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| Kate Boyer (of Homer Soda Company) comes from a long line of entrepreneurs |
Kate Boyer has only known life as a
part of a motorcycle entrepreneurial family. Starting with her
great-grandparents, her entire family has been motorcycle enthusiasts for more
than 100 years. Her grandfather, Clyde "Bud" Vetter, was the
first one to be an entrepreneur. He opened a Schwinn bicycle shop in
Rantoul, and later opened Champaign Cycle, on Mattis Ave in Champaign.
Her uncle, Craig Vetter, founded the Vetter Fairing Company in Rantoul.
He began with an idea to produce quality fairings for motorcycles.
He started making a few in an old meat locker building in Rantoul.
The business grew exponentially and he built it to be a large facility on
the east edge of Rantoul.
Her father, Bruce Vetter, started a
little different in 1967 while living "in a van down by the river".
He painted peace symbols on rocks and sold them to the college kids in
Champaign. It was very successful and he moved into a building in
downtown Champaign, making artistic leather goods with his hands. In the
late 1970's, Bruce decided to go bigger and started "Bagman", making
motorcycle luggage. His factory on north Prospect was very successful and
provided jobs for 80 employees. He sold the business in 1983 to Bell
Helmets in Rantoul, intending to retire, but 3 years later Harley-Davidson
asked if he could design and produce a saddle bag to go on a style of bike as
it came off the assembly line. 25 years later, we are still producing
products for Harley-Davidson in our small factory with about 10 employees in
Homer.
Rob Boyer, Kate's husband, has been
running the facility for the last 14 years. He has grown the company
significantly since he first began. Bruce now spends his time producing
the artistic products that first propelled him into business.
Kate has done almost every job over
the years. She started with shipping/receiving when she was 13, payroll
when she was 15, and then managing the office by the time she was 19.
After working for more than 15 years in manufacturing, Kate was a little
bored by it.
In 2008, her and her mother, Kelly
Vetter, opened "Village Wardrobe" a children's consignment boutique
in downtown Homer and then another one on the square in Monticello. In
2009, they bought the Homer Soda Company from Ray and Christine Cunningham.
They have expanded the soda business from just a retail location in
downtown Homer, to distributing their varieties all across the country.
The unexpected success of the Homer
Soda Company has caused them to sell their retail stores and focus just on the
sodas.
Bruce and Kelly, Rob and Kate, and
their 5 children all enjoy working together in the family business.
To watch the entire TV interview with Kate Boyer CLICK HERE
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| Mark has always remembered his Central Illinois Roots |
Mark
Roberts was born in central Illinois and raised here. He is also a renowned playwright, comic and television scribe. He is the
creator and executive producer of the CBS series Mike & Molly and the author of several hit plays.
Roberts’ comedy
career began at an early age when he worked as a stand-up comedian in Chicago
while pursuing a career in acting and writing. After re-locating to Los
Angeles, Roberts became a regular comedian on The Tonight Show and was a series regular on The Naked Truth with Tea Leoni. He was also a guest star on
television series such as Seinfeld, Friends, The Practice, The Larry
Sanders Show and The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air and starred in feature films Next
of Kin and Bulletproof.
In
theater, Roberts has written and produced several hit plays all of which are
marked by his quick wit and comic sensibilities. Such productions include Welcome to Tolono, Whitey, Where the Great
Ones Run, Parasite Drag, and Rantoul
and Die. Several of his works have been picked up by the Dramatists Play
Service, Inc. and published into acting editions.
After
writing and starring in the one-act comedy, Couples
Counseling Killed Katie, Robert’s comic spin on eight couples going through
therapy turned the production into a sold out, cult phenomenon and showcased
his talents to television executive Chuck Lorre who hired Roberts as a writer
on Two and a Half Men. The show
quickly became a ratings success and Roberts rose through the ranks to
executive producer and head writer, most recently departing to create his own
series, Mike & Molly.
Mike & Molly, which stars
Melissa McCarthy and stand-up comedian Billy Gardell, focuses on the blossoming
relationship between two people who meet at Overeaters Anonymous. Roberts’
comic-sensibilities made the series the most watched new comedy of Fall 2010
and earned McCarthy an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.
This
summer, Roberts returned to the stage to star alongside Jessica Tuck in the Los
Angeles revival of Couples Counseling
Killed Katie. In addition, Rogue Machine and Shakespeare & Company will
present renewed productions of his original plays Where The Great Ones Run and Parasite
Drag in Los Angeles and Massachusetts, respectively. To view the entire TV interview with Mark Roberts CLICK HERE
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| MUTI is an INC 500 Fastest growing company |
Derek Woods of Midwest Underground Technology, Inc. - MUTI as it is called shares the story of how his company was started here in the fair fields of Champaign County.
Founded in 2000 and starting with two employees, MUTI is headquartered in Champaign, IL and now employees over 140 people through 4 locations. In addition to wind energy, MUTI specializes in communications tower erection, multi-site maintenance, full site construction, and horizontal directional drilling, with extensive experience in the installation of tower foundations both mat and drilled shaft types, installation of access roads and site clearing, all types of excavation, tower erection, multi-site tower maintenance/inspection, installation of full grounding systems, and underground directional drilling. MUTI is also proud to be recognized by INC 5000 Fastest Growing Private companies over the past 5 years and is currently on track for continued success this year and beyond.
Mr. Woods has over 25 years of project management, construction & marketing/sales experience spanning a variety of industries including the pharmaceutical, medical devices, real estate development, & telecommunications fields. In 2009, Mr. Woods joined the MUTI team & is currently Vice President of the Renewable Energy Division & is responsible for all aspects of the division’s development, operations & expansion within the renewable energy markets, with the main emphasis in the distributed wind energy segment. To watch the full TV interview with Derek Woods CLICK HERE
Mark Scifres is Chairman, CEO and President of Pavlov Media, which he started while working on his engineering degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Mark comes from a family with a strong engineering background.
While at the U of I, Mark had an idea that off-campus and private certified housing could be networked together. These were the early days of data—Netscape didn’t even exist. Mark’s vision was a network that provided data throughout the off-campus housing area. That project was right in line with Mark’s engineering studies. Long story short, Mark designed a network, built it and things took off from there!
That was more than 17 years ago and Pavlov Media has grown into a multi-million dollar operation, providing television, broadband and telephone services in more than 140 markets in 34 states.
The company has grown to more than 90 employees and has deployed network facilities to more than 70,000 registered users. Along the way, Pavlov Media has acquired Wavelength Broadband—a major player in the emerging broadband industry—and made other acquisitions, as well.
In addition, Mark is a patent holder on specialized network processes.
As part of Mark’s work as CEO, he led the construction and deployment of a network that provides television, broadband and other services to tens of thousands of apartments, hotels and other MDU’s (Multi-Dwelling Units). He also led the wireless mesh deployments in Champaign, Illinois and New York City, which includes the free downtown wireless project in Champaign.
Under Mark’s leadership, Pavlov Media has become an industry leader in serving MDU’s and private cable operators. To watch the entire TV interview with Mark Scifries CLICK HERE.
Since 1980, Mark Rubel has made about a thousand recordings at his Pogo Studio in downtown Champaign IL for many wonderful artists including Hum, Alison Krauss, Rascal Flatts, Fallout Boy, Adrian Belew, Luther Allison, Ian Hobson and Henry Butler, for such clients as RCA, Capitol, Warner, Jive/Zomba, Volition Games, Electronic Arts, The BBC, Smithsonian, and many more.
Mr. Rubel is on the national board of SPARS (the Society of Professional Recording Services) and belongs to the AES, NARAS, ASCAP, MEIEA, EARS, and numerous other acronyms. Having taught audio to thousands of students since 1985, Prof. Rubel teaches recording, music business, music technology and the history of rock, and is the Audio Director at Eastern Illinois University’s $65 million Doudna Arts Center.
Mark writes for recording magazines, especially Tape Op Magazine for whom he interviewed Les Paul, Terry Manning and others. He works as a panelist, consultant, beta tester and legal expert witness. Mark has been in the thrash oldies rock band Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets for over thirty years. He plays many instruments badly and sings worse, and is ridiculously happy cultivating songs, students and cats along with his saintly wife, Nancy.
To watch the entire interview with Mark Rubel CLICK HERE
Gary Olsen received his Bachelor's Degree in Architecture in 1969 and Master’s degree with Highest Honors in Architecture from the U of I in 1976. After graduation, Gary served two years in the US Army as an officer in the Corps of Engineers with tours of duty at Ft. Belvoir, Va., Ft. Benning, Ga. He was also deployed overseas to the Republic of Vietnam in 1970 where he was the Depot Engineer and Facilities Chief in Danang, RVN, with quarters on China Beach. Before and after his military service, Gary worked for the Champaign Architectural Firm, Laz, Edwards and Dankert.Gary was licensed as an Architect in 1974 and started his architectural firm, now Olsen + Associates Architects, in 1976. Gary's firm has completed over 2,000 projects involving Historic Preservation,Church, Library, Commercial, Residential and Adaptive Reuse Architecture. He has served in many leadership capacities throughout east central Illinois including Chair of the City of Champaign, Historic Preservation Commission, CCDC (Champaign County Design and Conservation Corporation) and President of the Central Illinois Chapter of the AIA (American Institute of Architects).
In the last few years he has become a promoter (disciple) of "Modular" Architecture. He completed his first Modular building, an apartment project that houses 96 students, last year in Champaign. His design for a Modular Fraternity House is currently underway in Urbana. He is currently involved in the design of a 48 unit housing project located on the site of a former private swimming pool on Windsor Road in Urbana.
ShelterBox Mission:
The mission of ShelterBox is to provide safety and dignity to families who lose everything when disasters strike. While many aid organizations provide food, water and medical care, Shelterbox gives immediate assistance in the form of proper shelter during the critical period following an earthquake, tsunami, landslide flood or other natural and man-made disasters. Each ShelterBox supplies an extended family with a tent and life-saving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster.
History of ShelterBox
ShelterBox began as an idea of one man, Tom Henderson, for a Millennium (year 2000) project for his Rotary Club in Cornwall, England. After buying a big Green PVC Box at a hardware store in his local village, he set out to fill it with things that he felt would be useful when a family faced a natural or man- made disaster. After several weeks of gathering and discarding things for the Box at his home, Tom felt he had the right combination of disaster relief equipment and supplies in the Box to bring it to his Club for their approval as the Millenium Project that would last forever. He began finding manufacturers for the equipment and supplies, finding volunteers to fill the boxes and arranged transport to the nearest airport. Tom also arranged for volunteers of first responders to accompany the ShelterBoxes to the disaster area.
Shelterbox Deployment Around the World
About 150 ShelterBoxes were deployed with volunteers forming the first ShelterBox Response Teams ((SRTs) in 2002. That number more than doubled to 350 in the third year. The great Tsunami of 2004 quickly exhausted our supplies, but we reached tens of thousands of people by purchasing more tents, and equipment worldwide. We answered the call when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and we still have 330,000 earthquake survivors living in SB designed tents in Haiti today because there is still no better place for them to live.
America became the first affiliate country to join the ShelterBox Trust in 2002 and now 25 affiliate countries throughout the world have joined to form ShelterBox International . ShelterBox USA has emerged as the worldwide leader and largest affiliate, training volunteers to become Ambassadors, sponsoring partnerships, and has become the most prolific fundraiser for disaster relief of all the affiliates. Since 2000 ShelterBox has provided more than 111,000 ShelterBoxes to over 900,000 of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Purchasing a ShelterBox www.shelterboxusa.org
Each ShelterBox costs $1000 which includes all equipment, transportation to the disaster site and a team of volunteers who implement the aid. Smaller donations are combined to purchase a box, and each donor is supplied a tracking number so that they can see where their Shelterbox is being sent.
To watch the interview with Gary Olsen CLICK HERE
For the past 13 years, Alan Gleghorn has been the CEO of Christie Clinic, one of the largest physician-owned, multi-specialty group medical practices in Illinois. Faced with a challenging economic environment and fierce competition upon his arrival, he quickly sought to guide the organization to a stronger financial and strategic position by empowering his team members to focus on continual organizational improvement. In moving the organization from a command-control leadership to a dispersed/consensus style model, he implemented Lean Healthcare and created a true cultural transformation at Christie. As Systems Manager, Stephanie Van Vreede is responsible for network coordination at ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. She handles the organization of Gemba visits for attendees of the 53 organization-strong healthcare organization. The HVN is a consortium of like-minded healthcare organizations from North America that come together to share and learn, while leveraging their unique perspectives to accomplish a shared goal of fundamentally improving healthcare delivery through lean thinking.
Change is bearing down fast on healthcare in the United States. The
good news is that competitive, choice-driven care is still possible, as
long as we focus on three essential elements:
The ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value is a resource hub
that brings together in one place the important insights, examples and
worthy experiments from across health care. We provide the framework and
tools needed to unite leaders behind an integrated approach focused on
better patient value.
Gemba has several different meanings, so to start let’s use the literal Japanese translation and define gemba as meaning ‘the real place’.
In traditional (i.e. manufacturing) Lean, gemba is frequently used synonymously with ‘shop floor.’ (You may hear the term genba-with an ‘N’-used interchangeably with gemba. Lean is funny that way. There are many ways to say the same thing.)
But as Lean has migrated to the office, gemba has a new
meaning. This ‘real place’ can be in an engineering cubicle, at a cash
register in a retail store, or in front of a computer where orders are
entered.
It is not as common to hear the term gemba specifically used in the Lean office, but the principle behind ‘going to gemba’ (meaning the real place where the work is being done) is just as strong.
Alan has incorporated GEMBA principles in his Lean Management at Christie Clinic with such success that many health care groups have come to look at Christie Clinic as an example to follow. In this interview Alan and Stephanie Van Vreed discuss Lean Management and its applications in the healthcare industry. To watch the entire interview with Alan Gleghorn and Stephanie Van Vreed CLICK HERE
Last year, the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon drew 18,700 runners to the streets of Champaign-Urban to tackle the various races including: the relay, the half-marathon, 5K, 10K and the big race … the 26-mile marathon. This year, race organizers are expecting to hit 20,000 runners. Add in the thousands of spectators lining the streets to cheer on the runners … and this is one of Champaign-Urbana’s largest events.
Jan Seeley and Mike Lindemann, co-directors of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon tell us more about the this year’s Marathon and new changes they have made this year to improve on the quality, safe experience for runners, volunteers and spectators.
I am proud that we can shine a light on this amazing event and the wonderful people in our community that make it happen. To watch the entire interview with Jan Seeley and Mike Lindemann CLICK HERE
Carolyn has long had a passion for the arts. Her interests in sculpture, architecture and the visual arts have manifested themselves in a variety of ways much to our benefit here in the community.
She and her husband Norman have renovated historic buildings and currently own three commercial buildings in downtown Urbana and three Victorians in West Urbana that house foreign exchange students attending the University of Illinois.
Carolyn Baxley has been the owner of Cinema Gallery in downtown Urbana since January 2001. Thanks to her pioneering efforts and those of likeminded creative businesspeople downtown Urbana has become a hub of the arts for the Urbana-Champaign community. To view the entire interview with Carolyn Baxley CLICK HERE
CU Aerospace is located in downtown Champaign in the M2 building, located minutes from central campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This exciting location provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with one another and the University of Illinois to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research. Our close association with the University provides us access to state-of-the-art University labs, equipment, and services. This teaming arrangement proves to be an excellent way to provide the government and commercial customers with the highest quality service in a cost effective manner.
Dr. David Carroll is the President and co-founder of a CU Aerospace, located in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. C-U Aerospace operates principally as a government contractor working in space propulsion, nanosat (CubeSat) fabrication, high energy lasers, self-healing composite materials, astrodynamics, and other advanced aerospace technologies.
David received his degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.S. 1985, M.S. 1986, and Ph.D. 1992). Dr. Carroll serves as the Chair for the Plasmadynamics and Lasers Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and he was inducted as a Fellow of the AIAA in 2011.
To watch the entire TV interview with Dr. David Carroll CLICK HERE
My guest for a this very special interview is Don Gerard, Mayor of Champaign. Don’s family moved to Champaign in 1968 and growing up he attended Champaign’s public schools, worked for the Champaign Park District, and played baseball in the Kiwanis Little League. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout in BSA Troop 7. He was an editor on the school paper, competed on speech team, was trainer for the varsity basketball squad and had a principal role in the school play. Don majored in Speech Communications at the University of Illinois and has taken courses at Parkland College. He has worked in a number of occupations from Day Camp Leader at the Champaign Park District to omelet chef, night club manager, resale shop owner, construction worker, shipping and receiving clerk, and freelance writer. Don spent nearly two decades performing in local rock bands including a stint as a bassist in a band on Roadrunner Records, which released three albums internationally. Don is currently the Facilities Manager for the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and the School of Integrated Biology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Don is the father of two children – Will and Chloe – both who are freshman at Champaign Central High School. Don had never run for public office before his election as Mayor this past April; Don took office as Mayor of Champaign on May 5, 2011. In his first eight months as Mayor of his City, Don has demonstrated an active commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of its citizens.
o watch the entire interview with Don Gerard CLICK HERE
Ploughman Analytics is a team of specialists who are devoted to helping businesses transform their data resources into practical decision-making tools. Their experts design and integrate customized packages of analytical tools to give clients greater control of their marketing, distribution, production, communications and other business functions.
Employing such advanced tools and technologies as:
•Geographic information systems (GIS)
•Business intelligence and data warehousing
•Operations research techniques and •Knowledge management tools
Ploughman's services can benefit a wide range of industries and organizations. Their team also has specialized expertise in the support of the agriculture and energy industries. Charlie Linville is an amazing talent. To view the entire TV interview with Charles Linville CLICK HERE
Joe Taylor is the founder and President of Sleepy Creek Vineyards near Oakwood, IL. After a receiving degree in Graphic Design from Southern Illinois University in 1990, He co-founded Taylor Studios Inc, with Betty Brennan. Taylor Studios, located in Rantoul, IL, is a business that designs and builds museum exhibits. In 1998 Taylor Studios was named to Inc. Magazines “Inc. 500” list as one of the fastest growing private companies. Today, they are one of the top exhibit design and fabrications firms in the country, employing over 30 people. In 2002, He was bit by the entrepreneurial bug again and started Sleepy Creek Vineyards. He, and his wife Dawn, planted their 10 acre vineyard in with plans to open a winery. After establishing the vineyard, they opened their winery to the public in 2007. Sleepy Creek Vineyards currently makes over 10 different hand crafted wines. All made on site with locally grown grapes. In addition to growing grapes and making wine, the winery host several festivals, art shows, concerts and private events. There is also a two bedroom vacation rental above the winery for visitors to rent for a relaxing getaway. To watch the entire TV interview with Joe Taylor CLICK HERE
Volition makes videogames. Making videogames is often thought of as a dream job but the reality is a bit different. Games can take more than 2 years to create with thousands of hours of programming, art and design effort that often culminates in a roll of the dice…. The hope is the audience will choose your game in the midst of hundreds of high quality products that are released each year. Very few games are a hit and normally only the top 10 games in a year will sell enough to be profitable. Volition has been fortunate enough to create one of those franchises with Saints Row. Volition was founded by Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog in 1993 as Parallax Software. In 2004 Volition moved to its current location at One Main Plaza and began creating games for the next generation of consoles (the XBox 360 and PS3). In 2006 Volition shipped Saints Row which has become a highly regarded game garnering millions of sales from the original and two sequels. In May of 2011 Mike Kulas retired and Dan Cermak moved into the GM role. Dan joined Volition in 2003 as the VP of Product Development and has over 26 years of experience as a producer, manager, and developer of interactive entertainment. In his role at Volition, Cermak works with a very experienced staff of 200+ people to create games for the consoles and the PC. Volition’s current projects include InSane (in conjunction with Director Guillermo Del Toro) and other to be announced projects. Dan Cermak joined THQ in 2003 as the Vice President of Product Development for Volition, responsible for production and management of next-generation titles. In May of 2011 the founder of Volition, Mike Kulas, retired and Cermak moved into the GM role. Dan has over 26 years of experience as a producer, manager, and developer of interactive entertainment. Before joining THQ, Cermak was an Executive Producer for Westwood Studios and also held key positions at Strategic Simulations Inc, including Senior Vice President of R&D and has been responsible for various genres including sports, strategy and war games. In his role at Volition, Cermak works with a very experienced staff of 200+ people to create games for the XBox 360, PS3 and PC. Volition’s current projects include InSane (in conjunction with Director Guillermo Del Toro) and Saints Row (now in its third iteration).
To watch the entire interview with Dan Cermak CLICK HERE
Karen Wolters started her own business at a time in life when others might be thinking of slowing down. Not Karen! She invented and patented a kitchen tool which she manufactured in Taiwan and shipped around the world. In 1990—her group became the quality control department for The Pampered Chef for all product shipping out of Asia. Her company supplies quality products to Pampered Chef to this day. As her company grew Karen explored other ventures including a magnetic induction technology for the modern kitchen and several other very successful ventures. Karen is an avid supporter of encouraging entrepreneurship among youth. She was co-chair of the first CEO class in Effingham; an outstanding education program teaching entrepreneurship on a high school level. She believes the best part of success is being able to give back to your community which she does in so very many ways. To view the entire TV interview with Karen Wolters CLICK HERE
Bill Giannetti grew up in Chicago and attended Chicago Public Schools before graduating from St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, WI, eventually landing at the University of Illinois where he studied aviation and marketing. He began flight instructing at the old Illini Airport in Urbana while still in school. It was there that he met Chip Hussey a flight student he taught. The two became fast friends. At the time the owner of Illini Aviation was trying to sell his business and the two friends made a play to buy the operation. When negotiations fell through they decided to try to open their own business at Willard Airport instead. They got their first operating agreement with the airport in December 1978 starting as Midstate Aviation Center, primarily a flight training business. From there they gradually expanded and grew the business in size and scope. Flightstar has been profitable for 20 straight years and now employs over 100 people.To view the TV interview with Bill Giannetti CLICK HERE
 Chris and Anne have worked in video production in Champaign-Urbana for over 6 years. As Railsplitter Media, they are passionate about using the medium of video to tell the stories of their clients, and strive to make it an option for businesses of every size. As Kill Vampire Lincoln Productions, they focus on creating narrative films that, above all, entertain. Their short films have been featured on VH1, The Big Ten Network, multiple PBS affiliates, and in film festival programs. Their projects have accrued over 250,000 views on YouTube. To watch the entire TV interview with Chris and Anne CLICK HERE
Kristie and Niall Campbell of the Firefly Grill in Effingham are two of the most dynamic people I know. Firefly Grill is a dream that became a journey. Billed as a modern roadhouse situated in America’s Heartland. Their approach to food is simple-source the best ingredients possible and stay out of the way. Besides getting rave reviews from customers across the country the restaurant has a special sense of place all its own. The menu features seasonal fare including produce from local farmers, foragers and their own garden right out side the restaurant! A visit to the Firefly is more of an experience than just ordering a meal. Weather its a table on the deck a stroll past the koi pond or a show at the professional theatre across the way the Firefly offers so much more than just dinner. While the Firefly is a dream come true it was a national nightmare that started Kristie Samuels on a path that would lead her away from Wall Street and to her roots in central Illinois. After the events of 9/11 Kristie (who was a young wiz at a Wallstreet type firm) decided to re-evaluate her life and focus on what was really important. After an extended vacation on a tropical island she rediscovered her passion for life. A chance meeting with a brash young chef, Niall Campbell changed her life forever. Before long the two were planning a life together and a new adventure in the restaurant business. To make a long story short they came to central Illinois with the idea of opening a new restaurant dedicated to creating an atmosphere and a sense of place. Anyone who has been to Firefly Grill would agree they have succeeded! To watch the TV interview with Niall and Kristie CLICK HERE
Dr. Donna J. Cox is a Professor in the the School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the first Michael Aiken Chair. She is also the Director of the Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Director of the Illinois Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media (eDream) Institute.
Professor Cox is a recognized pioneer in scientific visualization for public outreach and has published on the importance of interdisciplinary Renaissance Teams and cinematic science. Her NCSA team and scientific collaborators have inspired millions with artistic virtual tours through data in astrophysics, atmospheric, and ocean science. She will tell us about her AVL research group, eDream, and the projects they create for IMAX movies and digital dome museums. To view the TV interview with Dr. Cox CLICK HERE
To Watch the Cazoodle Interview: CLICK HERE Cazoodle was established in August 2006, as a startup company from the University of Illinois (UIUC). The goal of the company is to make web-search broader and deeper, by accessing data beyond the reach of current search engines. The company was co-founded by Prof. Kevin C. Chang and it is supported by the University of Illinois with transfer of technology from the MetaQuerier projects. The company’s mission is to help users make their decisions more efficiently such as when they're looking for apartments for rent, or deciding on which products to buy. In such situations, users often end up spending hours and hours checking on possibilities spread across dozens of websites. Cazoodle’s search engines aggregate information from thousands of online sources, creating a one stop-destination for users to quickly navigate through all their possible choices. Kerris Lee is a great ambassador for Cazoodle and shares his passion for the technology while telling the story of a young start up company that just may soon be a household word to all of us!
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