Author: Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Fundraising and Communication Excellence FACE Awards

DPP Earns 3 Top Marketing Communications Excellence Awards

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DPP Earns 3 Top Marketing Communications Excellence Awards From Association of Fundraising Professionals

Fundraising and Communication Excellence FACE Awards

November 17, 2021 –

Delaware Prosperity Partnership Work Honored by Afp – Brandywine in Annual Report, Electronic and Special Publication Categories

WILMINGTON, Del.  — Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) – the nonprofit public-private economic development organization facilitating the important conversations that drive growth, increase investment and support the talent needs of Delaware employers – took top honors in three categories of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Brandywine Chapter’s 2021 Fundraising and Communications Excellence (FACE) Awards.

DPP’s recognition includes top billing in the competition’s Annual Report, Electronic, and Special Publication categories.

The DPP 2020 Year in Review annual report shares major economic development announcements leading to new and retained job opportunities, as well as efforts to safely and responsibly reopen business in the midst of a pandemic. Of note are 26 located projects, $613 million in capital investment and more than 4,000 new and retained jobs supported by DPP since 2018. The winning publication also highlights collaborative and productive partnerships in the areas of attraction, innovation, growth and talent that promote Delaware’s competitive and attractive economy for business growth.

DPP’s LiveLoveDelaware video series, which is viewable on DPP’s YouTube channel, features Delaware business leaders — ranging from Dr. Kris Vaddi, founder of Prelude Therapeutics, to Katey Evans of The Frozen Farmer — sharing what makes Delaware a great state to live, work and play.

DPP’s Prosperity and Partnership Campaign 2021-2023: Advancing Prosperity special publication acknowledges the collaborative leadership of DPP’s Board of Directors — co-chaired by Governor John Carney and Rod Ward III, president and CEO of CSC — as well the 41 inaugural private-sector investors who play an essential role in shaping Delaware’s continued economic success. DPP also uses the piece to encourage more Delaware leaders to join the public-private partnership to help attract, grow and retain companies and bolster the state’s economy.

“It is always gratifying to have our work recognized by our peers, and it is especially gratifying to be recognized in our first year submitting entries to the FACE Awards competition,” said Michele A. Schiavoni, DPP director of External Relations and Marketing. “Both Delaware Prosperity Partnership and the Association of Fundraising Professionals value excellence, and this recognition reflects the DPP team’s commitment to excellence in our efforts to promote #ChooseDelaware to the local, regional, national and worldwide business community.”

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About Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Delaware Prosperity Partnership leads Delaware’s economic development efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; to build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and to support private employers in identifying, recruiting and developing talent. The DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working with innovators and startups to spotlight and celebrate successes and connect them with the resources they need to succeed. DPP and its partnerships throughout Delaware support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.

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Jimmie Allen country music artist Delaware made

CMA New Artist of Year Jimmie Allen Says Success is Delaware Made

Written on . Posted in Success Stories.

2021 CMA New Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen Says His Success is Delaware Made

Jimmie Allen country music artist Delaware made

November 18, 2021 – 

While many small businesses closed their doors in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Delaware native and 2021 CMA New Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen was opening doors and contributing to the First State’s economy.

During his keynote speech at the 2021 Millennial Summit, Allen explained how he employed more than 50 people by delving into the transportation business.

“I know nothing about dump trucks,” Allen admitted. “But we got six dump trucks and hired people that drive them.”

Allen’s companies Sussex Septic, Role On Transportation, and Del Made gave people jobs when there were few to be found. The multi-platinum performer said these new investments are part of his plan to build an “empire.”

“The empire I’m trying to create isn’t just for me,” Allen said. “It’s to create jobs for family, for friends, and for other people.”

Allen, who grew up in Milton, Del., broke into the country music scene in 2018. That year, his singles “Best Shot” and “Make Me Want To” both hit #1 on the Billboard Country Music Airplay chart and went platinum. Since then, his duet “This Is Us” with Noah Cyrus has gone gold and he’s released “Freedom Was a Highway” with Brad Paisley – the video for which shows Allen wearing Del Made logos.

In 2021, he won New Male Artist of the Year at the American Country Music Awards – the first Black solo performer to win this award. He also created and headlined the Bettie James Fest concert event in Milton, published a children’s book called “My Voice is a Trumpet” and joined Season 30 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

“For me, it’s about expanding,” Allen said. “The reason why you expand is because, if your foundation is narrow, once you get to a certain height, it tips over.”

He explained that the wider the foundation, the higher up he can go.

“If you expand your foundation, you have no choice but to go up,” he said.

Allen went to Delaware State University and later the University of Delaware to get a “degree in people.”

“I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, so I needed to understand how different types of people move,” he said.

Once he got that “degree,” he told his family he was moving to Nashville.

“They said, ‘When?’ I said, ‘Tomorrow,’” Allen recalled. “So, I packed up my little Chevy Malibu and went to Walmart and bought an air mattress. I had $21 in my bank account.”

That’s when his journey began.

The Journey From Delaware to Nashville

After stopping at random locations along the way where he could use computers to search for living quarters, he found a trailer on 18 acres he could rent, but the electricity wasn’t turned on.

“I had no money to turn it on,” he said. But he quickly realized that he didn’t need electricity because he would only be there to sleep.

After living there for a while, the owner decided to sell the trailer for $300. Unfortunately, Allen couldn’t afford to purchase it, so he moved into his car.

“The car situation really wasn’t that bad,” Allen said. “That’s just ‘right now.’ I never really worried about ‘right now.’ To me it’s all about where you want to go and the sacrifice you gotta make to get there.”

Allen was working at a gym where he could wash his clothes, exercise, and meet people.

“I worked in a snack bar, so I borrowed food to eat,” he laughed. “I started networking. I met Christian artists, country artists, and started spending time talking to them at the gym.”

He began learning the difference between business and networking, talent and drive.

“Talent is 10 percent of what you want to get out of life,” he said. “The other 90 percent is being able to withstand the word ‘no.’”

Through this experience, he developed the philosophy of never staying at a job longer than six months.

“What happens is, if you’re at a job for six months and you’re financially comfortable, and you can take care of yourself and your family, you feel like that’s it, that you’ve made it,” Allen said. “To me, making it is the internal success, and internal success comes from what makes you completely happy. If you’re making $100 a month or $1 million a month, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy.”

He never wanted to settle for being comfortable while chasing his dream. He wanted to reach his goals on his own terms.

“One consistent thing over my journey – and if you talk to anyone who is successful – it’s following your own path,” he said. “Do what makes you happy no matter what the circumstances.”

He focused on his goal and never gave up.

“Life has obstacles all the time,” Allen said. “But it’s not about the obstacles, it’s how you’re going to get through it, around it or over it.”

Allen auditioned for “America’s Got Talent” and appeared briefly on Season 10 of “American Idol,” but didn’t get his big breakthrough on either show. Finally, in 2016 – nearly 10 years after he arrived in Nashville – he was invited to a Writer’s Round. Allen explained there were three songwriters on the stage, and each one performed songs they had written either for themselves or someone else. Participating was an easy decision to make after hearing the perks.

“I found out they were going to pay me $200,” he said, “and I got a free meal.”

When the session concluded, Ash Bowers — co-founder of Wide Open Music — approached Allen.

“He said, ‘Who are you signed to?’” Allen recalled. “I said, ‘Nobody.’”

Bowers explained he was the owner of a small publishing company, but offered to introduce Allen to anyone in town he wanted to meet.

“I said, ‘Tell me more about you,’” Allen said. “What I liked about Ash is, he had a small company, but he believed in me, and that’s the biggest thing.”

After hearing about Ash’s publishing company, Allen signed with Bowers. And the rest is history.

“It took me 10 years to get a record deal, but I compare that to trying to be a doctor or nurse,” he said. “That takes forever, too.”

With all his success, Allen hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

“Delaware made me,” Allen said. “If I hadn’t grown up here how I grew up, I don’t think I’d be where I am.”

This article was originally posted on the Live Love Delaware site at: https://www.livelovedelaware.com/country-music-star-jimmie-allen-says-his-success-is-delaware-made/ 

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virtual learning at Zip Code WIlmington

Zip Code Wilmington Move to Virtual Learning Brings New Opportunities

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Zip Code Wilmington Move to Virtual Learning Opened Doors for New Opportunities

virtual learning at Zip Code WIlmington

November 16, 2021 – 

Success for Zip Code Wilmington can be defined in many ways, but Executive Director Desa Burton lights up when she talks about a recent student who loaded everything he owned into a car and drove to Wilmington from Dallas to join the program.

“He had every intention of going back to Texas, but he got a job here and is very happy. We have students who come to us from across the United States and its territories, such as Atlanta, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, who are applying for or now have jobs here in Wilmington,” Burton says, adding that about 75% of her students stay in Delaware after graduation. “Zip Code attracts high-level talent to this area. Wherever these out-of-state students are, opportunities are not working for them so they’re willing to move here. Now we’re working on introducing more businesses outside our region to see that Delaware checks all the boxes for their employees in terms of quality of life, housing affordability, infrastructure, and resources available for young families.”

Considered one of the nation’s top three nonprofits of its type, Zip Code Wilmington is a 12-week coding bootcamp that gives students the technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills needed to secure a competitive developer job and increase their earning potential. Burton beams when asked about the non-technical part of the curriculum.

“We have an amazing professional development program. Sometimes that’s all I hear about in the final interviews,” says Burton. “Our hiring manager has more than 10 years of improv experience and he uses that to help the students with active listening, being able to answer questions, and move and flow in different interview settings. They get a resume when they leave. We help them create or fix up their LinkedIn profiles. We work with them on networking and teaching them how to do that. It’s really neat to see how having that secret sauce really makes such a big difference in the outcome of the student.”

Zip Code Wilmington’s training program offers two course tracks – full-stack Java Development with Spring Boot, Angular, and MySQL as well as Data Engineering and Analytics based on Python, R, and SQL.

When Burton arrived at Zip Code Wilmington in September 2019 – armed with an MBA and law degree she earned after leaving the military — she says she was “basically being put in charge of a very successful startup and being told not to break it.” Besides having to learn human resources, finance, accounting, she was suddenly being asked to “think not like a lawyer, but like a businessperson, especially when COVID hit.”

“We had to be innovative. We had to be scrappy. We had to get out there and make changes in the midst of a crisis,” she said.

Asked about her student demographics, Burton says the answer is different today than it was when she became executive director.

“I would have just told you then average age 35, career changers, adult learners,” she says. “After putting in all these innovative new programs, I can tell you we teach people 16 years old to 60. We were in seven high schools last year, teaching front-end software development.” Teaching in Delaware’s high schools is new. Burton explains, “Zip Code Wilmington is well known for training up folks who may or may not have gone to college, have some work experience or who may have already been in their career 5, 10, 15 years, and are either looking to change because the end is coming, or they don’t want to go back to school to get another degree if they have a degree. Some tried the degree route but didn’t like it or didn’t have the money for it. For some reason, they’re at a place where they need to get into tech and this is the way that they want to do it, through a 12-week course. As we view it, talent is distributed evenly, but opportunity is not. We provide opportunities!”

It costs Zip Code Wilmington $15,000 to train someone, although students will not pay more than $12,000. It costs a student $6,000 upfront to enter the program. If they get a job with a corporate partner, that company will pay the remaining $9,000. If they get a job with a non-corporate partner, they’re responsible for the remaining $6,000.

There are “scholarships” for students who served in the military or fall into a “needs-based category (i.e., 200% below the poverty line). Burton says those are the only ways that students don’t pay that initial tuition.

Placement fell in 2020 during the pandemic, when companies froze a lot of positions, to 61%, from previous years when Zip Code Wilmington placed students at a rate approaching 90% within six months. But Burton says things are picking up, with JPMorgan Chase announcing in January that they hired more than 30 Zip Coders in 2020. For now, the size of the cohorts reflects job placement forecasts – from 35 before the pandemic to 25 over the past 18-24 months – but placement is returning to an average of 80% and cohort size should return to normal the economy improves.

Making the Switch to Virtual Learning

Zip Code Wilmington had to be nimble and switch to training remotely in March 2020.

“Our instructors were concerned that the students would not have the same experience, that they would not bond as well, that they would not retain the knowledge as well,” says Burton. “I knew that this was not going to be a two-week deal, so we needed to figure out how to make it work and be remote for an extended period. We launched virtual training on March 13th.”

Zip Code started off with Zoom sessions but supplemented it with collaboration platforms such as Discord and Slack.

“Communication between the students never dropped. They can work freely together in a remote environment, connect with each other at will,” Burton says. “Everyone thought you must be next to each other to code, to look at each other’s screen, and touch each other’s keyboard. But now that we’re remote, everything is virtual. They’re able to meet, deliver training, edit code, and connect online seamlessly.”

“I told every remote student that they could set up a time to come in and meet with an instructor who can work with them in person. On the first day, they asked about it but once they started working online, no one asked again. It just worked out really well.”

Burton says there hasn’t been any difference in picking up the material between different age groups or other demographics.

“I think a virtual environment makes it much easier for people to just judge you based on your merit. I think in a virtual environment you have less of that “ism” happening because if an employer really needs to get a product off the line, they need to get coders in ASAP. The last thing they’re worried about is what are you wearing because guess what? They’re seeing you on a remote screen and they’re really focusing more on your code than anything else.”

Burton says Zip Coders are different from students that are going through the for-profit programs around the country, most of whom don’t disclose their placement rates and other outcomes like her organization does.

“Zip Coders are just different. They’re team players. They are hungry for change. They are committed, dedicated. There is just something about their personality that is so cool. I hear it a lot from candidates for our program. Other coding bootcamps are mostly for-profit. They’ve got to make money. They need to get people through the door and churn them through to get the tuition and then churn through the next one. They’re not really focused on figuring out the quality of the education that they’re given, because they don’t have to worry about that. We stick with our students for the next three to six months to make sure they get a job. We are incentivized to do so because we are transparent in our outcomes and report them on our website. Also, we do not receive the remainder of their tuition until our graduates get their first job.”

“Our mission is to help build the economy of this region. I can’t do that if people are coming in and not getting jobs. I can’t bring in 200 people during COVID when I know there’s no jobs out there, just so that I have money in my bank account. That doesn’t work. And so that’s why we’re different. They can train regardless of what’s happening in the economic environment. I cannot.”

Employers who had job freezes in 2020 are coming back too.

“Pre-COVID, some employers were consistently hiring. They were there for every power interview week, which is that week after the students finish the training. Other employers were periodic and would show up at certain points of the year. I’m seeing more activity now from both those who consistently hired and from those periodic employers. They’re coming in more often and they’re hiring more people.”

Online training is here to stay at Zip Code Wilmington. Burton says, “Because of what we learned during COVID, because of the fact we were able to do remote training and broaden our outreach, and I want to continue to do that. Not to the detriment of the region, but to attract people here.”

Companies often send their employees to Zip Code for either upskilling or reskilling, two fairly interchangeable terms. They may send someone who’s been in customer service for 10 years, knows everything about the company and its culture, but they want to put them into a technical role. Or they were in a testing role of some kind but want to expose them to Java programming. Or they invite Zip Code in to teach a group of people a skill, particularly if they want to improve their diversity (DE&I) numbers.

“In some cases, they want to move the needle in a very short period of time,” says Burton, adding that larger companies often go into universities and hire diverse people who don’t have technical skills and ask Zip Code to teach them how to be coders.

Enrollment over time has been about 31% female and about the same for Black and Latino students. The program was designed to lower the barriers of entry – making the training accessible and affordable to all – which has resulted in remarkable diversity outcomes over its six-year history.

Looking ahead over the next 12 to 15 months, Burton would like to get its placement numbers back up to pre-COVID levels or better; incorporate online learning into the strategy of Zip Code going forward; and get into more high schools to do front-end training and expose students to coding possibilities.

“Right now, about 65% of Delaware public schools have computer-science training; I think the state should be in the 90s, whether that’s with us, with Pathways, or a university,” Burton says.

As far as industries go, Zip Code Wilmington works mainly with the financial sector with companies like Chase, M&T Bank, CSC, Marlette Funding, and Capital One. “I would like to broaden that and get our eggs into some other baskets,” says Burton, adding that InterDigital came through “in a big way” over this past summer by giving Zip Code Wilmington the money to launch that program in those high schools across the state.

“I was talking to a couple of cohort graduates yesterday who met at Zip Code and now have a young daughter. They told me that because of Zip Code, they have money for daycare and can start a college-savings fund. They both have new cars, and they’re comfortable paying their bills without worrying. That to me is success.”

“The number one concern for out-of-state employers is having access to a labor force that can meet their needs. And I think it’d be very important for employers to know that Zip Code can scale. We can train more people if there are more jobs. We train to the jobs that are available or that look they’re coming available. If employers are considering moving their headquarters here or opening a second location in Delaware and they’re worried about whether we have enough coders coming in, that won’t be a problem. We can do custom training. If they need 100 people ready to go when they open the doors, we can help them achieve that goal.”

Burton says she doesn’t see the organization opening, for example a Zip Code Buffalo or St. Louis, but the pandemic experience of offering training remotely makes it easier to support corporate partners with offices in other locations.

“It’s something we hadn’t really considered before. When we trained solely in Wilmington, in person, our reach was somewhat narrow. Now that we’ve grown from all this innovation, we can see that there’s a lot more that we can do with a broader geographical footprint without leaving Wilmington are or losing focus on our commitment to the greater Delaware region.”

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battaglia associates inc. women-owned Delaware business

Battaglia Associates Inc. on the Fast Track

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Battaglia Associates Inc. Is on the Fast Track

battaglia associates inc. women-owned Delaware business

October 14, 2021 –

Delaware Company Among Nation’s Notable Women-Owned Businesses

Christine Meyer was just 11 when she started working in the family business. Her parents began Battaglia Electric Inc. in their Wilmington, Delaware, home, and Meyer often answered the business phone.

Today, she and her sister, Jennifer Battaglia, have majority ownership of Battaglia Electric. But their baby is New Castle-based Battaglia Associates Inc. (BAI), which their mother started.

Delaware Born & Raised

Meyer and Battaglia have had excellent role models. Their parents — Gene Battaglia, an IBEW 313 electrician, and his wife, Jean — started Battaglia Electric in 1981 to focus on heavy commercial and industrial clients.

Meyer went to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where she studied business. She and her husband briefly lived in Florida, but she missed Delaware and returned to the family business in 1996. Jennifer Battaglia, who received a degree in education from Neumann University, taught second grade at Our Lady of Fatima School before joining Battaglia Electric in 2004.

In 2007, the women partnered to breathe new life into BAI. Meyer earned her real estate license with an eye on flipping properties. “Then,” she says, “the market flopped.”

It was 2008, the year that the Case-Shiller home price index reported the largest drop in history.

BAI has come a long way since the sisters rekindled the dormant company in 2007. Much of its growth has come in the last few years. For instance, BAI’s revenue soared from $2 million in 2015 to more than $46 million in 2019.

The partners learned to pivot long before the expression became a pandemic buzzword. Initially focused on real estate, the company now is a general contracting firm specializing in heavy commercial and industrial contracting.

Their decision to leverage their background has paid off. BAI ranked fifth on the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/-Led Companies of 2020 list and appeared again on the 2021 list. The Women Presidents’ Organization compiles the list of women-owned businesses annually in collaboration with American Express.

The rankings are based on a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. Businesses must be privately held, woman-owned or women-led and have annual revenues of at least $500,000 as of 2015 and every subsequent year.

Paving the Way to Progress

Small jobs kept the company afloat and given the women’s contacts through Battaglia Electric, it’s not surprising that they involved industrial construction.

“We realized that we had something amazing,” says Meyer, the company’s president. “I didn’t know anything about flipping real estate, but I did know about industrial construction – this was the industry we grew up in.”

In late 2015, BAI had two security projects at substations. By the end of 2016, the company had 10 projects and did $2 million in business.

Today, BAI’s services include security infrastructure design and installation, UL-certified panel prefabrication, substation construction, Betafence installation, security power distribution, project management, maintenance, integrated project delivery and low-voltage/structured cabling/fiber optics. Given the demand for excavation, the company purchased a frequent contractor in 2019 to bring that service in-house.

A Broad Reach

BAI’s clients include PECO, PSE&G, M&T Bank, West Chester University, University of Delaware, Johnson Controls Inc. and Whiting-Turner. BAI is an Exelon “contractor of choice” and has benefited from Exelon’s strong commitment to diversity.

Meyer and Battaglia have smartly pursued certification programs. While waiting for the housing market to rebound, they become certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Not only is the company led by women, but women are among the 40 employees – which is uncommon in its male-dominated industry.

In New Castle, BAI rents space from Battaglia Electric. For now, they are separate entities.

“We still do our own thing, but when we need electrical help, we know where to get it,” says Meyer.

Her husband, Jim, runs Battaglia Electric. Not all BAI’s electrical projects are subcontracted to Battaglia Electric, though, which creates some interesting conversations around the dinner table, Meyer says.

From BAI’s Delaware and Maryland offices, the company can serve clients in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“Delaware is centrally located, with seven major utility companies in the Mid-Atlantic,” Meyer notes. “This puts our company in a great position to service them.”

The sisters are happy to be headquartered in their home state.

“Delaware has a small-town feel, yet several major cities are within reach,” Meyer says. “In a little over two hours, you can see a Broadway show and grab a cheesesteak in Philly on the way home or stop at the Jersey Shore.”

If heading south, you can stop at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor before hitting D.C. But unless she’s traveling for work, you’re not likely to find Meyer heading in either direction.

“Most of the time,” she says, “I prefer to just stay in Delaware and go to a local spot to eat, where I am bound to see a friend or two.”

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CMS Helps Save the Planet One Membrane Module at a Time

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Delaware’s Compact Membrane Systems Uses Clean Tech to Help Save the Planet, One Membrane Module at a Time

October 29, 2021 – 

Delaware chemtech Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) is perfecting a solution that allows farms, landfills and water treatment plants to capture, separate, upgrade and sell their own renewable natural gas products instead of releasing them into the atmosphere.

It’s a meaningful endeavor in a time when nations, industries and individuals worldwide are becoming increasingly aware of — and committed to — the catastrophic impact of global warming and the potential for upgrading biogas to create renewable natural gas as a part of the clean energy transition.

The company’s Optiperm™ product holds the potential to create pipeline-ready gas with a simpler and less expensive process. It targets the separation of methane from carbon dioxide (CO2) with smaller systems than existing membrane solutions. A pilot demonstration of the biogas platform achieved 90% methane purity with a single-stage membrane unit. The membrane modules are now being scaled-up for commercial use.

Related solutions target carbon directly from large sources like utilities and factories. Carbon capture is all about reducing cost in renewable, sustainable and economically viable ways, and chief executive Erica Nemser says CMS is developing real-cost carbon capture through Optiperm™ carbon at $20 a ton.

“Our separation technology gives industries that cannot easily be electrified with solar power a cost-effective pathway to capture carbon without simultaneously bankrupting them, and all of us,” Nemser says. “We are excited to translate our product’s superior technical characteristics into superior economic value for our customers.”

Innovative Research Combined With Industry Know-How

Membranes are thin layers of inert polymer materials fabricated to allow small molecules like water and oxygen to pass through at high rates white retaining larger molecules like oils, additives and solvents. New technology breakthroughs by CMS enable the separation of similarly sized molecules – unleashing a pathway to reduce the energy we use in producing everyday products and reduce the harmful and planet-warming emissions associated with them.

In their Newport, Delaware, labs, CMS combines innovative research with practical industry know-how to deliver modular units with lower energy usage and smaller footprints than existing separation technologies. Their platform works with companies’ standard equipment to capture, separate and upgrade existing biogas streams that would otherwise be flared or released into the atmosphere.

Quite simply, biogas is a combination of methane and CO2 produced from the breakdown of natural materials from human and animal habitation on the globe. Most methane we currently use comes from fossil sources underground. But at the same time, landfills, water treatment plants and farms generate methane that is released into the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect.

“We should be capturing biogas from the sources we’re generating,” Nemser says.

Methane released into the air is 85 times worse than CO2 in terms of global warming, she explains. Not only does capturing purified methane reduce the amount of CO2 that gets into the atmosphere, it can be put it into the pipeline and used for heating. This displaces the need to tap fossil sources of methane (natural gas) by using a renewable source – hence, renewable natural gas.

Based on everything that climate experts tell us about global warming, we need to keep the temperature increase on Earth no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. To address that, it’s important to use more renewables such as solar power and electric vehicles. But, Nemser adds, we must also address ways to decarbonize industry.

“Steel, cement, plastic… we need to find a way not to be contributing CO2 into the world,” she says.

Something We All Need To Do

Nemser believes increased worldwide emphasis on upgrading biogas to create renewable natural gas is a direct result of increased attention on the negative effects on global warming made all the more obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the last year, it has been delightful to see the sea change in attitude towards renewable natural gas, carbon capture and discussion around climate technologies,” she says. “The focus from this being the concern only of large corporations and institutional investors has shifted to help us recognize that this is something we all need to do – not just to talk about doing, but to actively walk down the path of setting policy, putting infrastructure in place and moving technologies forward to address the challenges of our planet. Two years ago, that wasn’t the case.”

No Silver Bullet

In the debate around protecting the environment and saving the planet, Nemser cautions that there is no one silver bullet, but many solutions to get us where we need to go.

“Realistically, we can’t simply say we’ll all switch to driving electric cars and all will be fine. It will take more expansive use of solar power, investment in hydrogen and carbon capture sequestration,” she says.

Nemser credits the fabulous chemistry and chemical engineering talent found in Delaware – from world renowned experts to new graduates – for making her company’s work in energy transition possible. She also applauds Delaware’s business and scientific community for being very welcoming and collaborative, citing a pilot system for olefin separation technology recently hosted and supported at a refinery in Delaware, as well as a next-level demonstration-scale system of Optiperm™ getting underway with a neighboring world-renowned petrochemical company.

The company is now also working on a round of funding that will allow the world to hear about their innovative technical platform that focuses on energy transfer. Delaware’s juncture in the mid-Atlantic may be proving most helpful to CMS in creating pipeline-quality methane.

“It’s a really powerful thing for Delaware to be known as place that generates this kind of innovation for the world,” Nemser says.

Local Footprint, Global Impact

CMS’s target customers are major worldwide corporations that produce physical things: utilities that produce power; chemical plants that make the materials that go into cars, bedding and house paint; cement and steel factories; and even the apartment complexes that want to capture the carbon out of their heating systems.

But in the end, Nemser says, her real customer is the planet and all of the people who live on it.

“At CMS, we’re addressing a significant portion of the solution so people can continue to live meaningful, productive lives in a way that is sustainable for future generations,” she says. “We’re committed to keeping the planet as tuned up as we possibly can, and we look forward to using our local footprint to make a global impact.”

To learn more about Compact Membrane Systems and the Optiperm™ product portfolio, visit https://compactmembrane.com.

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medical technology company for women's health

Global Women’s Health Company Hologic Expands in Delaware

Written on . Posted in Press Releases.

Global Women’s Health Company Hologic Expands in Delaware

medical technology company for women's health

October 25, 2021 –

Medical Technology Pioneer Investing Over $20 Million to Expand Operations, Adding Over 100,000 Square Feet and 225 Jobs to Its Glasgow Business Community Location in Newark, Delaware

WILMINGTON, Del. — Hologic Inc., an innovative Fortune 1000 medical technology company primarily focused on improving women’s health globally through early detection and treatment, has chosen Newark, Delaware, to expand its world-class center for its breast and skeletal health business.

Hologic’s three main areas of focus are breast and skeletal health, diagnostics and gynecologic surgery. Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the global medical technology company has over 6,000 staff members working in over 40 countries.

Hologic’s expansion in Glasgow Business Community, involving an investment in excess of $20 million, adds over 100,000 square feet to its campus and includes plans for a cutting-edge X-ray hub. The expansion also adds 225 new jobs to the 160 people currently working at the Glasgow site. The new positions include jobs in manufacturing, product development, process and technical support, and operations supervision and management.

“These are good, new jobs that will support Delaware workers and their families,” said Governor John Carney. “I want to thank Hologic for their commitment to our state. The company’s expansion in Glasgow just reaffirms that Delaware remains a great place for companies of all sizes to put down roots, create jobs and grow.”

Hologic is investing about $4 million in new equipment and about $20 million in construction and fit-out costs. Supporting the company’s plans are grants it has been approved by the state Council on Development Finance to receive from the Delaware Strategic Fund: a Jobs Performance Grant of up to almost $1.48 million and a Capital Expenditure Grant of up to $720,000.

“This is another example showing that New Castle County is a great place where life science companies, like Hologic, can grow and expand their workforce,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “There’s no doubt we have the talent and the workforce ready to help fill the more than 200 new jobs coming to the market. I’m especially proud to recognize Hologic during Breast Cancer Awareness Month for its groundbreaking work and research on women’s health issues.”

Hologic’s Delaware presence can be traced back to DuPont, which originally developed the property at 600 Technology Drive for its own X-ray film business. Sterling Group later purchased the site from DuPont, eventually selling it to Hologic in 1999. Hologic previously invested in growing its Newark, Delaware, operations, including a $14.8 million, 9,500-square-foot addition in 2012.

As a key member of Delaware’s medical technology community, Hologic conducts extensive charitable outreach that has included donating money and time to a nonprofit that aids military veterans, providing meals to low-income students, completing home remodeling projects for cancer survivors, holding blood donation drives and hosting fundraising campaigns for a breast-cancer support group.

“Hologic has enjoyed a long history as part of the Newark community, as we drive innovations that transform the detection and treatment of breast cancer globally,” said Jennifer Meade, President of Hologic’s Breast and Skeletal Health Solutions Division. “We are excited to expand our presence and our partnership with the county and with the state of Delaware, enabling us to have an even greater impact on the lives of women around the world.”

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About Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Delaware Prosperity Partnership leads Delaware’s economic development efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; to build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and to support private employers in identifying, recruiting, and developing talent. The DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working with innovators and startups to spotlight and celebrate successes and connect them with the resources they need to succeed. DPP and its partnerships throughout Delaware support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.

About Hologic Inc.

Hologic is a groundbreaking women’s health company whose medical devices and technologies enable early detection and treatment. For more information on Hologic, visit www.hologic.com. The Company’s Breast and Skeletal Health Solutions Division provides a comprehensive continuum of care that includes: 3D mammography, which Hologic pioneered in 2011; breast biopsy systems; ultrasound devices; innovations for breast conservation surgery; and musculoskeletal imaging.

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martin miller's metal fabrication company

Martin Miller Is a Self-Made American Success Story

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Martin Miller Is a Self-Made American Success Story

October 19, 2021 –

What started as a one-man business inside a small backyard garage almost 30 years ago has grown into one of Delaware’s leading manufacturers, Miller Metal Fabrication.

Miller’s privately-owned regional metal fabrication company struggled during its first 15 years of operations. Then Martin W. Miller, founder and owner of Miller Metal, decided to embrace change and expand, he began using the latest state-of-the-art technology. Business took off. The company now employs nearly 100 people and offers a full array of manufacturing services for its diversified client base. Despite its size, Miller Metal has a substantive manufacturing presence in the Mid-Atlantic, where it services local, regional, national, and several international clients in a variety of industries.

Miller Metal now holds a unique position in its industry as a full-service metal fabrication company. Unlike most metal fabricators, Miller Metal provides “turn-key” solutions for its customers, as it designs, cuts, bends, welds, assembles, and ships a wide range of metal components. Serving a large and diverse number of customers throughout the United States, the company specializes in highly sophisticated laser cutting, machining, forming, design engineering, welding, and assembly services.

Miller Has Decided It’s Time to Embrace Change Again.

Miller Metal fabrication company in DelawareDuring a ceremony held Monday, October 18, 2021, at his facility, Miller, along with his CFO Mike Elehwany and Delaware Governor John Carney announced the metal fabrication company’s next major expansion. Located in the Newton Business Park, just west of Route 13 on Route 404 in Western Sussex County, Miller Metal plans to build a 60,000-square-foot industrial /office building on 8.5 acres of land adjacent to its current leased facility. The company plans to bring the total number of employees to 117 within three years.

“Miller Metal Fabrication’s decision to expand their operations and build a new facility in Bridgeville is great news for Sussex County and for Delaware,” said Governor John Carney. “This expansion will create new jobs, and it reaffirms that Delaware is the ideal place for businesses to grow.”

Miller Metal Fabrication is investing almost $7 million in its new facility, including acquisition, construction, and fit-out costs. Supporting the company’s plans are grants it has been approved to receive from the Delaware Strategic Fund by the State Council on Development Finance: a Jobs Performance Grant of $57,350 and a Capital Expenditure Grant of $207,900. Miller Metal previously received a Delaware Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund Grant of $313,000 toward the construction of a new Route 404 entrance to the Newton Business Park, which facilitates future development by other businesses there as well.

Over the Years, the Company Has Experienced a Series of Expansions.

In 1993, Miller left his original backyard shop for a larger space in Harrington. Soon after, Miller Metal teamed up with Delaware-based material handling solutions company, O.A. Newton & Son., to co-exist at Newton’s headquarters site in Bridgeville in Sussex County. In 2014, Miller Metal added a machine shop to its operation, where it has several high-tech milling machines. That same year, the metal fabrication company started a rubber and hose division, the Delmarva Rubber Company, at its Bridgeville location. Delmarva Rubber provides specialty rubber, gasket and hose products to the agriculture, manufacturing, public safety, chemical and food processing industries.

Currently, the company has more than 60 advanced pieces of equipment. It also has one of the largest press brakes on the East Coast.

“Sussex County is excited at the prospect of adding better-paying jobs, thanks to Miller Metal Fabrication’s expansion plans and the approval of these grants,” said Sussex County Council President Michael H. Vincent. “Sussex County has a robust manufacturing sector, one that is thriving with many small and mid-size businesses. This funding will ensure another local company stays hard at work creating products that we can proudly say are made . . . right here in Sussex County.”

Despite its success, Miller Metal stays true to its roots.

Miller Metal has remained a family-owned business with the owner’s three sons―Martin III, Dave and Paul―each retaining management roles within the company. Miller Metal offers competitive wages, full benefit packages that include 401K plan matching and subsidized health insurance. The company also offers on-site and remote technical training to its production workers.

“My employees are the key to our success,” said Miller during the announcement ceremony. “Every one of them views the company as their own, and they take genuine pride in the fact that our success is largely due to their commitment to customer satisfaction.”

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Delaware machining business Allied Precision

Allied Precision Inc. – The Sum of Its Parts

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Allied Precision Inc. – The Sum of Its Parts

Keeping an Eye on Manufacturing Technology and Trends for 25 Years

John Lees never looked far for career inspiration. His father was a machinist, and when young Lees visited his dad’s machine shop, he was awestruck. “I enjoyed what I saw, the smells and the interaction between the folks there,” Lees recalls. “I thought, ‘This is pretty cool.’”

Lees didn’t waiver. Today, he is the owner of Allied Precision Inc. in Middletown, Delaware, which manufactures a wide variety of products, including complex, multipart, custom-engineered fabrications and assemblies.

Lees started Allied Precision in the basement of his home in 1995. Since then, the machining growth has been as steady as the craftsmanship that defines the company. At the same time, Lees stays on top of a rapidly changing sector.

Building a Machining Business in Delaware

Lees grew up in Newark, Delaware, where his father worked for Autotote Systems. At that time, the company made wagering systems primarily used at racetracks.

Delaware was — and is — home to Delaware Park, which offers live racing and now has a casino; Harrington Casino & Raceway; and Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, which features harness racing.

After graduating from Paul M. Hodgson Vocational Technical High School, Lees apprenticed at a high-end shop in New Castle. “That gave me a good base to build on as far as understanding the trade and knowing how to maneuver in it so I could eventually start my own company,” he says.

Being an entrepreneur didn’t daunt him. “I’ve always loved making things and doing what people say couldn’t be done,” Lees says.

He was equally sure about where he wanted to build his machining business. Delaware was not only home. It was also full of friends, family, colleagues — and connections. “I was fortunate to have a small group of mentors and journeymen to guide me through the years,” he says.

He’s found support in other ways, namely the Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a federally and state-funded non-profit organization committed to helping Delaware’s manufacturers improve their global competitiveness. DEMEP is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Delaware, a public-private partnership.

“They really do a great job at assisting small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms,” Lees says. “We have leaned on them in the past for our ISO certification and specific job training. They’ve been a valuable asset through the years. They allow us to compete in challenging yet rewarding sectors of the industry.”

Improving & Expanding

In the early 2000s, Allied Precision had outgrown its original Newark location. Middletown offered affordable real estate, although the market there was exploding — which continues to be the case. The building can accommodate the growing number of computerized systems that have become part of 21st-century manufacturing.

“We managed to nail a piece of property, put up a 12,000-square-foot building and never looked back,” Lees says.

owner allied precision john leesTo be sure, when Lees started, the machinist was familiar with every stage of a part’s creation. Now the raw product — from steel to copper to composites — enters a computerized machine and exits as a finished part.

These machines must be high-tech. Consequently, the required skills to work in the industry have changed.

“Workers have to know programming — there is a whole laundry list of requirements,” he agrees. After 30 years in the machining business, Lees knows where to find the talent, and he spends time and effort recruiting the right people.

Lees also keeps his finger on the pulse of the trends. When Allied Precision first opened, it was making parts for automobile cruise control systems. “It was fairly high volume,” he recalls. Now the medical and defense sectors are hot, he says. Other clients are in agriculture and the valve and pump industries.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Allied Precision was hit with a wave of orders as companies hustled to move from a just-in-time approach to just-in-case. The workflow has since adjusted to pre-COVID demands.

The company currently has 15 employees working over two shifts to meet client demands. The machines run for six to seven days a week. “We are in our fourth location with plans for future expansion,” he says.

For Lees, growth is essential.

“A smart fella once told me: ‘An institution that has no wants has no future,’” he says. “We work hard to satisfy our growing customer base and will continue to grow this company as large as it can be.”

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AWSM expanding supply chain solutions in Delaware

AWSM Manufactures Supply Chain Solutions and Awesome Jobs in Delaware

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AWSM Solutions Manufactures Supply Chain Solutions and Awesome Job Opportunities in Delaware

AWSM Solutions brings jobs in Delaware

October 15, 2021 – 

With a company name like AWSM – yes, it’s pronounced “awesome” – it’s clear that clever strategy is part of the AWSM Solutions business.

AWSM Solutions, which came to Bear, Delaware, in 2020, is a custom liquid blender and toll processor that is part of The Royale Group, a collection of specialty chemical companies. Toll processing, or contract processing, is basically a nimbler approach for quicker end-to-end product delivery. The supply chain solutions company handles everything from tankers to 55-gallon drums, all the way down to spray bottles. 

“The bulk of what we do is customer-directed toll processing,” said Gene Fatula, director of business development, who leads the company along with John Logue, chief executive officer of The Royale Group. “A company might come along with 50,000 of a liquid product and say, ‘We need you to mix it in your giant blenders, make us a formula and package it with our requirements.’”

Bringing manufacturing back to the United States is an opportunity on the minds of both Logue and Fatula. Toll processing gives their company advantages that offshore manufacturers cannot.

“It’s hard for a lot of our clients to get a quality product delivered quickly and conveniently in the current supply chain,” Logue noted.

Before joining forces, Logue had been a customer of Fatula’s for many years. He realized there was something bigger possible from their working relationship, given the challenges they both saw in the manufacturing supply chain.

“If you study what is happening with logistics and freight, the time lag and price constraints were destroying the American supply chain,” Fatula said. “John and I decided to create a niche that would bring jobs back to Delaware and be part of a needed solution.”

In 2019, AWSM New Jersey, a member of The Royale Group, was named Distributor of the Year through the National Association of Chemical Distributors, an impressive feat within the hundred-billion-dollar industry. Logue invited Fatula into the business venture, adding manufacturing to the Royale portfolio, as AWSM Solutions Delaware.

Ideal Location for AWSM’s Supply Chain Solutions

A number of elements had pointed the company toward Delaware. Logue and Fatula found that Delaware’s business-friendly approach was a big part in their decision to set up a location here, as well as move their corporate headquarters to the First State.

“While we are 100% for regulations, Delaware actually makes doing the right thing easy by having people in places to help simplify the process,” Fatula said. “Great location, great resources and a great, affordable workforce, is why Delaware has always done well with business.”

Although not required at the time of their decision to come to Delaware, Fatula and Logue decided to set a $15 minimum wage for AWSM Solutions. The rate scales quickly from there and provides great opportunity for employees.
 
To put together the new venture in Bear, AWSM worked with numerous state agencies. Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) provided guidance with regulatory issues while the Delaware Small Business Administration helped the company with complex funding issues that involved four states. Delaware Prosperity Partnership helped the company through the process of acquiring a grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund for capital improvements to its new Bear location. 
 
Throughout the last year, AWSM has been busy with products that have increased in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new facility makes a range of cleaning supplies and disinfectants along with pharmaceutical ingredients. 
 
The Bear facility already employs 15 full-time employees. Logue and Fatula are looking to hire additional workers.

“Our goal is to run two 10-hour shifts each day, five days a week,” Fatula said. “We’d like to add more employees by the end of the year.”

Fatula added that their plans look achievable based on the “very promising” talent pipeline the company already has developed. Right now, the challenge is getting needed equipment fast enough to supply the project – which is progressing positively.

“We have a great team here,” Fatula said. “It’s great to see smiles on faces when you walk in in the morning. Having a successful business and having a positive effect on a community and your employees is what it’s all about.”

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carvertise ads company

Ads on the Go – Delaware’s Carvertise Drives Ahead

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Ads on the Go – Delaware-Based Carvertise Drives Ahead

carvertise ads company

October 12, 2021 – 

Advertising has taken a sharp detour from the days when Madison Avenue was a marketing mecca, and the success of Wilmington, Delaware-based Carvertise is a prime example.

The ad company, founded in 2012, has leveraged the gig economy to create mobile campaigns for such clients as Netflix, 7-Eleven, NASCAR and GlaxoSmithKline. Although based on the East Coast, Carvertise-wrapped cars roam cities and suburbs across the United States and Canada.

Despite the cutting-edge approach, one advertising principle remains: The campaigns must demonstrate a return on investment. To enhance ROI, Carvertise has teamed up with StreetMetrics, an Alabama-based company specializing in measurement for moving out-of-home (MOOH) media. The partnership is another example of how Carvertise founders Mac Macleod and Greg Star are fueled by innovation and aspiration.

Carvertise made the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, one of 11 Delaware companies to make the cut. The business ranked on the magazine’s roster of fastest-growing private companies.

A New Approach to Ads

Macleod came up with the idea for Carvertise while contemplating a bus ad at a red light. If advertisers could post ads on taxis, buses and subway trains, he thought, why not consumer cars?

The University of Delaware finance major pitched his idea in an economics class on entrepreneurship. Fellow student and economic major Greg Star was intrigued. “I sent him a text and said, ‘Hey, this is really interesting. Can I help?’”

The new friends discovered that three out of 10 survey respondents were willing to put an ad on their vehicle. They hit the ground running. Macleod went part-time to manage the startup, and Star joined the company full-time after graduating.

By 2015, the partners were recruiting drivers in the Newark/Glasgow area of Northern Delaware area to promote a Shoprite store opening. Wilmington University also came aboard early.

Carvertise topped its 2015 revenue of $210,000 during the first month of 2016. By the end of that year, the company had made “five times” the 2015 figure, Macleod told Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Diane Mastrull, who wrote a national column about the company.

Instead of outsourcing the wrapping, the company began printing the paint-safe, removable ads and applying them on site. “We realized that we needed the in-house product to get better prices for our clients,” Star explains.

For campaigns in cities such as Los Angeles, Carvertise ships a third-party vendor, which wraps the cars.

Boosting ROI

No matter where drivers are located, they must pass background checks, own newer cars in good condition and drive certain routes.

Each car receives a GPS monitor, which Carvertise taps to help determine the estimated impressions — the number of people who viewed the ad. The algorithm also factors mileage, speed, population density and traffic counts.

The partnership with StreetMetrics takes ROI to the next level for Carvertise. StreetMetrics built its reputation on calculating ROI for the ads on buses, trains, rideshare fleets, taxis, mobile billboards, airport shuttles, bicycles and scooters.

For Carvertise, the StreetMetrics Audience Measurement Engine compares vehicle route data and timestamps to a mobile device database. The goal? Find users in the area who likely saw the ads. As before, vehicle speed is integral to the calculations – but so is the weather. The resulting data allows Carvertise to push digital ads to those targeted mobile devices.

Pivoting and Expanding

Though the business has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, not all the news is negative. When people became hesitant about using public transportation, Star notes, they turned to ridesharing programs like Uber in increasing numbers.

Additionally, more people began using food-delivery services and ordering products online – all of which require drivers with transportation. Rideshare cars now comprise up to 70% of Carvertise’s “fleet” in urban areas. For suburban campaigns, the average Joe who drives regularly can pick up some extra cash.

The pandemic also has led Carvertise to evaluate its core niches of higher education, healthcare, and tourism. “We thought they were recession-proof industries,” Star says. As higher education and healthcare bounces back, Carvertise also has begun targeting law firms.

To expand, the team is focusing on key sectors nationwide rather than a specific region. Today, there are 45 active campaigns across the country.

“Our growth has been through our clients,” Star says. “So, we only win when they win.”

The company currently has 25 employees, including Anthony Fuscaldo, director of sales for Philadelphia, a veteran of radio and out-of-home advertising.

“We want energetic people who can connect with drivers and work together as a team,” Star says. “Delaware is perfect for that from a workforce perspective.”

Local colleges and universities are producing people with an appetite for a startup, he adds. What’s more, Delaware nurtures entrepreneurship.

“You can talk to the governor, the state representatives – they’re very accessible and want to help,” Star says. “That should not be understated.”

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produce business delaware Suzuki Farms

Suzuki Farm Enters the Next Level of Japanese Produce Business

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Delmar’s Suzuki Farm Entering Next Level of Japanese Produce Business With Purchase by Food’s Style USA

produce business delaware Suzuki Farms

October 12, 2021 – 

Fresh, local produce is a point of pride for the Delmarva Peninsula, which is known for corn, tomatoes, watermelons, lima beans and soybeans. Large farms supply ingredients for poultry feed, while boutique growers deliver to restaurants and frequent farm markets.

But one Delmar-area farm has quietly cornered a niche market — not only in Delaware but also along the East Coast. Suzuki Farms is the rare grower of Japanese herbs, vegetables and citrus.

Japanese Produce Business a Labor of Love

For decades, the produce business has been a labor of love for Ken Suzuki, who was born in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. To take the business to the next level, he turned to Seattle-based Food’s Style USA Inc., which acquired the farm in February 2021. The new owner has hit the ground running.

“We are planning to build a new packing facility and greenhouses to grow more produce and maintain better quality,” says Takahiro Igo, vice president of Food’s Style.

As a result, Delaware may become just as famous for shiso and shishito peppers as it is for chickens.

Spotting a Need

Suzuki, a trained chick sexer, and wife Kumiko came to the United States in 1974 to work for Perdue Farms. Unable to find high-quality, affordable Japanese produce, he began growing his own on a small farm. The hobby wasn’t a stretch: Suzuki had attended an agricultural high school in Japan.

Even so, it wasn’t easy. The fledgling farmer quickly learned that rabbits like edamame, and although the area weather is similar to that in the Miyagi prefecture, Mid-Atlantic cold snaps can wipe out a crop. But Suzuki persisted and, after 20 years in Parsonsburg, Maryland, moved to a Delmar, Delaware, farm.

After Perdue changed its chick sexing methods, Suzuki turned his pastime into a business. However, specializing in Japanese produce requires meticulous attention to detail. For discerning restaurateurs and wholesalers, each yuzu, daikon radish or mustard green must be as beautiful as it is tasty.

Suzuki Farms japanese produce delawareAmong the 30-plus crops are Japanese radish, Napa cabbage, edamame, eggplant and peppers. The bestseller is Tokyo scallion, which is thicker and sweeter than conventional supermarket scallions. Suzuki Farms also sells to individuals, who can order online.

The Perfect Match

In his 70s, Suzuki was looking for the next generation of ownership for his farm. Meanwhile, Food’s Style sought to diversify. Like the entire hospitality industry, the company’s Hokkaido Ramen Santouka restaurants in Washington, Massachusetts and Virginia were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were looking for an opportunity to either take over a business or start a farm of our own,” Igo explains. “‘Stay home’ made people more curious about food safety.”

Mutual contacts put Food’s Style and Suzuki Farm in touch. “We learned that he is popular and famous on the East Coast,” Igo says. “He has been doing business for a long time.”

The founder is staying on to help train employees in the proper techniques. Since the farm is now at production capacity, Food’s Style will be working to increase the output. That means more machinery, more greenhouses and a new packing facility.

It also means cultivating more land. The farm currently has about 35 cultivated acres, and there is room for more fields. Nevertheless, Igo envisions the need for additional acres — hopefully in Delaware.

“Delaware’s state and county agencies,” he notes, “are very friendly to communicate with and very helpful to the small local businesses.”

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IDEC award for Delaware Summit 2020 event

DPP Wins Highest Honors in Annual IEDC Awards

Written on . Posted in Press Releases.

Delaware Prosperity Partnership Wins Highest Honors in Annual International Economic Development Council Awards

IDEC award for Delaware Summit 2020 event

October 6, 2021 – 

WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) received the highest honors in the International Economic Development Council’s 2021 Excellence in Economic Development Awards. With more than 500 entries from four countries, the IEDC awards are among the most competitive for excellence in economic development. The DPP team was recognized for Delaware Summit 2020: A Virtual Familiarization Tour in the Special Event category of the annual competition.

“The COVID-19 pandemic precluded most in-person activity last year, but the DPP team was determined to continue building relationships with site selectors,” explained DPP President and CEO Kurt Foreman. “So we created a virtual familiarization tour for site selectors interested in Delaware’s key industry sectors in Central and Southern Delaware.”

Delaware’s reputation as “a state of neighbors” is a key element of its value proposition, and this is easily experienced during a traditional familiarization tour when site selectors visit Delaware. In 2020, the DPP team and its statewide economic development partners invited site selectors to experience Delaware’s neighborly trademark virtually. Delaware Summit 2020 allowed site selectors from throughout the United States to “Zoom in” on why businesses should choose Delaware for successful location and expansion.

IEDC Awards for Delaware Summitt 2020: A Virtual Familiarization Tour

SoDel Concepts at Delaware Summit 2020Summit activities included workshops and networking sessions for national site selectors and Delaware economic developers along with interactive cooking events led by Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts that gave participants the opportunity to enjoy Delaware flavors, build rapport over a shared meal and hear from the owners of nationally renowned Delaware-based businesses – including Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton and Katey Evans of The Frozen Farmer in Bridgeville – why they chose Delaware. Delaware Summit 2020 also gave site selectors a rare opportunity to engage directly with a state’s governor – all while experiencing Delaware’s “state of neighbors” feeling for themselves.

“The winners of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards represent the best of economic development and exemplify the leadership that our profession strives for every day,” said 2021 IEDC Board Chair and Invest Buffalo Niagara President and CEO Tom Kucharski. “We’re honored to recognize the more than 100 communities whose marketing submissions, projects and partnerships have improved regional quality of life.”

Delaware Summit 2020 established connections between site selectors specializing in the industry sectors prominent in Central and Southern Delaware and the Delaware representatives with communities to promote for business location and expansion. Site selectors were impressed by the sessions and content that focused on the benefits of choosing Delaware and agreed that the virtual event gave them a fresh look at a state some had known little about – and made them eager to learn more. Governor John Carney’s enthusiasm and assurance of Delaware’s commitment to economic development also resonated strongly with them.

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About Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Delaware Prosperity Partnership leads Delaware’s economic development efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; to build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and to support private employers in identifying, recruiting and developing talent. The DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working with innovators and startups to spotlight and celebrate successes and connect them with the resources they need to succeed. DPP and its partnerships throughout Delaware support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.

About the International Economic Development Council

The International Economic Development Council is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members engage in the full range of economic development experiences. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in various settings, including local, state, provincial, and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities, and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions.

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