Best of the Best
As I write this editorial, the finalists for the 2006 Tekné Awards have just been announced. Wow, what a list of companies and individuals! The Minnesota High Tech Association and MTI, in partnership with LifeScience Alley, produce the event during which these awards are presented. The event itself, which will take place on Oct. 26, 2006, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, is a one-of-a-kind evening that honors the accomplishments of outstanding Minnesota technology businesses. Congratulations and good luck to everyone involved!
As far as outstanding people and companies go, this issue of Minnesota Technology—our award winning annual special edition—also offers a wide range of them. In it, we take a look at some outstanding companies ("Ones to Watch,"), explore some of the more intriguing developments on the state's tech and manufacturing scenes ("The Year in Tech,"), and forecast the future impact of some disruptive technologies ("Brave New World,").
In short, there's a little bit of everything—technology, business, innovation, education, growth, and more. Plus there's a fair amount of "Wow Factor" material. Consider some of this issue's "Year in Tech" items:
- A new bacteria-killing antimicrobial product that is sealed into ready-to-eat meat packaging
- A portable hydraulic sawdust press to convert sawdust into burnable fire logs (designed by high school students!)
- An implantable RFID microchip for poultry and large livestock
- A plasma gasification process that converts garbage to gases that can be refined to hydrogen, biodiesel, ethanol, and the like.
All of these reinforce the fact that technology and manufacturing businesses are the engines that power Minnesota's economy. Which leads me to this important point: MTI is committed to helping those engines run smoothly. We offer our clients a mix of efficiency tools, productivity and growth solutions, and cutting-edge information at competitive rates. As a private 501(C)3 organization, we also collaborate with the federal and state governments to stimulate business and economic development.