Research ParkArchive for the ‘’ Category

Champaign County EDC Launches New Job Board

Media Contact:
Carly McCrory-McKay, Executive Director
Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
carly@champaigncountyedc.org
217-649-2586

 

Champaign County EDC Launches New Job Board

Discover Jobs in the Champaign-Urbana Area

CHAMPAIGN, IL, February 22, 2023 – A new job board launched today helps promote job opportunities in the Champaign-Urbana area. The Champaign-Urbana Area Job Board – yourewelcomecu.com/jobs – features over 90 local companies and 1,700 jobs, including full-time, part-time, and remote opportunities.

“We’re excited to launch this new community resource for local companies and job seekers,” said Carly McCrory-McKay, Executive Director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “Our original job board was launched in 2015, and a lot has changed since that time, especially how job seekers search for opportunities. This new software creates an aggregate of local jobs and has enhanced features to make the process smoother.”

The Champaign-Urbana Area Job Board includes Champaign County employers across various industries, including education, government, healthcare, and manufacturing. Job seekers can view and sort by industry, job type, company, and location, and they can sign up for daily alerts based on their interests.

“This new tool will greatly impact our ability to attract the best and the brightest to the University and the greater community, which in turn will help our county continue to grow and thrive,” said Dana Cohen, Director of Faculty Recruitment at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Employers in Champaign County who wish to be included on the Champaign-Urbana Area Job Board can contact edc@champaigncountyedc.org for more information.

“This is a great resource to help local talent find jobs, but also an important tool for new residents and those considering a move to the Champaign-Urbana area,” noted McCrory-McKay. “This resource will be integrated into our talent retention and attraction strategies, which includes the Chambana Welcome Crew program and New to CU Mixer events—collaborations between EDC, Visit Champaign County, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.”

The Champaign-Urbana Area Job Board is updated daily and can be viewed online at https://yourewelcomecu.com/jobs/.

About Champaign County Economic Development Corporation:

The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is a public-private partnership dedicated to fostering a cooperative, county-wide approach to economic development. CCEDC works to improve the economic well-being of all Champaign County through efforts that entail job creation, job retention, tax base enhancements, small business development, and promotion of quality of life. CCEDC brings together community partners to support economic development by aligning interests through productive relationships, open dialogue, and advocacy efforts. Learn more at https://www.champaigncountyedc.org/.

 

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Former Ambassador and UN Official Ertharin Cousin to Keynote gener8tor’s OnRamp Agriculture Conference

From gener8tor:

July 7, 2022

Former Ambassador and UN Official Ertharin Cousin to Keynote gener8tor’s OnRamp Agriculture Conference

Cousin will headline an agenda that will focus on sustainable agriculture and agriculture technology trends

Champaign, IL – gener8tor — a venture capital fund and startup accelerator network — today announced that Ertharin Cousin, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Agencies for Food and Agriculture and Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, will headline and deliver the keynote at the OnRamp Agriculture Conference on July 25 and 26 at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

The OnRamp Agriculture Conference brings together leading corporations, investors and startups across key industries. This year’s conference will discuss AgTech funding, scaling sustainable agriculture, industry trends and so much more. OnRamp Agriculture is made possible due to support from the University of Illinois Research Park, Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, Cooperative Ventures and Serra Ventures.

“Cousin’s rich experience influencing global agriculture policy and using agriculture as a force for good throughout the world will inspire the investors, startups, and thought leaders gathered in Champaign to chart how the private sector can positively and meaningfully contribute to the future of agriculture,” said gener8tor Partner Maggie Brickerman.

After serving as Ambassador and Head of the UN World Food Programme, Cousin founded and today guides the Food Systems for the Future team as President and CEO. As a global nutrition and food systems thought leader and advocate, Cousin also serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University Center on Food Security and Environment.

Prior to her global hunger work, Cousin helped lead the U.S. domestic fight to end hunger including service as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of America’s Second Harvest – now Feeding America. Cousin’s previous private sector experience includes working for Albertsons as the Senior Vice-President of Public Affairs.

Cousin’s keynote will be the signature moment of a conference featuring private-sector experts and thought leaders from diverse agriculture sectors, including Andrew Selck from EY, Marisa Bocci from K&L Gates, Teresa Garcia-Moore from The Sustainability Consortium and Rob Shultz from Serra Ventures.

To learn more about the OnRamp Agriculture Conference, keynote and other speakers, and how to register, visit https://onrampagricultureconference.com.

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About gener8tor

gener8tor is a venture capital fund and startup accelerator. Ranked one of the top-15 accelerators in the United States, gener8tor operates programs and conferences for startups, musicians, artists, investors, and workers and prioritizes investing across race, place, and gender. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in 2020 and one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021.

Starfire Industries Announces Expansion in Champaign, New Facility to Support Deep Technology Manufacturing and Research & Development

For Immediate Release
May 20, 2022

Starfire Industries Announces Expansion in Champaign, New Facility to Support Deep Technology Manufacturing and Research & Development

Starfire’s new 194,000 square foot facility will create 22 full-time deep tech jobs

CHAMPAIGN – May 20, 2022 – Today Starfire Industries, LLC announced an expansion to establish a new manufacturing facility in Champaign, Illinois, located at 3310 N. Duncan Road. The $9.4 million project accommodates growth to a 194,000 square foot facility to increase manufacturing and research & development capabilities. The project will create at least 22 full time-jobs and retain 20 full-time jobs, as well as support 12 engineering co-op and part-time professional jobs.

“Technology investments over the past 12 years in compact particle accelerators and high-power plasma sources have resulted in game-changing innovations”, says Starfire President/CEO Brian Jurczyk. “Our team is making significant impacts across the semiconductor, nuclear, aerospace, medical, environmental, energy, mining, automotive, and security industries. Starfire reached the point where it needed to scale; finding the right location for expansion was critical. The former Patterson building is a unique space with a combination of office, engineering, manufacturing, and distribution that will support Starfire’s growth for years to come. We are excited to make this place our home and stay within the robust Champaign-Urbana deep technology ecosystem.”

Starfire Industries, recently named one of the top-10 worldwide non-destructive testing companies by Manufacturing Outlook Magazine, specializes in portable high-energy particle accelerators for diagnostic imaging, environmental sensing, active interrogation, and even oncology therapeutic treatments. This is accomplished using a process that combines physics, math, chemistry, and biology to create a strategy for inspecting, examining, and testing materials for flaws, defects, and more. Starfire’s patented Centurion® system is being used for the rapid detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater and soil samples and quantification at the ppt level to meet stringent EPA and EU standards. Starfire is a multi-disciplinary deep technology company leveraging technical depth in many fields. The team consists of several PhDs in nuclear, plasma, radiological and electrical engineering, as well as engineers from electrical, mechanical, aerospace and material science.

Starfire’s patented IMPULSE® product has revolutionized thin-film coatings by providing precision engineering of materials at the atomic scale. Their technology is used in the manufacture of photovoltaic, superconductor, fuel cell and battery storage systems—as well as coatings on full-length nuclear fuel rods to increase strength, corrosion resistance and accident tolerance under an SBIR project with the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and Westinghouse.

“The new facility will give us the space for a pilot in-line production system to process the long and difficult to handle nuclear fuel cladding”, says Starfire VP/CTO Robert Stubbers. “The combination of engineering, processing, QA/QC testing and distribution space is advantageous.”

Starfire develops solutions to solve challenging problems, moving ideas from the whiteboard to production. They work with a variety of federal and international organizations on innovative research & development and with a broad spectrum of global companies on products and services to meet their demanding applications.

“Starfire Industries is truly a homegrown success story, and one we’re proud to celebrate,” said Carly McCrory-McKay, executive director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “This story is a testament to what’s possible in Champaign County and the state of Illinois. Under Brian’s leadership, the company has grown from a startup to a large-scale manufacturing facility. We’re grateful for their continued investment in our community and we look forward to supporting their growth.”

“We are so delighted that the Starfire team chose to stay in Champaign and continue to grow their company where it began,” stated City of Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen.

Since graduating from the EnterpriseWorks startup incubator at University of Illinois Research Park in 2009, Starfire Industries has grown from concept research & development to manufacturing plasma sources, neutron generators and high-voltage power supplies for a range of industries. They will soon move from their existing Champaign location, a 14,000 square foot facility in University of Illinois Research Park, to an impressive 194,000 square foot technology center. The 3310 N. Duncan Road expansion will enable greater on-site collaborative partnerships, direct services to end-users under strategic supplier agreements, manufacturing and global distribution.

“Starfire is a stellar example of the deep tech innovation that emerges from scientists at the University of Illinois and that remains in Champaign County for the tech and engineering talent needed to fuel its continued growth,” said Laura Appenzeller, UI Research Park Executive Director. “We are so grateful to have launched their small business at the Research Park and thank the founders for their perseverance, innovation, and dedication to their employees.”

The expansion is scheduled for completion in 2023.

About Starfire Industries, LLC:

Founded by Brian Jurczyk, PhD MBA, and Robert Stubbers, PhD, Starfire Industries LLC is a “deep technology” company focused on nuclear and plasma technologies for demanding applications. Starfire produces the nGen® and Centurion® ultra-compact particle accelerators used for medical therapy, environmental sensing, nuclear security, and non-destructive imaging.  Starfire produces the IMPULSE® and RADION™ pulsed power plasma sources and systems used for nuclear fuel fabrication, superconductor coatings, semiconductor EUV lithography, lightweight electric vehicle assembly, high-temperature aerospace materials, and thin-film deposition and etching applications.

Their industry-changing solutions are designed, manufactured, and delivered from their headquarters in Champaign, Illinois to end-users across six continents and Earth orbit. Learn more at https://www.starfireindustries.com/.

 

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Press:

Growing Champaign tech company moving to larger building, The News-Gazette

Starfire Industries announces expansion in Champaign, WCIA 3 News

OnRamp Agriculture Conference Moves to Champaign-Urbana, Hub of AgTech Innovation

For Immediate Release
April 12, 2022

Contacts:
Carly McCrory-McKay, Executive Director
Champaign County EDC
carly@champaigncountyedc.org
217-649-2586

Laura Bleill, Director, External Engagement
University of Illinois Research Park
lwbleill@Illinois.edu
217-417-6671

OnRamp Agriculture Conference Moves to Champaign-Urbana, Hub of AgTech Innovation

Event Facilitates Matchmaking, Learning and Networking for Startups, Investors, and Industry Partners

CHAMPAIGN – April 12, 2022 – A coalition of Central Illinois partners have banded together to bring one of the nation’s premier AgTech startup conferences to Champaign. gener8tor will host the third annual OnRamp Agriculture Conference on Tuesday, July 26 at the State Farm Center.

The curated one-day event includes three programming tracks for attendees designed to facilitate deal making and strategic partnerships among startups, corporations, and investors in the ag and food space.

This year’s conference is presented by Cooperative Ventures, the University of Illinois Research Park, Serra Ventures, and the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation.

“Moving the OnRamp Agriculture Conference to Champaign was a goal we have had for some time, as our community is a magnet for truly disruptive innovations in the ag and food industries,” said Dennis Beard, managing partner at Serra Ventures. “Collaboration and cooperation are innate to our community’s culture and represent two of our signature values. We look forward to bringing others into the fold.”

The conference is expected to draw hundreds of attendees to Champaign, reaping a significant economic impact for the community.

The OnRamp Agriculture Conference adds another dimension to the already robust AgTech ecosystem in Champaign-Urbana, which includes:

  • A land-grant institution steeped in innovation, across the value chain of agriculture.
  • Champaign-based VC firm Serra Ventures announced its $45 million AgTech Fund in February.
  • The University of Illinois Research Park is home to multiple ag-centric corporate innovation centers as well as AgTech startups.
  • Parkland College is recognized as the #2 Precision Agriculture community college in the country and has been awarded four National Science Foundation grants for their innovative AgTech programming.
  • Each March, the community hosts its own AgTech week; the centerpiece of that week is the AgTech Innovation Summit, programmed since 2016.
  • The Illinois AgTech Accelerator, which recruits internationally, is also a gener8tor program. Launched in 2020, it is now hosting its third cohort and its portfolio companies have raised $20M to date.

Unique to OnRamp, the Startup Track features curated one-on-one pitch sessions between startups and corporations. OnRamp matches the selected startups with corporate venture capital and innovation executives from participating organizations to discuss potential customer relationships, strategic partnerships and, if appropriate, investment opportunities.

AgTech investment continues to experience exponential growth. According to Pitchbook, the sector saw $10.5 billion invested in 2021, a 58.6% increase from the previous year and more than double the 2019 value. The capital was invested across 751 deals.

To learn more about the 2022 OnRamp Agriculture Conference and to register for the event, visit https://onrampagricultureconference.com/.

About AgTech in Champaign-Urbana:

Champaign-Urbana has long been a hub for technology as well as agriculture. In the past decade, those two paths have converged, paving the way for the community to become an epicenter for AgTech. Champaign-Urbana’s robust AgTech ecosystem includes the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Parkland College, corporate innovation partners, startups, state-of-the-art facilities, student organizations, local ag companies, the Illinois AgTech Accelerator, and more. Learn more at https://yourewelcomecu.com/agtech/.

About the OnRamp Agriculture Conference:

The OnRamp Agriculture Conference brings together the agriculture and food industries’ leading corporations, investors, and startups. The conference highlights innovations disrupting agriculture and the future of food, the leaders making such innovations possible and how new technologies and business models will reinvent the industry. Learn more at https://onrampagricultureconference.com/.

 

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IMA’s Makers Madness – Vote for Champaign County Products

Voting is now open for this year’s Makers Madness: The Coolest Thing Made In Illinois, presented by Comcast Business.

The competition by Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is designed to highlight the many different products made in Illinois, including everything from food products and military flashlights to automobiles and components for the aerospace industry. This round of votes will determine the Top 16 products from the 311 unique products that were nominated from across the state.

Voting will take place at www.makersmadnessil.com through midnight on April 3. Voters can cast up to five votes per day in the first round as the field of products is narrowed.

Vote for products made in Champaign County:

  • 9904-UDX-4K – Cobalt Digital
  • Automobile Bumpers – Flex-N-Gate
  • CAT Filters – Advanced Filtration Systems Inc. (AFSI)
  • CERV2 Smart Ventilation System – Build Equinox
  • Colorfil HVAC Filter – Serionix
  • Curtis Orchard Hard Cider – Blind Pig Brewing
  • Custom Blazed Diffraction Gratings – Inprentus
  • Custom Pipe Organs – John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, LLC
  • Epitaxial Wafers – II-VI EpiWorks
  • Frasca Full Flight Simulators – Frasca International
  • Gill Vaulting Pole – Litania Sports Group
  • Graduation Cap & Gown – Herff Jones
  • Heinz Ketchup – Kraft Heinz Company
  • Kraft Mac & Cheese – Kraft Heinz Company
  • Miracle Whip – Kraft Heinz Company
  • Moisture-free Halides – APL Engineered Materials
  • Museum Exhibits – Taylor Studios
  • Plastic Closures – Silgan Closures
  • Porter 1835 Competition Portable Backstop – Litania Sports Group
  • Red Solo Cup – Dart Container Corporation
  • Riggs Illinois Koelsch – Riggs Beer Company
  • RUSK Hair Products – Beauty Quest Group
  • Seri Face Mask – Serionix
  • SHIELD COVID-19 Saliva Test – University of Illinois
  • SlimShield222 Lamp – Eden Park Illumination
  • Sun Bucket – Sun Buckets
  • Teflon Wafer Dippers – ShapeMaster, Inc.
  • TerraSentia – EarthSense
  • The Ability Hand – PSYONIC
  • TOMi Scope – PhotoniCare
  • Torq Tactical Flashlight – First-Light USA
  • VR Gowns – PolyCo
  • Wooly Mammoth (Museum Display) – Taylor Studios
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