Pittsburgh Innovates

Landslide, a leader in next generation salesforce solutions software, has secured $8 million in growth capital, opened a new office in Boston and welcomed Rick Faulk from Boston as president and CEO.

Adams Capital Management led the financing round, which includes current investors Draper Triangle Ventures and Osage Ventures as well as several current individual investors.

Landslide plans to dramatically expand its marketing and brand presence with a 20 percent increase in staff in both Pittsburgh, company headquarters, and its new Boston office, says Faulk.

Faulk joins Landslide from Boston-based Mzinga where he served as CEO and president since the company's launch in 2007. He will split his time between the two offices.

The Robinson office currently employs 30; the company will add another 10 in sales, engineering and support this year. The Boston office will be staffed by six.

Unlike competing brands, Landslide's flagship product offers greater functionality beyond simply tracking sales contacts and tasks, says Faulk.

"What we have and are expanding on is our second generation CRM (customer relationship management) product," says Faulk. "An organization can define their sales process; it allows them to clone the best practices of the top salespeople in their organization as well as track information."

The "process based methodology" allows Landmark to define a sales process and implement it for each person, which actually helps salespeople sell. It is the first system to combine the sales process with sales performance technology and live inside sales assistance, says Faulk.

"There's a wealth of talent here in Pittsburgh and it's a base we want to tap into," he adds.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Rick Faulk, Landslide

Image of Rick Faulk courtesy of Landslide
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Pittsburgh ticketing startup ShowClix has added an innovative new app to its product line and moved into roomy new offices in Shadyside.

The company also has hired Tom Costa, formerly of Landslide, as COO and plans additional hires in the next six months. ShowClix currently stands at 12 and plans to continue to expand with positions in sales, marketing and development, says Lynsie Camuso.

The ticketing company's latest offering is Axess, an app created for the Google Android system that turns Android powered devices like the Nexus One and Motorola Droid into barcode ticket scanners. "We were really frustrated with the old ticket scanners, which were hard to get connected and network," explains Camuso. "We wanted something that was simple and easy to use."

The scanners are packed with features, work in an offline mode and are half the cost of the current technology on the market. The system was tested with the help of Pittsburgh's Joker Productions.

The little startup that could hopes to one day challenge the monopoly held by Ticketmaster, which recently added event promoter Livenation to its lists of conquests. Continued innovation is the key to growing an alternative presence. This is the first app of its kind in the industry, Camuso says.

"We get calls on a daily basis from people who are looking for an alternative to Ticketmaster," she adds.

ShowClix recently moved from Oakmont into 3,500 square feet at 5541 Walnut Street in Shadyside. Since launching its ticketing platform online in July 2008, the company has signed up 700 exclusive clients and has contracts across the United States.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Lynsie Camuso, ShowClix

Image courtesy of ShowClix
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"To create radical new experiences, think more like an artist than a developer, more like a freight hopper than a commuter and more like a parasite than a human."

That's Deeplocal's Nathan Martin on "Gutter Tech," a term he coined from hacker slang to describe the creative process behind Deeplocal's service technologies, a topic he will take on the road this month to two high profile engagements. First stop will be Hollywood, CA for the Next Generation Content forum, where he will dish about the future of creative services and digital media marketing before Universal, Dell, Pepsi and Gatorade.

Next comes the Ad Age Digital Conference in NYC where he joins Microsoft, AOL and others for further reflection and more far out inspiration.

"We're this little company from Pittsburgh speaking at both of these events in the same quarter," says the CEO, a former punk metal band leader turned digital artist/entrepreneur. "For a small company like us, it's a pretty big deal. It's great for us and great for the city."

For Martin, it's all about small teams with diverse backgrounds working together. "We take a gutter approach, an artistic approach to get really cool experiences out there real quickly." For example, the Nike Chalkbot, a hydraulic robot that spray painted inspirational messages on the roads at the Tour de France, was built by a team in 7 weeks.

Deeplocal recently added several hires, bringing the total employees to nine. The company is intent on adding employees at a careful pace with 200% year over year growth. Last year was Deeplocal's best year ever and this year may top that as it continues to attract clients from this region and beyond, says Martin.

Coming soon, a new mobile app for Volkswagen.

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Writer: Deb Smit

Source: Nathan Martin, Deeplocal

Image courtesy of Deeplocal

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Is it hot in here or is it global warming? NYU's Dale Jamison will speak at Carnegie Mellon this week about the moral and political injustices of climate change.

Jamieson is director of environmental studies and philosophy and affiliated professor of law at NYU. His talk addresses the implications of human-caused climate change as a moral wrong and social injustice that requires us to revise our concepts of both.

He also argues that climate change threatens another value — respect for nature. In order to see anthropogenic climate change as clearly involving moral wrongs and global injustices, we need to revise some central concepts, he says.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, February 4th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. with a reception to follow at Porter Hall 100. It's free and open to the public.

"Our region is rich in science and technology resources and this program shines the spotlight on the extraordinary researchers, entrepreneurs and educators working in these fields.," says Ann Metzger, Henry Buhl, Jr. co-director of Carnegie Science Center.

The talk is part of Carnegie Mellon's 2009–10 Humanities Center Lecture Series on "Global Connections, Global Responsibilities," sponsored by the Humanities Center, the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy and the Global Studies Program.

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Writer: Sam Bassett
Source: Ann Metzger, Carnegie Science Center

Image courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University


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A stash of rare Haitian Creole recordings made by Carnegie Mellon researchers in the late 1990s is providing a valuable translation tool to rescue workers in Haiti.

Created by the university's Language Technologies Institute (LTI) for a project sponsored by DARPA, the database has preserved otherwise hard to obtain speech recordings. While the official language in Haiti is French, Haitian Creole is the most widely spoken, having evolved since the Haitians overthrew the French colonists more than 200 years ago.

The street language is so different from French today that it's often difficult for a French speaker to understand, says Robert Frederking, senior systems scientist and a lead on the DARPA project. The data was recently rediscovered during LTI's move into the Gates Hillman Center.

"This is cutting edge research," he adds. "We don't want to insert ourselves into the crisis. Instead we decided that the best thing to do is to release the data and produce something that may be useful."

The recordings were made public online last week. Microsoft Research is using them to develop an experimental, web-based system for translating between English and Haitian Creole; Translators Without Borders, a Paris-based non-profit, is using it to create and distribute a medical triage dictionary.

LTI researchers are working on their own updated translation system for Haitian Creole that would use the latest translation technologies. LTI. with a focus on machine translation, speech processing, information retrieval, text mining and computer-assisted language learning, is part of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science.

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Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Robert Frederking, Carnegie Mellon University

Image courtesy of flickr.comread on…

The city of Pittsburgh has launched a tech savvy website with a virtual mountain of information on 90 city neighborhoods.

And it's a snap to use.

Download PGHSNAP and you'll find an interactive PDF that functions like a computer app. Two links, assets profile and action planning, offer two areas to explore. Assets profile presents information on the 90 neighborhoods, everything from historic assets to building conditions and investment indicators to public art; action planning provides an analysis of selected housing and demographic indicators.

"You can't possibly know where you're going if you don't know where you are," says Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in a press statement. "What we're launching today represents a big step toward providing the public with comprehensive and easy to access information that will help them make smarter decisions on how to best plan for their neighborhood."

The data and maps are a virtual snapshot that will prove handy to everyone--community organizations, residents, investors and real estate agents. Compiled by the Department of City Planning (DCP), the project strives to make city government more efficient, cost effective and tech friendly.

PGHSNAP also works in tandem with PLANPGH, the citywide comprehensive plan in progress, and PGHGIS, the city's new interactive online mapping service. Data is also drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau and city/ county departments and agencies.

The DCP received $100,000 from the Department of Community and Economic Development for data collection.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, City of Pittsburgh


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WhereverTV, the Pittsburgh startup connecting international TV to living rooms everywhere, is now one of the largest providers of Indian cable programming in the world.

Coming soon, access to vintage cowboy-westerns and film noir.

WhereverTV got its start in 2007 with a black box technology that streamed international Internet content directly to TVs over a broadband connection. Since then, the company has shifted gears, teaming up with premium content aggregators like Watch India--firms with global distribution rights to the TV channels and programming--to provide the software, interface and data management services to broadcast content to more than 172 countries.

"We're working with them now instead of competing against them," says Mark Cavicchia, CEO.

With Connected TV on target for phenomenal growth this year, WhereverTV is perfectly positioned to grow with the industry, Cavicchia believes. Partnering with companies like Watch India and Retro Films, a Las Vegas firm that will provide 1,100 vintage westerns and, later next month, film noir programming, will translate to growth for the South Side startup, which currently employs 2 full-time and 13 offshore.

"These are movies you can't easily get any other way," he says of the deal with Retro. "That's the beauty of the Internet."

A hot stop at consumers and electronics shows this past year, WhereverTV was recently selected by AlwaysOn as one of the 2010 OnMedia Top 100 Winners, the most innovative and hottest emerging companies in digital media.

An Innovation Works company, it's working on expanding its partnerships with Yahoo and Intel and plans to soon eliminate the black box, allowing users to log in directly right through the TV. Wherever, of course.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Mark Cavicchia, WhereverTV
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Houston Harbaugh has developed a Business Owner Exit Planning practice group to smooth the transition during the acquisition process.

A well-developed exit strategy is key for many of the firm's clients, a majority of whom are privately-held businesses, explains Alex Thomson, head of the corporate practice group. "Every business has a lifecycle. Having an organized professional evaluation process and implementing a plan that allows you to figure out and execute that plan will be a great resource."

Jim Carlisle joins the downtown firm as chairman of the group, coming from Cohen & Grigsby where he spent 13 years working mostly on mergers and acquisitions. It was a logical transition for Carlisle with his previous experience coupled with training and certification through Businesses Enterprises in Denver, CO.

Exit planning helps a company to get a better price, line up financing and close the deal within a desired time frame, Carlisle says. The due diligence process also uncovers any potential skeletons in the closet that could be a deal breaker.

"Pittsburgh is a great place to launch this practice," says Carlisle."We have a lot of older business owners who need to transfer businesses. Other lawyers may say they do this, but what they really mean is they are reactive. The real magic is having a systematic process that is managed diligently."

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Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Alex Thomson, Jim Carlisle, Houston Harbaugh

Image of Jim Carlisle courtesy of Houston Harbaugh
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The size of certain parts of the brain has been linked to learning rates on video games, opening up the possibility that game play may one day be used as a tool for cognitive training or rehabilitative therapy, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.

The study marks the first time that researchers have been able to take a real-world task like video game playing and show a correlation between performance and learning rates and the size of specific brain regions, says University of Pittsburgh lead researcher Kirk Erickson.

The study, which appears in Cerebral Cortex, also involved researchers at MIT, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.

Focusing on a region deep within the cerebral cortex called the striatum, researchers found areas of the brain that correlate directly to game playing. The study builds on previous research that showed that video game playing may enhance some cognitive functioning.

"This is really the tip of the iceberg," explains Erickson, assistant professor of psychology. "It's easy for people to think of the brain as hardwired and immutable to change. Our data suggest that people with larger volumes will learn faster on the game. Much (research) data now suggests that the brain can change and that life experiences will alter your volume."

The brain possesses a plasticity that could translate to using video games effectively in educational contexts to train employees or the military or treat certain brain disorders, he adds.

An earlier study found a link between physical fitness and memory function in elderly people.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Kirk Erickson, University of Pittsburghread on…

Southwestern Pennsylvania is on target for $24 million in federal funds for projects as part of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Act approved by Congress.

Among the recipients:

• $3.2 million for the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative in Allegheny County developing technology to regenerate damaged or lost cells or tissue using an injured soldier's own cells.

• $3 million for the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitative Sciences for a project that will create a Center of Excellence for Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement to improve the performance of combat troops.

• $2 million for Stemnion Inc., a PLSG startup, to develop a non-embryonic cell based technology to treat combat related injuries.

• $2 million for DSN Innovations, a Pittsburgh nonprofit, to use laser scanning technology to more efficiently reset and modernize the military's small arms and crew-serve weapons.

• $2 million for ChemImage Corp., a Pittsburgh company, to develop sensors to quickly detect chemical, biological, explosive and improvised explosive device threats.

• $1.6 million to Plextronics, based in Harmar, to continue work on flexible electronic display technology.

• $1.6 million for Converteam of O'Hara to expand the capacity of an integrated power system converter used on ships.

• $1.2 million for Virtus Advanced Sensors, in downtown Pittsburgh, to develop micro inertial navigation.

• $800,000 for PPG Industries Inc., in downtown Pittsburgh, to develop non-skid coating to withstand the heat and exhaust gasses generated from vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

• $600,000 for Eaton Corp., Moon Township, to develop a 100-amp breaker to be used in electrical distribution systems on Navy combat vessels.

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Source: U.S. Sen. Bob Casey's office

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By popular demand, the Port Authority of Allegheny County has made its raw route and schedule data publicly available through its website and on Google.

It looks like gibberish, but in the right hands Pittsburgh bus schedules could be transported into the next dimension, says Jim Ritchie of the Port Authority.

"We've had a number of requests from computer developers and transit enthusiasts," explains Ritchie. "Now we're hoping that people take it and run, come up with neat gadgets like the ones we see in other transit cities. The sky is the limit."

Not to be confused with the bus schedule, which is already on the website, the data is the raw code behind the entire transit system. Developers in other cities have developed web applications with the information or used the information for mobile applications like finding the nearest coffee shop. The information will be updated every three months.

This is the latest move to make the Authority user friendly and more responsive to its riders. Others changes are underway as well. Among them: Individuals who wish to attend and speak at public hearings or file a complaint can fill out an online form; Board agendas and resolutions are posted on the website and the Port Authority is now on Twitter.

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Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Jim Ritchie, Port Authority
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Ripe with the promise of sustainable innovation and enterprises, Pop City looks at the local firms helping to move Pittsburgh in a greener direction this year. Let's call it In the Green Top 10 for 2010:

Nothing can ruin good intentions like leaky ductwork. Ductmate Industries (DMI) founding engineer Peter Arnoldt build his Charleroi company around raising HVAC standards back in 1978. Today the company is going strong, having recently introduced the GreenSeam snap-lock pipe, which reduces leakage by 95%. DMI is acclaimed as one of the best HVAC product providers in the world.

An electrical company on the forefront of sustainability, Eaton Corp's $24 million expansion of its Moon headquarters last year earned a Gold LEED. Among the green goodies: energy efficient ceiling lights, recycled carpet, the heating and cooling system and a green cafeteria where styrofoam is banned and employees --all 750 of 'em-- have their own ceramic mugs. Eaton is also partnering with HP on a federally funded project to improve energy efficiency in IT systems.

Coskata's flex ethanol facility in Madison is making ethanol from feedstocks--wood biomass, agricultural waste, sustainable energy crops and construction waste. The fuel hopes to cut greenhouse gases associated with conventional gasoline by 96%. Coskata, a division of Westinghouse Plasma Corp., has partnered with General Motors for testing.

Providing full-service solar panel installations is the business of Underwood Solar Future, a Pittsburgh company with plans to expand this year. With support from the GBA, owner Fred Underwood hopes to manufacture and install solar panels across the country. The company is currently negotiating several multimillion dollar contracts with clients including the Garfield Heights Redevelopment Project and the Rivers Casino.

Beaver Valley's Nova Chemicals, makers of everyday plastics and chemicals, has a new product on the market that deserves attention. Elemix, an engineered additive for concrete that replaces traditional aggregate, will mean the mining of fewer quarries while improving the thermal properties of cement.

Burns & Scalo has found a way to help clients determine the green factor of an older building. The real estate side of the biz has trademarked a Class G designation, which gives clients the lowdown on sustainable additions. The Greentree firm is the first to use the designation, but it hopes it will someday be an industry standard.

The Port Authority is going extra miles on less these days. The Authority has continued to beef up its green fleet of hybrid diesel-electric buses with the purchase this year of 20 buses, bringing the total to 26.

Likewise, Allegheny County and Dan Onorato stepped up with a Green Action Team and a new sustainability manager to put more emphasis on making operations greener, from policy revisions to expanded recycling programs, sustainability training of employees and a greenhouse gas inventory on county vehicles and emissions from operations.

Fayette County is home to TriState Biofuels, a new maker of premium grade wood pellets, a process that transforms low grade logs and sawmill byproducts into a clean renewable source of residential heat superior to fossil fuels. TriState BioFuels has the capacity to manufacture 55,000 tons of wood pellets annually.

Finally, coal company CONSOL Energy recently announced the launch of what the company is calling the "largest methane abatement project in the country." It's about time.

Space prohibits us from mentioning in detail all the companies entering into the wind, solar and energy business: BPL Global, Allegheny Technologies, PPG, Thar Technologies, Serious Metal, Flabeg and Solar Power Industries.  We expect lots of good news from them this year.

It's looking like a very green year.

Writer: Debra Diamond Smit

Source: Compiled with help from the Allegheny Conference, Green Building Association and others

Photo copyright Brian Cohen

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In a town with its own magazine and fistfuls of bloggers comes Real Lebo.com, the newest blog on the block in Mt. Lebanon.

Neighbors Elaine LaBalme and Kristen Linfante, working moms who live several houses apart on Roycroft Avenue, hope to bring a fresh perspective and positive spirit to the community, especially in these contentious times when local political leaders and wordsmiths are waging their campaigns regarding the local high school renovation on the Internet.

Both LaBalme and Linfante stress that the blog will remain balanced and upbeat.

"My husband and I consciously choose to live here," says LaBalme, known to Pop City readers as New Girl in Town. "It's okay to accent the positive, raise questions when needed but be civil and create community."

LaBalme's first blog was MamasforObama, launched during the presidential campaign; the story of how she and her husband picked Mt. Lebanon in a nationwide search for the perfect place to raise their son appeared in Pop City.

"I've found that you have to work a little harder to make your own community when you weren't born here," adds Linfante, a professional freelance violist who moved here when her husband took a seat with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

The two have been active in their elementary school, the PTA and are regulars at school board meetings where they weigh in on the high school project. Funny thing--they could have met eight years ago when each gave birth to their sons who were born on the same day and same floor of a San Francisco hospital one hour apart.

Real Lebo invites commentary, but there are rules: Play nice. Be civil. No anonymous posts and if a thread goes on too long and no longer serves a positive purpose, it will be snipped.

After all, it's our blog, says LaBalme.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Elaine LaBalme, Kristen Linfante and Mike Madison

Photo copyright Fen LaBalme

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If you think getting to Pittsburgh by plane is tough, try sailing here on a yacht.

Capt. Mark Schiller, the helmsman who brought us Pittsburgh Water Limo, is supplementing his ballgame shuttle business with something "a little more high end."

"The Pittsburgh Clipper does a great job," he says. "They're a premier boat company, but nobody has a yacht. There's a tremendous potential here."

Little did he know the forces of nature that would prevail. Schiller charted a seven week cruise starting from Manhattan, where the boat was running Ellis Island tours. Traveling south, he planned to go down the east coast, through Lake Okeechobee in Florida, across the Gulf and up the intercoastal to the Ohio River. Then Hurricane Ida lashed out, turning the trip into a longer and more frightening ordeal.

"It got hairy," he says. "The waves were crashing through the boat. The front window blew out."

He was never so happy as when he pulled into the Cork Factory in December and was greeted by his pregnant wife, Janice.

A crew will rehab the boat this winter, turning it into a luxury dinner and party service that will run this spring. Schiller will start with caterers but plans to hire a gourmet chef, bartenders and servers for the 140 passenger vessel. "In my mind it will be state of the art," he says.

Christened Fantasy, it will berth at the Cork Factory--look for a big hull with tasteful black and gold trim. A new company, Pittsburgh Luxury Cruises, is funded by an anonymous group of local investors. His wife serves as president.

"Like the water taxi, it's a niche that needs to be filled," says Schiller.

Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Mark Schiller

Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Luxury Cruises

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Music and marijuana, is there a connection?

Teens who frequently listen to music that contains references to pot are more likely to use the drug than their counterparts with less exposure to such lyrics, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study, which is online in the journal Addiction.

The study found, based on an analysis of survey data from 959 ninth-graders, that students who listen to music with the most references to marijuana are almost twice as likely to have used the drug than their peers whose musical tastes favor songs less focused on substance use, says Dr. Brian Primack, lead author and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Pitt's School of Medicine.

"We also found that exposure to marijuana in music was not associated with other high-risk behaviors, such as excessive alcohol consumption. This suggests that there is a real link between the marijuana lyrics and marijuana use," he adds.

Researchers calculated the exposure using student reports of favorite artists and intensive content analysis of the top 794 songs from 2005, 2006 and 2007 based on Billboard Magazine. The average participant listened to 21.8 hours of music each week with 40 references to pot per day.

Students who identified a favorite artist with three or more songs that mentioned pot had nearly twice the chance of being cannabis users.

"Although it may be that heavy exposure to music about marijuana causes marijuana smoking, it may also be that those who smoke marijuana seek out music with lyrics related to marijuana," Primack notes. "These results may help us develop more effective programs on drug education."

The study was supported with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Maurice Falk Foundation.

Source: UPMC


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