By: Laura Dempsey
Conventional wisdom says success is often found in who you know. In the case of Strongbox Solutions, a specialist in environmentally conscious waste-water disposal, and Confluence, a water technology innovation cluster in the Ohio River Valley region, it is who you know, but also who they know.
Fortunately for Strongbox, Confluence knows Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) very well, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding that fosters collaboration in research and technology relating to the water life cycle. WBI works closely with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), assisting in technology maturation, transition and transfer. It’s WBI’s business to know who’s doing what, which technologies are “hot,” what is needed, and who has the capabilities.
For several years, Confluence has sponsored a Tech Showcase, soliciting technology ideas and solutions to challenges designed in cooperation with its interconnected network of interested parties from industry, academia and government, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The showcase is not just for show, says Melinda Kruyer, Confluence’s Executive Director.
“We reach out with a call for abstracts on the need for technologies from our general regional utilities, industries like Procter and Gamble, etc. … These are the people that have the purchase order. They’re going to buy something,” she said.
“They are always looking for new ideas,” she added. “These are huge challenges.”
For her part, Ms. Kruyer amplified the call by contacting Confluence’s MOU partner, WBI, to leverage its prodigious knowledge of contacts in the world of technology and innovation.
“I asked Scott (Springer, WBI’s Director of Collaboration and Development), ‘What type of technology do you know of that’s applicable? Scott really focuses on the breadth of all the innovative tech coming from the Air Force.”
Mr. Springer reached out to business ally Treble One, a specialist in transitioning technology to the warfighter, to see what and who they knew working in water. Dr. Sayan Naha identified Strongbox Solutions of Zionsville, Indiana, which submitted a White Paper addressing the challenge.
Strongbox was selected as the winner in the Technology Breakthrough category after months of rigorous analysis and evaluation. It’s “Mobile Flash Vaporization System,” originally developed in the gas and oil industry, was adapted by Strongbox for produced water and industrial wastewater disposal.
Connecting the right technologies with the right customers doesn’t happen by chance. WBI’s awareness of movements in the technological ecosystem and its relationships with key players make it an invaluable resource in the world of innovation.