the next few months and trade in that same range for the foreseeable future, says Lucas.

“This forecast plays into the last challenge the recycling industry faces right now: hoarding,” he adds. “Accurate Converter works with many automotive recyclers all across the country. The majority of catalytic converters that enter the recycling stream come from total loss and end-of-life vehicles, which all flow through the automotive recycling industry,” he says. “Post-COVID, the average price of a catalytic converter was over $300, with some converters exceeding $1,000 per unit.” What he is finding in his travels is that the average recycler doesn’t know why rhodium—the least-used precious metal in a catalytic converter—went from $500 an ounce to $30,000 an ounce during and just after COVID, while palladium went from $800 an ounce to $3,000 an ounce.

Recyclers got used to the high converter prices, and as the market adjusted and prices dropped significantly, many recyclers held onto their converter inventory thinking that the market could recover. A surprising number of recyclers still have that inventory with the hope the market will pop back up to where it was 18 to 24 months ago. The challenge for companies like Accurate Converter is to help recyclers maximize their recovery based on today’s market, where the average catalytic converter ranges from $80 to $100, one-third of where it was previously. “Understanding what happened to the market then and now is one of the ways Accurate helps our customers make the right decisions.”

While some of this was due to COVID itself, he adds, the sharp uptick in precious metal prices was due more to the entire global supply chain collapsing. It started with the semiconductor chip industry coming to a halt. Among the industries most affected was new vehicle manufacturing. The scarcity of semiconductors meant millions of vehicles could not be completed and sold. “When all the automotive manufacturers were going through the semiconductor shortage two years ago, when there were millions of cars parked on lots because they needed semiconductors and they couldn’t sell the car, the automakers said, ‘well, if this happened to semiconductors, what if it happens with precious metals and we can’t make catalytic converters? The cars will be sitting here because they don’t have emission systems,’” Lucas explains.

So the automakers made the shift to PGMs (platinum, palladium, and rhodium), assuming the same would happen with those critical metals, and started buying as much as they could for their manufacturing inventory, driving the price up three-fold. The more they bought, the higher the prices went. Once the market recovered, automakers were left with two to three years of PGM inventory, causing the precious metal market to crater. Mines continued to produce and sell metal into the market, and recyclers continued to recycle, also selling metal into the market. “All selling and no buying equals lower prices,” Lucas says.

“Hoarding in our industry is when an automotive recycler or collector holds onto their catalytic converter inventory that they’ve been saving for 12, 18, or 24 months waiting for a significant recovery in the market. To put it in perspective, if you take 25,000 catalytic converters and multiply it first times $300 to know what it was worth and compare that to the average values today of $100, some of these recyclers are sitting on $5 million to $7 million worth of converters. They’re hoping it’s going back to $300 and they just don’t understand the dynamic of why the market did what it did,” Lucas says. “Helping them understand the dynamics of the past two to three years so they can make an informed and educated decision about their converter recycling programs is one of our main focuses right now.”

In the years following, Accurate Converter has remained dedicated to maximizing its customers’ recovery through an open and efficient process, exceeding customers’ expectations, and, especially, being one of the only companies in the industry that’s completely transparent with customers, says Lucas.

“The converter recycler has always been looked at as some type of ‘Black Box’ by the scrap metal and auto recycling industries, in many cases for good reason. Our goal at Accurate Converter is to change that,” he says.

The company aims to educate, inform, and advise its customers such that they see the maximum return for their commodities.

“We share the assay lab analysis—the way the content of platinum, palladium, and rhodium is calculated—with our customers directly from our refining partner,” says Lucas. “We offer a sample of the material back to our customers so they can have it checked by an independent lab if they wish, which is why one of our slogans is ‘Trust, but Verify.’ Our settlement statements are detailed, clear, and concise with no hidden fees or charges.”

Aiming to reorganize and restructure the company to run more leanly and efficiently due to current market prices and conditions, Lucas believes Accurate Converter is now the best-positioned company in the industry with stellar partners behind it.

“Our goal is helping companies successfully navigate this market, and becoming the company that recyclers turn to for their catalyst recycling needs,” says Lucas. “We’re not just a catalyst recycler; we bring a vast array of expertise and ideas to our industry.”

Accurate Converter is gearing up right now for an industry-changing program that involves the targeted acquisition of catalytic converters from the recycling community, where they will be re-certified for re-sale to several automotive OEMs and back to the recycling community.

“We’re extremely excited to roll this out later this year and are very grateful to our partners in this program that helped make it possible,” Lucas says. “Look for an announcement later this year for our new ‘Certified OEM’ program!”

The post Metals of Honor – Perfecting the Recycling Process<p class="company">Accurate Converter</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

To learn more about this company whose core values focus on the beliefs that community is important, life is better with friends, hands are made for helping, and that their food is good food, we spoke with Meaghan Fehr, Director of People, Process, and Marketing, and Mackenzie Martens, Marketing Coordinator.

Fehr told us how Buffalo Creek Mills was started in 2015 by a group of local shareholders who had backgrounds in the agriculture industry and wanted to create an oat manufacturing facility. Two years later, Buffalo Creek Mills entered a joint venture with Grupo Vida, one of the largest oat manufacturers in Mexico, whose name translates appropriately as Life Group. The company has grown substantially since then, with an expansion project in 2018 that doubled processing capacity and added a pellet milling facility to the business.

In those early years, Buffalo Creek Mills produced non-stabilized oat groats, the whole grain seed with the husk removed. The groats can be processed into a variety of commercial pet food and feed oat products, including oat groats, feed groats, groat chips, ground oat hulls, and oat hull pellets for the animal feed and biofuel industries.

What was lacking was the ability to produce stabilized oat products that could be used to supply the growing market for food ingredients and consumers’ demands for healthful food.

To the next level
2021 marked a turning point for Buffalo Creek Mills when the federal government, through the AgriInnovate Program, provided up to $5.1 million in financing to set up a first-in-Canada Revtech kiln, an advanced kilning system, along with related equipment for producing food grade products and to process the oats.

The system pasteurizes the oat groat, stabilizes the final product using heat to eliminate enzymatic activity that could cause rancidity, tempers it with steam in preparation for flaking, and provides a degree of microbial containment reduction.

The acquisition of the Revtech kiln and additional food processing equipment was of enormous significance as it opened the door to the food processing industry and allowed the company to offer a diverse range of high-quality stabilized food ingredients including stabilized groats, steel-cut oats, rolled oats, quick oats, oat flour, and oat bran, all of which are extremely versatile and provide healthy food options.

In addition to traditional oatmeal porridge, oat products are used in dry cereal such as granola, muesli, and cereal bars; in baked goods; as a thickener in fruit smoothies and soups; as a beer ingredient; as the basis of dairy substitute products (oat milk, cheese, and yogurt); and even in cosmetics and soap.

A growing market
“Oats have a great nutritional profile,” Martens explains. “They have a high fibre content compared with other grains and they are easily digestible and an alternative to animal proteins, an important consideration as we as an industry move toward more sustainable food production.”

They are naturally gluten-free, so ideal for people with celiac disease, while the dairy substitute products are beneficial to people who are lactose intolerant, “so they meet a lot of individual needs that other grains can’t.” Oats have been proven to be a powerhouse of health benefits, with its high fibre content and heart-healthy antioxidants and its ability to lower cholesterol, assist in blood sugar regulation, and promote gut health through its probiotic properties.

The company continues to produce products to supply its original customers with oat groats, feed groats, ground groats, and ground oat hulls used in pet food and feed for large animals. It also utilizes ground-up oat hulls and small groat particles to produce pure fibre pellets which have animal feed applications but also can be used as biomass fuel, providing an eco-friendly source of heating.

“We can utilize nearly 100 percent of our raw product through our manufacturing processes, resulting in minimal to no waste. Even our byproducts are of significant nutritional value and in high demand,” Fehr tells us, noting that the pellets are used as an alternate source of heat in small shops, greenhouses, and firepits.

Rooted in its values
As a business-to-business (B2B) operation, Buffalo Creek Mills’s first core value asserts that community is important—both the farming community comprising over 150 oat growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and the diverse food manufacturing communities in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico to whom it supplies ingredients.

“We believe life is better with friends,” Fehr says. “We want to have valuable relationships with co-workers and also with our grain producers and our vendors and customers, whom we view as partners, so that we can mutually benefit from it.”

Being a good friend to customers means being willing to customize products and processes and manufacture to exact specifications. Buffalo Creek Mills’ system can process identity preserved (IP) products, and produce products that are gluten-free, organic, and conventional. The team at Buffalo Creek also customizes logistics by arranging for transportation and completing customs brokerage on inbound and outbound shipments. The company’s packaging solutions offer customers flexibility in choosing types and styles and provide a toll processing service option to meet unique needs.

The company’s third core value and motto, ‘our food is good food’ refers not only to the nutritional value and versatility of oats but goes back to the source and the stringent standards Buffalo Creek Mills sets.

The strict quality control continues as the raw oats enter the facility and move through the stabilization process, undergoing a five-log validation to ensure a safe product. The company’s commitment to food safety is verified by third-party certification from BRCGS, which includes gluten-free certification. Additionally, the product is organic certified by CSI, Kosher certified, and NSF compliance certified.

“Our core value of ‘hands are made for helping’ applies internally,” says Fehr. “We are still a small company and so many of us wear different hats and help in different departments. Teamwork is important to ensure this operation works and we meet our goals.”

As the capacity of the company has grown, so has its staff, from four in 2015 to the current 46. When facing a skilled labour shortage at the mill, the company was able to hire 13 people through the Rural and Northern Immigration Program, a pilot program that allowed the team to add full-time permanent employees with specific experience in this industry from around the world.

“We’re very happy with how it’s worked out,” says Fehr. “I’ve seen firsthand how diversity enhances our workplace culture and how when you have different experiences and perspectives, you bring new approaches to problem solving and it creates a well-rounded workplace. We continually learn from each other, and it has been incredibly valuable.”

At the same time, Buffalo Creek Mills offers career opportunities to local people. Martens, for example, spent three summers interning at the company while in university, and upon graduation, was offered a full-time position. Fehr joined the company eight years ago when there were only five employees, so has witnessed its phenomenal growth and looks forward to what comes next.

“We are in the midst of a warehouse expansion that will give us more options and we’re hoping to export more frequently to the U.S. as we are so close to the border and near a rail line,” she says. “We’re also looking to expand beyond North America because high-quality Canadian oats are in demand. The future looks good!”

The post “Our Food Is Good Food”<p class="company">Buffalo Creek Mills</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The FDA-registered iWALKFree crutch provides unmatched mobility and freedom from the constraints of traditional crutches for those with non-weight-bearing lower leg injuries including sprained or broken feet or ankles, Achilles injuries, lower limb amputations, and other below the knee conditions. iWALK is the only crutch substitute offering a degree of mobility that allows users to carry out daily tasks, heal faster, and regain freedom.

This painless, affordable, and straightforward device is making waves in the medical community as more and more studies reveal its unique ability to expedite healing while mimicking the muscle actions of a normal unassisted gait.

“We’re constantly changing and evolving our design to make it work better,” says Hunter. “We have a staff of people dedicated specifically to improving the product.”

While version 3.0 is currently on the market, version 4.0 is already in prototyping. And before 4.0 goes into production, 5.0 will be in design.

New technology
Even though the company strives to make each version perfect, consumers continually provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

“The problems we’re trying to solve on the newest generation of crutch are more refinements than actual issues,” Hunter says. “For any manufactured product, people have no concept of how difficult it is to make something that works every time and is defect-free.” He adds that when anything medical-related is at stake, it’s essential that everything works as it’s supposed to, which is why the company devotes so many resources to its total quality management system.

Consumers, although often proposing valuable suggestions for improvements, don’t always understand how challenging it is to make even minor changes to the product, for example, in the case of a request for a shock absorber. “Unfortunately, it would add a lot of complexity, cost, and weight for not enough benefit,” says Hunter. “When your heel strikes the ground, that’s when your leg and hips and body feel the most force. We wanted to dampen that, but a shock absorber wasn’t really feasible.”

Instead, the company found a clever way of incorporating shock absorption into the foot of the crutch, similar to that in the heel of a running shoe, that was both protective and cost-effective. It’s in prototyping and has been “extremely well received.”

To get to that point, the team built prototypes which had actual active suspension with pivots and dampeners to determine exactly what they needed to achieve and found a clever and economical way to do it.

Proven right
The company’s successful innovations are getting noticed, evident in the fact that numerous imitations are now coming on the market.

“There’s an old saying that knockoffs prove you’re doing something right. We’re not afraid of them, except that the hands-free crutch is a relatively new concept, and if people go for the cheap knockoffs, their functionality is terrible,” Hunter says. “That can ruin the reputation of the hands-free crutch concept in general. But they’re not a challenge for us at all. If anything, it’s authentication that we’re doing it right.”

Fortunately, the imitations aren’t a commercial threat as the companies involved aren’t putting effort and resources into the product as they don’t specialize in it.

Conversely, “We only do the hands-free crutch; it’s our total focus. We provide the resources, the R&D, the quality control, and we meet the regulatory requirements. We also have technical support and customer service for iWALK customers. We have replacement parts, warranty, everything,” Hunter explains.

There is also the challenge of marketing, however, as potential users looking for crutches may not know the iWALK exists. “But because we’re the best-selling crutch on Amazon, they discover us when searching for conventional crutches,” Hunter says. “Online sales are good for us, because, again, people aren’t typically looking for an iWALK, they’re looking for something else. We’re still unfortunately at that stage of awareness.”

However, more and more doctors are recommending the device as they become familiar with its benefits, due in part to the copious amount of clinical research that’s been published. “For doctors, nothing is real unless it has the white paper to back it up,” Hunter says. “We have independent, peer-reviewed clinical research that is published in medical journals. And that’s the currency that doctors need to feel comfortable and know that the iWALK is legit.”

Better healing
The studies have shown that the medical benefits of the iWALK are numerous. “When the research came out, it validated what we already thought, but then actually turned out to be even better than that,” Hunter shares.

One of the studies included an electro-myocardiogram (EMG), where sensors are placed on the body to reveal muscle activity at the location of the sensor. “They ‘sensored up’ somebody’s leg walking normally,” Hunter says, “and then put sensors on the same leg walking with an iWALK. And the researchers were blown away.”

The study showed that with an iWALK, the muscles from the hip to the knee were doing the same thing as in a normal human walking action, but not only were the muscles of the upper leg active, so were those in the lower leg. Why is that important? It means significant reduction of the muscle atrophy that typically accompanies immobilized limbs. So although the affected leg has become non-weight-bearing, it has retained more muscle mass and your recovery will be quicker. “But even more significant is blood flow,” says Hunter. “And this is what’s mind-blowing.”

In simple terms, the heart pushes the blood out to the rest of the body with the furthest point being the lower leg. But the blood pressure from the heart pumping is not what brings blood back to the heart—what’s needed for that is muscle activity. The heart pushes blood out through the arteries and when the muscles contract, they push the blood back upstream through the veins to recirculate through the heart.

“If that muscle is dormant and has no activity, such as if using conventional crutches or knee scooters, then the venous pump—what this mechanism is called—is not activated. Essentially there’s a dam and the blood is blocked from flowing back upstream,” Hunter explains.

The most common place for this to happen is the lower leg. With no muscle activity, blood in the lower leg can pool, and nutrient- and oxygen-rich healing blood isn’t getting to the trauma site, meaning slower recovery.

“This can also lead to a blood clot called a DVT—deep vein thrombosis—and that’s nothing to fool with,” Hunter notes. It’s a serious, potentially deadly condition which is much more prevalent in people with non-weight-bearing lower-limb injuries due to lack of muscle activity. Ultimately, if you’re using crutches or a scooter, you run a higher risk of having a DVT than if you’re using an iWALK,” he says.

“It’s a lot to wrap your head around,” Hunter says, “but physicians understand it and fortunately, the research proves it. If there’s muscle activity, there’s venous pump activity. We all understand that muscle activity infers better blood flow, but because blood flow itself was not directly researched in the EMG studies, we didn’t actually prove the blood flow claim initially,” Hunter says. “So additional studies were conducted which specifically tested blood flow and researchers found that blood flow using an iWALK is substantially similar to normal unassisted human walking when you’re using not using a mobility device. And that’s huge.”

These studies also included surveys finding that fully 90 percent of people who use the iWALK, when given the choice between iWALK, conventional crutches, or a knee scooter, choose the iWALK. “Our primary problem is awareness and understanding. Awareness that this device exists and understanding of what it is, what it isn’t, and what it will do for you.”

Challenging the crutch paradigm
The company says that the biggest challenge it faces is changing a paradigm of thought.

“People have been using crutches for thousands of years and scooters now for 20 or 30 years. It’s just difficult to go against the mainstream, and it takes a lot of time.” But more and more people are saying their physician referred the iWALK to them, and more and more doctors are requesting brochures to hand out to their patients.

“So we’re winning, but we haven’t won yet,” Hunter says. “The biggest challenge, once again, is building a mainstream awareness of the device.”

Getting to the point of recognition and acceptance—as with knee scooters—is vital, he adds. “Because the device is so much better, the demand and the medical benefits are there. Our biggest challenge is educating everybody, including the physicians. We focus on the general consumer but also physicians because most people with a non-weight-bearing injury will go to a physician at some point. As a smaller company, we have a huge marketing challenge in building universal awareness of a new technology.”

Another challenge on a smaller scale is misconceptions. Because this is a new device and people have preconceived notions regarding blood flow and stability, ultimately, it’s the physicians who will have to provide sound medical advice.

“We identified a researcher who was the foremost expert in the field of angular momentum, which is the accepted way of measuring stability, and—surprise, surprise—the iWALK turns out to be way more stable than crutches, so it’s actually safer.” This debunks a common preconception that the iWALK might not be as stable as other mobility devices.

Quality systems
As iWALK has gained traction in the medical community and the company has grown, Hunter noticed the need for robust quality systems, both proactive and reactive, to be in place.

“I think we’ve done a particularly good job in that area, and this relates to the knockoffs of the iWALK. There’s no way they have the kind of quality control systems, with the documentation, that we have in place. You wouldn’t think this simple little device would have so much backing, but it does.”

The company also attends and exhibits at medical conferences, but right now its best salesperson is the customer who does a follow-up visit to their doctor and tells them how much they love the product.

“That’s still our most common referral source,” Hunter says. Social media is another excellent source of promotion where unbiased users in real-life situations share their experiences, photos, and videos.

“There’s so much user-generated content about the iWALK out there that’s building awareness organically,” he says. “And every endorsement and testimonial we’ve ever had was free, including 11 world champion athletes, gold medalists, and a list of celebrities including Harrison Ford. They may not know the medical benefits, but it’s all genuine.”

Tipping point
What the company is looking for is the proverbial tipping point of awareness, he adds. Scooters, for instance, weren’t advertised much, but the more people saw them “in the wild,” the more they started asking for them. “Ultimately, we want everyone to understand that this exists. Once that’s done, everything else will take care of itself.”

Hunter is convinced that as awareness and understanding of the benefits of the iWALK become more universal, the iWALK will become the first choice of mobility device, both by physicians and end users. “Once the medical community understands how significant the medical benefits are that this $150 device provides, one could argue that not having the iWALK as their primary recommendation subjects the qualified patient to preventable risk.”

The post Painless, Affordable, Straightforward – This Crutch is Made for Walking<p class="company">iWALKFree </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Samuel Automation was created when three separate businesses—Systematix and RAMP of Waterloo, Ontario and CAID Automation of Tucson, Arizona—were united under a single identity by parent firm, Samuel, Son, and Co., a venerable metal and industrial product manufacturer, distributor, and processor, based in Oakville, Ontario.

“We are formed by three independent companies that were acquired by Samuel,” says Octavio Gonzalez, Vice President of Operations at one of the locations. “When you look at the differences between the three companies, they are almost non-existent. Each shares the same goal of providing high-performance automation solutions to help our customers,” he adds.

Smart solutions
Samuel Automation’s solutions cover a wide range of areas in industrial automation, including testing, packaging, inspection and quality control, component assembly, material handling, Autonomous vehicles (AGVs), and mobile robots (AMRs). Depending on client specifications and intended use, solutions might encompass advanced motion, high-end vision, high-speed conveying systems, a wide range of sensors, software, and data collection tools including remote monitoring.

The company self-performs the majority of the work. “We do most of the engineering ourselves,” says Gonzalez. “We might buy some off-the-shelf components for integration, but the core of the engineering is done here within our companies. We cover all stages of design and machine building, including mechanical and electrical design, machine assembly and wiring, programming, debugging, performance tests, and final installation. Although we rely on previous experience and designs and we use that experience as we execute new jobs, it’s always custom automation,” he adds.

Transportation/automotive, life sciences, consumer products, and alternative energy are the main markets served by the company. Its transportation-related work ranges from systems for complex automotive assembly lines with a focus on screw driving, part marking, pressing, part feed systems, gasket, and seal insertion to inline quality management solutions, a category that encompasses vision inspections, continuity testing, leak and flow testing, and part track and trace.

For the life sciences sector, the company offers process management solutions, new product launch scale-ups—involving creating semi-automated, value-engineered modular systems that can be scaled up as production or demand increases at the client’s plant—fully automated assembly, and testing.

In the consumer product realm, Samuel Automation excels at complex assembly automation solutions. The firm has the requisite experience and equipment to build machines capable of assembling “products of almost any size.” Specific areas of automation expertise for consumer products include gauging and calibration systems, cleanroom systems, labelling and packaging solutions, dispensing, and filling solutions, laser welding and marking systems, and turnkey assembly systems.

When it comes to alternative energy, the company is venturing into hydrogen fuel cell assembly and electric vehicle (EV) battery assembly, a wise strategy, given the importance of renewable energy and the emergent trend among corporations to set sustainability goals.

An eye on expansion
While the company’s existing offerings cover a wide array of sectors, the team is eager to expand its reach even further. There are plans to consolidate the firm’s presence in certain industries and enter into some new ones.

“Samuel Automation has been growing in the AMR market,” notes Gonzalez. “As a company, we have been able to present ourselves as the better option for our customers. There have been situations where customers, who have deployed AMR projects with competitors, have reached out to us for re-engineering and [re-deployment].”

In addition to this, the company is “venturing into the mining sector with a couple of projects being executed at the moment,” he continues. “Additionally, the company has also started work on a line for carbon capture technologies.”

Partnering for success
Each business within the Samuel Automation fold has its own particular specialities. Systematix, for example, excelled at complex assembly and advanced vision solutions for manufacturing or industrial operations; CAID does a great deal of automation work for medical and pharmaceutical clients; and RAMP is heavily involved in AMR and carbon capture technology.

The firms work together on occasion or even partner with companies within the wider Samuel, Son, and Co. group. This arrangement benefits everyone: clients can take advantage of the collective services instead of having to farm out different elements of their project to multiple companies, while sales staff can offer the one-stop shop capabilities to draw new clients and increase revenue.

Much of what Samuel Automation does is intended to enhance plant floor productivity and efficiency, but the firm has a broader vision in mind. Its solutions can also boost workplace safety, says Gonzalez, citing examples where operators have been manually handling heavy parts while offloading machines. In a case like this, the company has provided solutions to eliminate human exposure to hazards with the use of robots and automation, “addressing operational safety risks in this way,” he points out.

Leading-edge tech
While Samuel Automation purchases state-of-the-art devices and components to be integrated, the firm has also developed some technological innovations of its own. In-house solutions include MAVIX Machine Vision Software, which uses a multi-camera setup, AI algorithms, and advanced proprietary software to conduct high-speed part inspections to detect qualitative or quantitative flaws on production.

SPMX is another proprietary creation that employs process monitoring software, reporting tools, and data collection for quality management. As well as establishing new markets, Samuel Automation is eager to develop more in-house solutions, says Gonzalez, some of which might involve artificial intelligence (AI). To this end, the company has been exploring the use of AI in its vision systems and has “successfully deployed AI for a couple of projects already within the vision realm.”

A strong team
All told, the company employs roughly 150 people across all the firms within Samuel Automation. Anyone looking for work here needs to have the proper educational background and technical skills, plus a few other traits: beyond academic achievement and expertise, the company is interested in what drives the new talent. “Are they up to the challenge of learning, solving, helping, and making the organization stronger?” says Gonzalez.

Commitment and loyalty are greatly appreciated too. The company understands the importance of “developing our own talent,” and advancing gifted people up the ranks, he says.

New and veteran employees alike are expected to embrace the company’s core values of integrity, respect, agility, courage, and ownership. Clearly, staff members have been receptive to this message, as the company has been earning industry kudos. In 2022, two company employees made the ‘Top 10 Under 40’ program compiled by Manufacturing AUTOMATION magazine; two other employees also made the list last year. Winners are selected on the basis of work ethic, leadership abilities, enthusiasm for education and training, involvement in industry associations, and commitment to safety, sustainability, and innovation.

Besides recognizing some of Samuel’s youthful employees, the magazine bestowed a lifetime achievement award on Senior Controls and Vision Integrator Michal Goc last year. This award is intended to “celebrate trendsetters and legends in the industrial automation space,” according to Manufacturing AUTOMATION. The publication noted that Goc was a driving force behind the MAVIX machine vision solution.

Hiring had been the company’s biggest challenge, and to this end, Samuel Automation worked hard to “develop our own pool of resources by getting younger blood into the organization and helping get them trained. It’s an investment for us; it takes years to get people to where they need to be, but it’s paid off,” says Gonzalez.

The firm has apprenticeship programs for hands-on positions such as electricians and machine tool builders, and participates in co-operative education programs as well. In a co-op program, university or college students spend time working for the company while completing their studies. Co-op programs allow students to gain real-world experience, earn money, and possibly secure a future full-time job after graduating.

Samuel Automation plans to remain in growth mode for the foreseeable future. “We have a very aggressive plan of growth, and that’s what we are focusing on,” says Gonzalez. “We are hoping to become a more recognizable name since we have transitioned from three individual companies to Samuel Automation.”

The post Enhancing Productivity, Efficiency, and Safety<p class="company">Samuel Automation </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

International competitor
The VEXOS story of excellence began in 2014 when EPM Global Services of Markham, Ontario and STACI Corporation of LaGrange, Ohio were merged by the parent company, Centre Lane Partners, LLC to create VEXOS. Each company brought over 25 years experience to the newly formed organization, providing the foundation for the successful electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and custom material solutions (CMS) provider VEXOS is today. In addition to the impressive range of sophisticated EMS and CMS services, VEXOS also delivers comprehensive engineering solutions and advanced supply chain services.

With the strategic acquisition of ControlTek in 2023, VEXOS has a manufacturing location on each coast in the U.S., one in Canada, and two in Asia with sites in Vietnam and China, and has recently added a site in Mexico, making the company a growing international player. The newly announced Mexican facility—a 42,000-square-foot property—will open its doors in June this year and is slated to offer all the services and capabilities of the other VEXOS facilities.

Expansion and certification
The Vancouver, Washington facility has substantially increased the collective skill set of VEXOS. “The combination of VEXOS Vancouver’s many strengths, its West Coast location, and its presence in the Aerospace and Defense markets unlocks fresh opportunities,” says Cyril Fernandes, Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, of the addition. “This strategic acquisition is a noteworthy milestone in our progression, expanding our capabilities and catering more effectively to the varied requirements of our customers seeking manufacturing solutions spanning coast-to-coast. Vancouver has added to the suite of capabilities that we have in VEXOS, which drives business to us,” states Fernandes.

In addition to certifications such as ISO13485:2016, ISO9001:2015, and IATF16949:2016 at various locations, the company is in the process of achieving new certifications, including AS9100D:2016 for its Markham site, to better serve the aerospace and defense markets.

Proactive supply chain management
Supply chain management is another critical area for VEXOS. Renowned for its seamless integration with customers’ supply chain networks and specifications, VEXOS excels in acting as a robust extension of its partners’ operations.

Despite ongoing challenges, market demand for VEXOS products remains robust. The high inventory levels resulting from hedging strategies during the supply chain crisis have led to softening demand. “Before COVID, when interest rates were low, inventory carrying costs were minimal. However, with interest rates rising, customers are hesitating to reorder product due to the increasing carrying costs of their existing inventory surplus,” adds Fernandes.

However, this situation presents opportunities for VEXOS to offer complementary value-added services such as Design for Excellence (DFx) analytics, Strategic Supply Chain Programs, and higher-level integration services. “We have good strategies to tackle the challenges of freeing up working capital, space, and resources,” notes Sean Neill, General Manager, VEXOS Vancouver.

“We proactively manage supply chain challenges, but it’s always evolving,” says Neill, identifying Taiwan’s recent earthquake as an example of how natural disasters still affect the company’s supply chain, potentially impacting operations. VEXOS partners with customers to understand their unique challenges, and through strategic supply chain management and planning, and clear and timely communication, reduces risk of disruption.

“These services help customers optimize their operations and reduce costs. We have seen, not only in Vancouver but across all sites, an increase in new business opportunities with new customers, which offsets what we have seen with some of our existing customer base, all of which are achieved by our superior value add offerings,” states Neill.

Technological advancements
VEXOS continues to invest in cutting-edge technology to enhance its production capabilities. The integration of the Vancouver team has added valuable capabilities, particularly in test development. One notable upgrade is the acquisition of a 3D X-ray system from Yxlon, which provides detailed imaging for inspecting bottom-terminated components. “We’re excited about the complementary nature of our jet printing capability and the 3D X-ray system,” shares Neill. This advanced technology allows VEXOS to make real-time adjustments and improvements, ensuring high-quality production and effective defect reduction.

One of the recent notable advancements of VEXOS is the introduction of the C.U.T.E. (Customer Universal Test Equipment) system. “VEXOS C.U.T.E. is our proprietary universal test system that moves beyond inspection to provide fast, reliable, economical testing of part functionality. Our offering gets customers a very high level of test coverage at a much lower price,” says Neill. This system provides customers with an economical yet highly effective solution for verifying the functionality of their product, further solidifying VEXOS’ reputation for quality and innovation.

Addressing labor market challenges
A healthy bottom line is not just about business, however, and VEXOS is a company that genuinely values and appreciates its people. “Employees are a very important part of what we do. We want our people to know that they are a part of something bigger and that they’re valued,” says Neill.

The labor market presents significant challenges, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Entry-level production labor remains difficult to source and retain, though once employees integrate into the company culture, retention rates improve significantly. A focus on creating a welcoming and engaging work environment, training, and internal growth has resulted in low turnover and long-term employee retention. “New staff become part of our culture and our organization. [Investing in them] just really pays off,” says Neill.

Future outlook
Looking ahead, VEXOS is poised to capitalize on opportunities in growing markets such as aerospace and defense, clean energy technologies, medical devices, and other key industrial sectors. With strategic investments and a focus on innovation, VEXOS aims to strengthen its position in the electronics industry and continue delivering high-value services to its customers.

VEXOS’ ability to adapt to changing conditions, invest in cutting-edge technology, and expand its capabilities firmly establish it as a leader in the industry. With a strong focus on employee engagement, proactive supply chain management, and strategic market opportunities, VEXOS is well-equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future.

The post Excellence in the Electronics Industry<p class="company">VEXOS</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.