Pittsburgh Innovates

The Sarah Heinz House, a nonprofit providing a nurturing environment for local youth and their families, is looking for an executive director.
 
The ideal candidate shall provide visionary leadership and support to the board in setting and achieving organization goals, obtaining and allocating resources and carrying out established organizational policies. Additional tasks include managing and working closely with staff.
 
As reported this week in Pop City, Astrobotic Technologies is moving to the Strip District, which will make room for two additional hires in the coming months, including a principal software engineer.
 
Advanticom in Pittsburgh is looking for a full-time sales engineer. The position is a combination of sales, support, technical writing, inside sales and sales engineering. Strong networking, visualization and data center technology understanding is essential.
 
Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside is hiring a Technology Support Professional immediately to provide support to the Director of Technology. The position requires an Associates Degree or Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and experience in academic computing environments. Knowledge of Microsoft and Apple operating systems and software, Google Apps for Education, Blackbaud, Active Directory, and multi-platform environments is preferred.
 
UPMC is hiring a technical writer to work regularly business hours full-time or as needed.
 
Smith Micro Software is hiring a Senior Technical Recruiter, responsible for managing positive relationships and hiring mid to executive level job candidates.

Got hiring news? Contact Pop City! 

Writer: Deb Smit

South Side-based Rinovum Women’s Health has received FDA authorization to market its initial prescription product, The Stork, a tool to support couples in overcoming several fertility problems and conceive in the comfort of their own home.  
 
The product will launch in Pittsburgh the first quarter of 2013. Rinovum also plans to move into a larger facility in the near future; manufacturing will take place in Pittsburgh, reports Stephen Bollinger, founder, president and CEO.
 
Rinovum, formerly Intimate Bridge 2 Conception, believes that moving out of the doctor’s office and into the home (and bedroom) will help couples better achieve their reproductive goals.
 
“One of the biggest challenges with physician office assisted approaches (intraurterine insemination or IUI) is the loss of privacy, where the male has to perform  in the doctor’s office,” explains Bollinger.
 
“A third of all candidates can’t and the couple go home frustrated. Our technology allows the couples to have supported conception while delivering a higher concentration of semen to the cervix in the privacy of their own home.”

The Stork is targeting the 7.3 million couples in U.S. who experience difficulty in conceiving.  It is specifically created to bridge the gap between natural intercourse and more aggressive approaches like IUI and Invitro fertilization.
 
The Stork should be a couples first step in the path of assisted conception, says Bollinger. A way to “nudge the Stork.”  It works through a condom-like vessel for the collection of fresh semen, which is then placed into a tampon-like device and delivered into the vaginal tract to the cervix.
 
Last year the company received a $4.3 M round of venture capital to move the product into commercialization. Seko MedTec Solutions in Pittsburgh is partnering with Rinovum to do order fulfillment out of Western Pennsylvania.
 
The company is currently at 10 people and plans to hire in early 2013; positions range from quality and regulatory manufacturing to operations. By second quarter 2013, Rinovum hopes to have its CE Mark and be selling overseas.
 
While fertility is Rinovum’s primary focus, the company plans to expand into other areas of women’s health care, Bollinger says.
 
“Women are smart consumers,” he says. “We’re taking a look at technology that is  proven and of clinical-based benefit that can be offered over-the-counter or be more consumer friendly. That’s what Rinovum is all about.”
 
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Stephen Bollinger, Rinovum

The Efficiency Network (TEN), a Carnegie-based company that helps commercial property owners to reduce their carbon footprint, has teamed up with the Green Building Alliance (GBA) to move the Pittsburgh 2030 District forward.
 
TEN, founded this year by Troy Geanopulos, CEO, and Rob Campbell, president and COO, two local entrepreneurs, has a team of technicians who leverage the cloud to evaluate the potential energy efficiency opportunities of commercial buildings.
 
A for-profit company, TEN helps clients to develop a comprehensive energy-reduction plan that can be phased in over time, depending on the client’s goals. The idea is to establish long-term relationships with a diverse range of commercial and industrial clients--large consumers of energy such as hospitals, schools and industry--helping them to achieve their energy efficiency goals, explains Geanopulos.
 
“We want to make energy efficiency a viable investment opportunity for the broadest community of customers,” he says. “We want it to make sense. The whole model is built around giving the customer control to make his or her own decisions.”
 
Geanopulos’s last Carnegie-based company, CLT Efficient Technologies Group, retrofitted the state capitol with energy saving measures and installed a geothermal system at The Fort Pitt Museum. CLT was purchased by utility company Constellation Energy. 
 
Launched in August of 2012, the Pittsburgh 2030 District is part of the national Architecture 2030 Challenge, focused on dramatically reducing the energy and resource consumption of office buildings. Pittsburgh is among four cities in the country—along with LA, Cleveland and Seattle—stepping up to the challenge, says Leslie Montgomery of the GBA.
 
“TEN is a natural fit because, as the conveners of the 2030, they are encouraging everyone to do what works for them (to conserve energy). We have many different sizes and shapes of property partners. People will reach these (energy efficiency goals) in different ways.”
 
Currently more than 40% of the total square footage in the downtown business district has committed to the Pittsburgh 2030 District. More than 25 property partners have joined in, including the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Alcoa, Highmark, no walls production and we do property, BNY Mellon and Allegheny County.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Souce: Leslie Montgomery, BNA; Troy Geanopulos, TEN
 

Imagine some of the most innovative people in Pittsburgh, all in one room. Braddock’s John Fetterman. Serial social entrepreneur Ji Jai. Architect and sustainability champion Christine Mondor. Culinary pioneer Kevin Sousa.
 
It’s a glimpse of the lineup for TEDxGrandviewAve, the latest local incarnation of Tedx, the fast-talking, idea-popping brain fest.
 
Taking a cue from the scenic stretch of road along Mt. Washington, TEDxGrandviewAve will embrace the strengths of Pittsburgh, from key brands to dedicated entrepreneurs, inspired artists and perceptive humanitarians says Kacey Wherley, founder and director of TEDxGrandviewAve.
 
“TEDxGrandviewAve will celebrate how Pittsburgh, as an exceptional whole, stands on the edge of innovation,” she says.
 
This event, independently organized and operated under license from TEDx, will be held on Feb. 23rd, 2013, downtown Pittsburgh, at The Pierce Studio, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center. Reserve tickets are going fast.
 
TEDx is a nationwide forum for bringing people together to share great ideas and stories. Talks feature live speakers and combine to spark deep discussion and connections in smalls group.
 
In addition to the above mentioned local celebrities, speakers will include: Matthew Keener, professor at University of Pittsburgh, CEO and founder of Emodt Health Design; Justin McElhattan, President and CEO, Industrial Scientific Corporation; Nicki Zevola, CEO of Alpha Lab company FutureDerm; Rory Varrato, Graduate Student, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, originally from western Pennsylvania; and Dr. Justin Hill of the Neurorehabilitation Department, Cornell University, a former UPMC physician.
 
The Pillow Project will perform. For more information and reserve tickets, click here.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Kacey Wherley, TEdxGrandviewAve 

Each week, Pop City Tech and Innovation reporter and editor, Deb Smit, talks about the new economy of Pittsburgh including sustainability, innovations and interesting startups on Essential Pittsburgh. Catch the segment on Wednesdays about 12:40 p.m. and learn more about the Pittsburgh companies and products featured each week.  

Each week Pop City posts the latest in company hiring news in Pittsburgh. 
 
The Pittsburgh Mercy Health System has more than 100 positions in several locations across the region, a diverse range of jobs. Not to be confused with UPMC Mercy, PMHS is a separate and distinct organization that provides services to more than 26,000 people at 60 locations in Allegheny County.
 
The healthcare and social services provider is looking for direct care counselors, service coordinators, registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and therapists at multiple locations, to name just a few of the many listed positions. On Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Nov. 30, PMHS will hold a job fairs for a variety of jobs. Participants are encouraged to bring an updated résumé; copies of any degrees, licenses, and current certifications; and to be prepared for on-site interviews. For locations and more information, click here.
 
RE2 in Lawrenceville, a developer of state-of-the-art robotic system for defense, public safety and other industrial sectors, is  seeking a regular full-time senior software engineer, principal electrical engineer, and a principal software engineer to join their team.
 
WebKite, formerly Pikimal, is hiring for a number of positions. The company is looking for a UX designer, senior developer, front end UI developer, and a graphic designer. Internship alert! Webkite is trying something new, offering a non-traditional programming internship to transition those with academic and scientific backgrounds into coders. 
 
Plus Consulting, an IT consulting firm, has outgrown its Bridgeville office and moved into a new space at 505 Washington Ave. The company is hiring 10 for IT positions.
 
Fairmont Pittsburgh downtown offers luxurious accommodations, exceptional dining options and outstanding service in a contemporary setting. The Four Diamond hotel is hiring a full time Concierge and a full time Bell/Door Attendant. Previous customer related and/or hospitality experience is an asset.

Have hiring news? Contact Pop City!
 
Writer: Deb Smit

Now that the election is behind us, how well did the candidates do in the social media race?
 
South Side-based Eyeflow Internet Marketing, a specialist in search engine optimization (SEO), has tallied how each candidate did in on the Internet in terms of SEO data, Google Trends (a tool that records how often a term or phrase is entered into Google), Pay-per-Click data and more. 
 
The results, while mixed, are interesting. 
 
One of the biggest takeaways is that Mitt Romney, compared to previous presidential candidates, hasn’t been that well researched online, says Phil Laboon, president and CEO of Eyeflow.
 
After the debates, however, the numbers went up. Google Trends showed Romney had five times as many searches as Obama.
 
 “You would expect with the debate there would have been more user searches,” he says. “Either people already knew who they wanted to vote for, or they are using other sources.”
 
The following takeaways were based on searches and stats from the past 90 days, the final days of the campaign except where noted:

 ·    Romney has been searched an average of 2.2 million times in the past 12 months compared to Barack Obama who has been searched an average of 1.8 million times.
    
·    In September 2012, Mitt Romney.com generated more backlinks than the previous 6 months combined.
 
·    While Obama’s numbers over the year haven’t changed much, Romney went from 65,000 hits in October 2011 to 502,00 in October 2012.  

·      President Obama had nearly triple the amount of Facebook likes, approximately 32 million compared to Romney’s approximate 12 million.

 ·  On Twitter, President Obama overwhelmed Romney with approximately 21.7 million followers compared to Romney’s meager 1.7 million followers.
 
In comparison, Internet interest in the presidential candidates was lower than that of the iPhone 5, which was released in September. The iPhone 5 was searched more than both candidates combined.
 
Laboon believes that neither campaign utilized the Internet to its highest potential. He would like to see the presidential campaigns using this kind of data to make strategic changes based upon their findings.
 
“It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great thing to be Googled,” says Laboon. “Really, it can be interpreted so many ways.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit and Emily Shields
Source: Phil Laboon, Eyeflow

When it comes to orthopedic surgery, especially for the shoulder, a patient’s positioning is key.
 
Pittsburgh-based Quantum OPS is taking a state-of-the-art approach to the anatomical needs of both the surgeon and patient with a new surgical operating system on the market in a limited release.
 
The company’s shoulder-positioning system was designed by Keith Harper, a biomedical engineer, and Sudhir Rao, an orthopedic surgeon. While the two are originally from Michigan, where they met, they chose to relocate their company to Pittsburgh because of the favorable climate here for life science startups.
 
Quantum’s Shoulder Positioning System (QSPS) was developed in 2009 to replace a decade-old technology being used by many surgeons called the “Beach Chair,” which basically elevated the patient to an upright position during surgery, Harper says.
 
The system was not only difficult for surgical staff to operate, it wasn’t comfortable or efficient, explains Harper, president and CEO. QSPS supports the head through “rigid head fixation,” a contoured pad coupled with a forehead clamp--called the halo bar--which is safer and more secure.
 
 “What we’ve done is taken it to the next level of design and functionality,” he says. “This allows for better access for the surgeon, more secure positioning for the patient and anatomic orientation for the joint.”
 
Quantum OPS received FDA and CE Mark approvals and is currently test marketing the product across the country. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Pittsburgh and manufacturing is done in Fort Wayne, IN.
 
Global sales and distribution is being handled by Boston-based Athrosurface. Quantum OPS employs eight now and plans to hire more next year when its second product, an arm positioner, goes on the market. Equipment for knees and other body parts are planned.
 
The company raised a $1.05 million Series A financing round last June led by the Pittsburgh Life Science Greenhouse (PLSG) and the PLSG Accelerator Fund with additional funding from multiple institutional and angel investors. 
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Keith Harper, Quantum OPS

Each week Pop City posts the latest in company hiring news in Pittsburgh. 
 
Rock star startup, The Resumator, is growing and hiring to keep up with an exploding demand, looking for 10 new hires plus an intern.
 
The company grew 600% in 2011, CEO Don Charlton told the audience at the AlphaLab/ i6 University preview last week. They are hiring engineers, product, graphic and interactive designers and expanding their sales team.
 
The Resumator also recently landed a Series B round for $2.1 led by Pittsburgh-based Birchmere Venutres, Series A lead investor, and Rincon Venture Partners and Salesforce.com. The Resumator counted both President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney as clients this year, helping to recruit volunteers.
 
NoWait, the Pittsburgh-based startup that provides wait-list and seating tools to casual restaurants, is adding six to its team of 14. The former Alpha Lab company plans to roll out new features soon. Jobs include a director of national accounts, inside sales reps, engineers and developers.
 
Group Against Smog and Pollution, better known as GASP, is hiring a coordinator for a new campaign, Athletes United for Healthy Air. The non-profit citizens’ group plans to expand its role as a lead advocate on environmental issues through a campaign that will educate athletes—from the professional to the casual—on the region’s air quality and how to limit their risk of exposure to air pollution.  
 
The AU Coordinator is a part-time position with the potential of becoming fulltime in the next six months and will be responsible for managing all aspects of GASP’s campaign.
 
Online ticketing company ShowClix has openings for technical people as well as an online advertising specialist, a Technical Writer and a Director of Marketing. In November ShowClix will hold an "Engibeering" event for all those interest in technical positions with the company. 
 
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is hiring a Sports Copy Editor. The ideal candidate should have strong language skills. The position requires night and weekend shifts and should be familiar with InDesign and have at least three years’ experience at a 50,000-plus circulation paper. 

Have company hiring news? Share it with Pop City!
 
Writer: Deb Smit
 

The promise of Thar Technologies is bringing greener chemical processes to the world through the creation of cleaner pharmaceuticals, food, nutraceuticals, solvents, coatings and energy solutions.
 
The company opened the doors of its Fox Chapel operation last week to showcase the ways that greener chemical processes and energy solutions work with Thar’s patented, high-pressure, “super critical fluid” applications.
 
In a nutshell, supercritical fluid technology replaces tradition solvent-based chemical processing techniques by harnessing the power of carbon dioxide through Thar’s pressurized system of piping loops and tanks.
 
The result is a wide range of products and processes that have a smaller carbon footprint and are less expensive than current processes that use toxic solvents, explained Lalit Chordia, CEO.  
 
Thar’s headquarters on Gamma Drive, formerly the American Roller Bearing Co., is a model for energy efficiency using Thar’s own geothermal heating and cooling system. Thar expects to have its geothermal system on the market in 2013, a system that is already being used by the Audubon Society of Western Pa.
 
In addition, the company is developing a water treatment system using the supercritical fluid process to clean fracking water on shale drilling sites. The process separates and destroys the biological compounds such as bacteria and organic compounds by heating the water to high temperatures, says Chordia, cleaning the water and separating out the inorganic elements as solids that can be disposed of in a landfill.

This is only the beginning of what’s to come, Chordia explained. The supercriticial fluid process will change and improve the way many things are processed through Thar’s three company divisions: Process, Energy and Pharmaceuticals.
 
The overall goal is to develop more sustainable energy systems and healthier drugs and foods, such as soybeans and soy products, decaffeinated coffee, hops extracts for beer and spice extracts. 
 
The biggest hurdle in making manufacturing processes greener is the country prefers large volume processing that nets big profits, says Chorida. Thar’s approach is to promote niche marketing production as more profitable than traditional commodity approaches, which promotes greater prosperity and keeps jobs at home.
 
“As chemists we need to do what we can to reduce to reduce toxic chemicals in our environment,” said Nancy Jackson of the American Chemical Society who was on hand for tour as part of a day long tribute at Chatham Univerity to Rachel Carson and the official designation of Silent Spring as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. “This is an example of what chemists can achieve working to develop chemicals that use less toxic ingredients.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Lalit Chordia, Thar Technologies