Ben Franklin Program Invests $650,000 In Central PA Startups

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar. 30, 2012 - On March 20, 2012, the Board of Directors for Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP, approved investments totaling $650,000 in four tech-based start-ups located in central Pennsylvania. The Center’s Board also approved funding for a university-based research project designed to develop a soil sampling protocol that will characterize job-site conditions.

For nearly 30 years, Ben Franklin has made investments in central Pennsylvania’s entrepreneurs, tech-based start-ups, and small manufacturers with the goal of assisting them in developing new technologies, hiring additional employees, and increasing sales. For more information on the program, click on http://www.cnp.benfranklin.org

The companies that received a Ben Franklin investment are:

Located in Potter County, Headwaters LLC will build and operate a state-of-the-art water remediation and recycling facility in Ulysses, PA. The company’s process will clean hydro-fracing water to recyclable standards that can be re-used for natural gas drilling.  Within 18 months, Headwaters LLC plans to have remediated and recycled more water than any other local facility. For more information, www.revh2o.com

Hot Mix Mobile, located in Lebanon County, designs and manufactures a mobile mix-on-site volumetric Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) system called the RoadMixer™.
The unit is truck mounted and delivers hot mix asphalt on-demand for the permanent repair of roads with little or no waste.  The Roadmixer™ effectively eliminates the need for temporary “cold patching”. For more information, www.roadmixer.com

Operating out of the TechCelerator@Carlisle in Cumberland County, CrimeWatch US has developed a software platform designed to operate on web and mobile technologies allowing law enforcement agencies to manage, organize, and control fugitive/offender information.  The CrimeWatch portal is a control point for disseminating information to the general public, and encourages interaction across social media networks.
Located in Elk County, Super Abrasive Machining Innovation (SAMI) provides the latest in super abrasive machining capabilities to a wide range of markets.   SAMI offers  precision grinding at speeds as fast as those generated by single point machining, providing a cost effective stock removal process for even the most complex geometric shapes requiring tight tolerances.  For more information, www.samillc.com

Alpine Sales & Rental, located in Centre County, received an Innovation Adoption Fund Grant to assist them with a R&D project they are having conducted at Penn State University. The project is designed to develop a soil sampling protocol to effectively characterize jobsite conditions.  This information allows for optimized equipment selection in terms of power, torque, and speed when blending soil. For more information, www.alpinecutters.com

# # #

Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, provides investment capital, operational assistance, and entrepreneurial support, to emerging tech-based companies and small, existing manufacturers for the purpose of creating and retaining jobs in Pennsylvania. Contact the central office of Ben Franklin in University Park at (814) 863-4559, or see our website at www.cnp.benfranklin.org for a listing of satellite offices.