GSA Technology Council

Vigilix has announced that now over 5,000 systems are currently being monitored by Help Desks using Vigilix’s POS health monitoring solution.

Delivered as a software-as-a-service application, Vigilix provides Help Desks that support point-of-sale systems with an efficient way to proactively monitor and receive alerts on the “health” of the systems they support. By using the Vigilix Dashboard, Help Desk Technicians have access to real-time information on the status of the POS systems and the environments that they operate in. Technicians can better prioritize their work, support more systems and respond immediately to situations before they become problems that could impact financial transaction or customer experience.

“We are seeing a real increase in demand for our product” said Andrew Kurtz, Vigilix’s CEO. “In today’s economic environment companies are looking for ways to continue to provide world-class support for their POS systems, but in a more efficient, cost effective way. Our customers are finding that by using Vigilix’s Total Support Manger, they are able to be more proactive, better prioritize and manage their work, as well as, support more systems without increasing staff or infrastructure.”

via: Vigilix

VidiStar LLC will receive an investment today from SCRA affiliate SC Launch! VidiStar provides physicians with an affordable, easy to use solution for their clinical practice. VidiStar’s online reporting system conforms to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) structure reporting standard which auto-populates complex data from imaging devices, such as ultrasound machines, into customized reports for efficient processing and reporting. VidiStar’s cost-effective technology allows physicians and heath care providers to quickly review and interpret diagnostic studies, such as echocardiograms or fetal ultrasounds scans, from their office or anywhere in the world using a secure Internet connection - regardless of a physician’s location.

“We are very excited about becoming an SC Launch! Portfolio Company,” said Paul McHugh, managing partner of VidiStar.”The SC Launch! program is a catalyst for supporting the long-term growth of companies such as VidiStar,LLC. In addition to the funding, Vidistar sees this as a stamp of approval of their product and business plan, and our company has already benefited from working with SCLaunch!’s vetted network, which is enabling VidiStar to optimize its resources and focus on sales.”

The VidiStar management team has more than 15 years of expertise in medical imaging technology, regulatory affairs and government regulation, and includes board-certified medical professionals, including a practicing cardiologist with experience in echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular technology. The team brings more than 30 years of international and domestic sales experience to the venture.

“To SCRA and SC Launch, the VidiStar investment aligns closely with our multi-lateral efforts with Clemson University, The Medical University of South Carolina, The University of South Carolina and Health Sciences South Carolina to bring better patient care to South Carolina,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “The joint focus of these organizations in diagnostics, therapeutics and clinical applications leads directly to both improved care and leadership commercialization outcomes such as VidiStar.”

SC Launch! has identified VidiStar as a promising South Carolina start-up company and is assisting them with a seed-capital investment, ongoing mentoring and SC Launch! Resource Network services. Since its inception in April, 2006, SC Launch! has provided more than 118 companies with seed funding in the form of grants, loans or equity investments and provided counsel and support to more than 99 start-ups. The average salary of jobs created to date by these start-ups is $77,091. Additionally, SC Launch!-supported companies have secured more than $50 million in follow-on venture capital and private equity financing.

via: SC Launch!

BP Barber, one of the oldest and largest civil engineering firms in the Southeast, announced today its plans to double the size of its Upstate base of operations in Greenville County in order to better serve its expanding client base in the Upstate. The growing firm had moved into the existing space in June of this year, when it announced its plans to add 25-35 full-time employees at the Greenville County location over the next three to five years.

The company is upfitting an additional 5,000 square feet of office space at 128 Millport Circle in Mauldin, doubling its current usable square footage, and expects the expanded space to be fully operational by late December, said Erica Huggins, regional manager of BP Barber’s Upstate operations.

“Despite the soft economy, we’ve found our Upstate clients and this base of operations to be exceeding our own aggressive expectations,” said Huggins in announcing the expansion. “Along with increasing our physical space, we expect to bring on new associates more rapidly than we had projected, particularly in our water services and urban development service groups. Business has been quite good across the board, and we are particularly looking to add top talent in those areas.”

With more than 200 employees across its six-office network already, BP Barber offers a broad range of engineering services, primarily focused in the water services, environmental, urban development, and surveying/GIS arenas. Founded in 1916, the firm provides civil and environmental engineering services to counties, municipalities, special purpose districts, industry, and private developers across its service area footprint. In addition to the new Greenville-based Upstate operations, BP Barber operates regional offices in Charleston, Florence, and Columbia, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The firm was recently ranked number 469 among the Top 500 engineering firms nationwide, based on total revenue for design services performed in 2007, by Engineering News-Record (ENR), a weekly trade newspaper for the engineering industry. Just three weeks ago, the firm was also named “Mayor’s Corporate Citizen of the Year” by the City of Columbia for its contributions, which include the design and development of much of the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure, along with its efforts to help transform the City center and foster the growth of a knowledge economy in the Columbia area. BP Barber is one of a number of leading engineering firms with a significant presence or headquarters operations in Greenville County.

“This decision to continue to grow our Upstate operations in Greenville County is about being able to better serve our clients in the region, and to continue to position our firm for future growth,” said Keith McLeod, President and Chairman of BP Barber. “This expansion is indicative of the robust business opportunity we see in the Upstate, and the quality of life which is pivotal in recruiting and retaining top talent.”

“The positive market reception we expected due to our long-established client relationships across the region has been helpful in accelerating our growth plans here,” noted Ms. Huggins. “With the talented team we have in place, and those individuals yet to join our team, we anticipate rapid growth for all service areas – including water services, environmental, urban development and surveying/GIS. There appears to be no shortage of demand and opportunity for high-quality, high-value engineering services providers.”

McLeod noted that Greenville County is an ideal and strategic location for BP Barber to expand into, partially due to the wealth of engineering and architectural talent in the market, and its accessibility to the Southeastern growth corridor.

“We greatly appreciate the help of the Greenville Area Development Corporation, the City of Mauldin and Greenville County for their assistance in making this expansion a reality,” McLeod added.

“We’re pleased that BP Barber is already benefiting from the opportunity and advantages that Greenville County offers their organization,” said Jay Rogers, Chairman of the Greenville Area Development Corporation Board. “The company’s commitment to providing high quality, environmentally sensitive engineering services that benefit clients, employees and communities makes them valued citizens among Greenville County’s business community.”

via BP Barber 

PTG, a Microsoft Certified Partner and VMware Enterprise Partner recently completed the build-out of B2E’s IT infrastructure including set-up of key technology security and communication protocols.

For B2E’s newly established corporate office, PTG configured a Microsoft Windows Server environment leveraging Active Directory to meet the business’ requirements of multiple levels of security. PTG also took responsibility to establish B2E’s domain for networking needs and their exchange server.

Email accounts, the company intranet and VoIP were all developed as part of the overall IT infrastructure build project. Additionally, PTG installed anti-virus software, spam and adware protection for all PC’s and the company network along with firewall protection utilizing the Exchange Server tools.

via: PTG

The Greenville Area Development Corporation and Ashland Inc. today announced the company’s commitment to an investment and improvement plan for its manufacturing facility in Piedmont, Greenville County, S.C. The plan reflects an anticipated $12.5 million investment by the company within the coming five years.

Ashland Inc. is a diversified, global chemical company, providing quality products, services and solutions to customers in more than 100 countries. The FORTUNE 500 company operates through four divisions: Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Distribution, Valvoline and Ashland Water Technologies.

The Piedmont plant supports the pressure-sensitive adhesives business of Ashland Performance Materials, a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of specialty chemicals and customized services to the building and construction, packaging and converting, transportation, marine and metal casting industries. Performance Materials is a technology leader in high-performance adhesives and specialty resins; unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins and gelcoats; and metal casting consumables and design services.

In July 2008, Ashland announced the acquisition of the pressure-sensitive adhesives and atmospheric emulsions businesses of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., including the manufacturing facility in Piedmont.

“This plan will markedly improve our new manufacturing facility in Greenville County,” said Dave Drummond, director of global operations for the Performance Materials division of Ashland. “The expansions and improvements here will extend our capabilities and capacity to serve the packaging and converting industry and provide a highly desirable complement to our adhesives and coatings platform.

“Ashland would like to thank Greenville County and the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC), the community of Piedmont, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce for their support in helping plan and execute this initiative,” Drummond added. “The GADC and county council member Judy Gilstrap were particularly instrumental in helping us navigate the complexities of the expansion process to make this announcement a reality.”

“Ashland is a world leader in producing specialized chemicals and customized services for a broad range of industries. The company’s decision to expand is a testament that our state’s business-friendly climate and skilled workforce are working to grow existing businesses and attract new investment. Thanks to the team efforts of state and local officials, Greenville County will benefit from this investment,” said Joe Taylor, Secretary of Commerce.

“We’re pleased Ashland recognizes the advantages that Greenville County offers their company,” said Jay Rogers, Chairman of the Greenville Area Development Corporation Board. “As a global manufacturer with innovative processes, blue-chip customers and a history of success, the company is a valued member of our business community, and a reaffirmation that specialty manufacturing companies can thrive and succeed in South Carolina.”

via Ashland Inc.

EV Power Systems (EVPS) will receive a $200,000 investment today from SCRA affiliate SC Launch! EV Power Systems, Inc. (EVPS) designs, sells and services hybrid and all-electric vehicle power systems. EVPS integrates proven components in an innovative way to create all-electric drive systems and retrofit plug-in, hybrid-electric drive systems for trucks. Its founders apply extensive experience from the automotive and commercial fleet industries to develop innovative, electric-drive system solutions. The EVPS management team will conduct an informal seminar about the design and performance of the hybrid truck on display, a 100% electric jeep-like vehicle, and prospective products, today from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. before the ceremony.

EVPS co-founder and CEO, John R. Dabels, is a 25+ year veteran of General Motors where he managed introduction of the GM EV1, GM’s first electric vehicle. He also served as marketing director of the GM Buick division. EVPS president and COO, Terry Russell, began his professional career as an attorney for May Department Stores. During his 18-year career with Ryder System, he became president of Ryder System, which managed logistics for the auto industry.

“SC Launch! and many other South Carolina organizations have been a great asset in helping EV Power Systems begin the transition from early stage to higher-volume manufacturer,” said Dabels. “Our management is impressed with the depth of resources available here. We are delighted to be a part of South Carolina’s efforts to build a knowledge-based economy,” he said.

“EV Power Systems represents not only an excellent financial investment for the SC Launch program, but also a solid strategic investment in the automotive technologies cluster which is forming in Greenville and the Upstate around CU-ICAR,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “With partnerships such as Clemson University, New Carolina, and NEXT, SCRA is very pleased to be supporting the thrust into sustainable automotive applications through our valued client, EVPS.”

SC Launch! has identified EVPS as a promising South Carolina start-up company and is assisting them with a seed-capital investment, ongoing mentoring and SC Launch! Resource Network services. Throughout the past 12-18 months, SC Launch! has provided more than 50 companies with seed funding in the form of grants, loans or equity investments and provided counsel and support to more than 80 start-ups. The average salary of jobs created to date by these start-ups is $77,000. Additionally, SC Launch!-supported companies have to date secured more than $50 million in follow-on venture capital and private equity financing.

via: SC Launch!

Selah Technologies, an advanced materials manufacturer, announced today that Michael Bolick, the company’s founder and CEO, has been appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of the Robert J. Rutland Institute of Ethics at Clemson University.

 “I am honored to serve on the Advisory Board of the Rutland Institute for Ethics. The mission and outreach of the Rutland Institute are an ideal venue to expound to the students, the faculty and the community the importance of taking personal responsibility for their actions and to instill that integrity, fairness and compassion are essential components of any decision-making process. The importance of making moral and ethical choices in life, as in business, cannot be overlooked or overstated,” said Michael Bolick, President and CEO for Selah.

Selah Technologies obtained a worldwide exclusive license in 2006 from Clemson University to develop and commercialize two nanotechnologies, branded Selah Dots and Selah Tubes. Selah Dots are patent-pending brightly luminescent carbon based nanoparticles that can be used for various applications, including life sciences, solar cells and anti-counterfeiting, among others. Selah Tubes, enriched carbon nanotubes protected under US Patent No. 7,374,685, have a number of applications due to their impressive electrical and thermal conductivity properties.

via Selah Technologies

The Greenville Java Users Group (GreenJUG) will meet this Thursday @ 6:30PM to discuss Agile development in practice. The group describes the meeting as follows:

“Agile in Practice” provides a practical, experience-based view of implementing agile ( Scrum in particular). Topics include an overview of agile and Scrum, discussion of solutions to problems typically encountered while moving to Scrum, and some tips on designing a process that will work in your team. The presenter is Dave Cowden, Director of Development at Greenville,SC based CoLinx, LLC. Dave has been implementing Scrum at CoLinx over the past year.

What: Java Users Group
When: 6:30 PM
Where: Agfa (see website for map)

via: Java Users Group of Greenville

Customer Effective Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and value-added reseller of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, announced that Beekley Corporation, a leading medical products company dedicated to creating innovative solutions that improve communication in diagnostic settings, has selected the company to provide CRM software implementation and consultant services to improve its sales process.

Ray Thomas, director of Finance and Technology for Beekley, cites its existing Microsoft platform as a key factor in selecting Microsoft Dynamic CRM through Customer Effective.

“Our previous system required an enormous amount of time migrating data from our existing system,” said Thomas. “Our sales and marketing team worked around the clock to get the system up and running, and we quickly decided this was not a solution to best meet our internal and customer care needs. After watching a CRM demonstration at Microsoft Convergence, we knew Microsoft Dynamics CRM was the best match for us. Microsoft recommended Customer Effective, and after listening to several customer success stories, we were confident in our selection.”

With Microsoft CRM, Beekley now tracks prospects, assigns calls and manages email-marketing campaigns through a single system. An entire sales cycle can be easily tracked, enabling sales representatives to easily and quickly obtain information on a prospect or customer. Reports are generated to analyze and identify strengths and weaknesses in the sales strategy. Additionally, new opportunities can be identified through CRM.

Based on Customer Effective’s User First Design Formula™, a phased implementation approach with success metrics defined for each phase, the project was simple and ensured a smooth CRM delivery. According to Martha Flannery, director of sales and marketing for Beekley, “The way CRM was rolled out in a test environment enabled us to make any required changes to the system prior to full implementation. Customer Effective kept their composure and remained professional no matter how frazzled we became. The brilliance of how everything was handled by Customer Effective made a huge difference. We felt we were their only client.”

“Customer Effective’s goal is to not only provide a great CRM system, but to ensure the system is implemented smoothly and seamlessly,” said Scott Millwood, CEO of Customer Effective. “For any project that requires migrating a large amount of data into a single system, experience and strong support are critical. As experienced CRM consultants, we help clients like Beekley assess their needs and design the system that best addresses their unique workflows and business processes.”

Northstar Creative Design Studio has announced the launch of a new website for RealtyLink (www.realtylinkdev.com), a real estate company headquartered in Greenville. The new site features a custom modern design and custom content management system that allows RealtyLink’s marketing director to easily add listings and include downloadable marketing packages for each property. 

Northstar Creative has also announced the launch of a website for Girlfriends 205 (www.girlfriends205.com), a boutique located in downtown Greer. The design of this site reflects the décor of the shop and communicates the friendly nature of the shop’s owner, Heather Gootee.

via Northstar Creative