• "We are honored to be one of the finalists in our category. InvivoSciences will continue to contribute to the improvement of human health by establishing a new paradigm for discovering drugs that focus on diseases with limited treatment options such as cardiac fibrosis, scleroderma, andÊlupus in a time-effective manner while remaining safe and cost effective."

  Ayla Annac, CEO of InvivoSciences LLC

• "Being selected as an Edison Award finalist in the Innovative Services: Business Communications category validates the multiple values of our solution. Through the reduction or elimination of paper at the 1.8 million events that take place annually in the U.S. alone, our solution provides unquestionable environmental savings, while reducing costs."

  Terry Mullin, president and CEO of ViridiSTOR LLC

• "We're gratified that the Edison Awards recognizes our system as an important technological leap. What we've developed and are bringing to market is a more powerful and energy-efficient electric motor system that addresses global environmental challenges by making sustainable energy more economical."

  Christian Okonsky, founder and CEO of KLD Energy Technologies

• "This recognition is both a wonderful surprise and a validation of sorts. Our motivation at EcoMedia has always been to create tangible, meaningful social change in communities across America, to create jobs and to save taxpayer money. The entire EcoMedia team is inspired by this recognition; it has motivated us to work even harder, to expand our reach even further and to make more of a contribution nationwide."

  Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of EcoMedia

• "We are extremely honored to have this product be chosen as a finalist for an Edison Award. To make a positive difference in the practice of healthcare, Midmark brings a strong commitment to integrating value-added technology for efficient and effective patient care. Being recognized by the Edison Awards for an innovative new product such as SleepView validates the importance of finding new ways to solve the problems of our customers."

  Tom Treon, senior product manager for Midmark

• "We are honored to be a finalist for the prestigious 2012 Edison Award and proud to be able to enhance public safety through Smart911."

  Todd Piett, ENP, chief product officer at Rave Mobile Safety

• "We are very excited to have our bulb recognized by the Edison Awards. SWITCH is dedicated to delivering world class products of value that will provide customers with the best possible quality of light."

  Tracy Bilbrough, CEO of SWITCH Lighting

• "I am extremely pleased to be a finalist for the 2012 Edison Awards in the category of Industrial Design. This honor solidifies Lift'n Buddy's place in the market. Being in the field of this year's finalists speaks well to the level of innovation we strive for."

  Aaron Lamb, president of Ergologistics

• "We are honored to receive this award which underscores the unique value of our technology platform and its game changing potential to make novel vaccines for important human diseases."

  Werner Cautreels, PhD, president and CEO of Selecta Biosciences, Inc.

• "We're very honored to have garnered this prestigious award from Edison's Best New Product Awards. We know the Edison Awards recognizes innovators and innovation among today's leading companies and we are happy to be part of this recognition."

  Ross Johnson, VP of product development at Energy XTreme

• "Our ABAX 3PLD devices represent a new class of programmable logic device that provide the same flexibility as a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), but with a level of price and performance that approaches those of application-specific chips. We are honored to receive an award recognizing the innovation we have brought to the semiconductor industry."

  Steve Teig, CTO and founder of Tabula

• "It's a tremendous honor to be recognized for our pioneering work in lithium-air and lithium-water batteries. PolyPlus has developed 8 Ah [amp-hour capacity] primary lithium-air cells that deliver more than 600 Wh/kg, and is making excellent progress with its rechargeable lithium-air batteries."

  Dr. Steve Visco, chief executive officer and cofounder of PolyPlus Battery Company

• "We are honored to receive this Edison Award as a recognition of 3M's commitment to bring innovative solutions to the food safety industry that are easy to use, more practical and more cost-effective. By developing the product alongside our customers, we created a result that can be far-reaching and long-lasting."

  Francine Savage, vice president and general manager for 3M Food Safety

• "Thomas Edison was a strong proponent of solar power, and in 1931 he said Ð 'I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power!' We certainly agree with Mr. Edison, and are honored that our POWERHOUSE(TM) Solar Shingles won Gold for Best New Product with an award that bears his name."

  Dan Pezolt, Dow Solar Marketing Director

• "We are both honored and humbled to be awarded a 2012 Gold Edison Award. We feel very strongly about this business and the impact we can deliver for our customers, and are thrilled to see such positive recognition from The Edison Awards staff, its highly-distinguished and experienced panel of judges, and the broader innovation community."

  Jeffrey Wampler, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Agile Pursuits Franchising, Inc. (APFI)

• "We are really honored to receive this award, and to be recognized alongside such notable innovators as Apple for Siri, IBM for Watson and Ford for the Focus."

  Jeff Haynie, CEO of Appcelerator

• "Every day, 9-1-1 call-takers across the country answer life-impacting calls and emergency responders enter very stressful situations to help citizens. Our goal through this public-private partnership is to provide these professionals with critical information that can increase their effectiveness, enabling them to save valuable time and lives. The Edison Awards are acclaimed for identifying innovation and we are gratified that the importance of Smart911 for protecting citizens is being highlighted."

  Tom Axbey, CEO of Rave Mobile Safety

• "Winning an Edison Award provides validation that our work is innovative and compelling. It shows that our technology has the potential to be a game changer. Being in the company of other Edison Award winners, such as P&G and Ford, adds some credibility and helps build our brand. We are honored to have the privilege of not only being considered for an Edison Award, but also to win one."

  Nhiem Cao, president and CEO of cycleWood Solutions Inc.

• "We are honored to be chosen as an Edison Awards finalist. We have channeled the entrepreneurial spirit of Thomas Edison in our quest to create a safe, online homebase for kids to connect with friends, create, discover & grow, and are committed to helping kids become responsible digital citizens by providing a unique and age-appropriate online experience that is not only entertaining, but educational as well."

  Hilary DeCesare, Everloop co-founder and CEO

• "We are honored to be named an Edison Awards Finalist. SimplyHome's mission is to support independent living through the use of customized technology, and we expect this recognition will only further our efforts to enhance the lives of those we serve."

  Allen Ray, CEO of SimplyHome

• "Both awards signify Johnson Controls' leadership in sustainability and innovation, which have been central to the company's mission for more than 125 years. We will continue to look forward and advance products and solutions that address the environment and help our customers achieve success."

  Laura Farnham, vice president, building technology and services, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls

• "We are honored to receive this recognition from the prestigious Edison Awards. Our work with Motorola, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and our many partners enable us to bring advancements in wireless power directly to consumers to simplify their lives."

  Dave Baarman, director of advanced technologies for Fulton Innovation

• "We're pleased that the Edison Awards have recognized the PROPEL implant as one of the most innovative new technologies on the forefront of science and medicine today."

  Lisa Earnhardt, president and CEO, Intersect ENT, Inc.

• "We're honored that LG CINEMA 3D has received this distinguished award from the industry's experts. This coveted industry recognition is a testament to LG's commitment to listening to consumers and driving innovation that meets their needs."

  Wayne Park, President and CEO, LG Electronics USA

• "iMeet was designed to be the easiest to use, most personal, most mobile virtual meeting solution on the market to let people meet in simpler, more human ways. We are thrilled that the Edison Awards recognized iMeet's innovation, among fierce competition, in this yearÕs best new innovative business communications product category."

  Boland T. Jones, PGi founder, chairman and CEO

• "It's an honor to be recognized with such a prestigious award recognizing our innovative approach to treating heart failure patients. It has been very fulfilling to see the Parachute technology move from initial concept more than 10 years ago to availability today as a new treatment option to patients with heart failure."

  Serjan D. Nikolic, Parachute inventor, co-founder, and chief technology officer, CardioKinetix

• "We are thrilled that MelaFind, which is a first-of-its kind device, was recognized by the Edison Awards for its innovative excellence. The detection of melanoma at its most curable stages can result in decades of high-quality life saved, versus the treatment of this terrible disease at late stages, which offers several months of life extension, at best."

  Dr. Joseph Gulfo, President and CEO, MELA Sciences

THOMAS A. EDISON

Thomas Edison is an American icon with an international presence. His inventions were marketed all over the world and Edison remains one of the best-known historical figures.

A savvy businessman and shrewd manager, Edison had enormous talent for transferring technology from laboratory to market. By designing economic considerations into nearly all his inventions and recognizing the critical role that promotion and hustle play in a product’s success, he provides a powerful model for corporate leaders even today.

Edison is a transcendent figure, an inventor, manufacturer and businessman whose successes – and failures – continue to provide insight as meaningful today as it was a hundred years ago. While Edison’s genius spawned many formative inventions of the modern world, his greatest invention may well have been the first industrial research laboratory, a prototype for today’s corporate research and development centers. As one of the most brilliant inventors and entrepreneurs of modern times, he shaped not only industrial America, but also mass entertainment and contemporary culture.

Edison remains the standard for measuring technological prowess and entrepreneurship among today’s geniuses of creation and management.

• Learn more at Rutgers.edu