By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Dan Miller verbalized a thought that was bouncing around in my head about a third of the way through yesterday morning’s “Spark Cleantech Accelerator Demo Day.” As Miller introduced four of the five participants in Cohort 6 of the “Innovation Crossroads” (IC) program operated by ORNL, he commented on how many exciting … Read More
Ryan Ginder’s goal is to “turn end-of-life wind blades into almost anything rather than going to the landfill”
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA “We are in a very unique position,” says Ryan Ginder, Founder of Windfall. “No one can do what we can do with end-of-life composite materials. We have a chance to not be the Coca-Cola of recycling, but the soda itself.” That’s a lofty vision and goal for the Research Assistant Professor in the Department … Read More
Ed Chan praises connections made during “Spark Cleantech Accelerator”
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA When Ed Chan had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural cohort of the “Spark Cleantech Accelerator” at the University of Tennessee Research Park (UTRP), he jumped at the opportunity, and the program has not disappointed the resident of Cincinnati. “This one is by far the best I have attended,” the longtime corporate executive says. “The content is … Read More
Johnson City couple developing “refillable plastic-free home cleaning products”
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA If you are old enough like me, you should remember the time when the milkman delivered milk in a bottle to your home and retrieved the used bottles to be cleaned and reused. It was recycling and environmental sustainability long before the terms were widely spoken. Today, a Johnson City couple – Kay Baker … Read More
New podcast ‘Energizing Tennessee’ aims to be top news source on state’s advanced energy sector
By Shannon Smith, Teknovation Assistant Editor, PYA If you’re a fan of podcasts and advanced energy, get ready as your two worlds collide. This week the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and FirstBank announced the launch of “Energizing Tennessee,” a new podcast sharing news and insights about Tennessee’s advanced energy sector. Episodes will highlight electrification and decarbonization strategies in the Tennessee Valley, with topics like Ford’s … Read More
jhana porter focused on biobased PVC alternative
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA Any mentor advising a new entrepreneur will tell that person that one of her or his top priorities is to build a network early on, and it was that network that helped bring jhana porter – she prefers the all lower case spelling – to Knoxville and the new “Spark Cleantech Accelerator.” The resident … Read More
RAEV focused on cost-effective and efficient commuting options for city residents
David Castley is focused on fixing a challenging problem for city residents. It’s the lack of cost-effective and efficient commuting options for residents, whether for work or personal travel. “The average wait time for public transit in a big city is 40 minutes,” the current resident of Philadelphia, PA says. Add to that crime that can be a problem, and … Read More
PYA, affiliate company RTG named top firms in respective industries
By Kailyn Lamb, Marketing Content Writer and Editor, PYA Earlier this month, PYA was named a “2022 Top 100 Accounting Firm” in the nation by INSIDE Public Accounting. This is the seventh year in a row the firm, which powers teknovation.biz, has earned this recognition. In the last three years, PYA has moved up seven spots in the ranking. It is one of only two … Read More
RegScale Announces $20 Million Series A Funding Round
“At RegScale we believe that maintaining compliance as a business should be affordable, transparent, and easy” TYSONS CORNER, VA, August 2, 2022 – RegScale, a leading continuous compliance automation software company with headquarters in Tysons Corner, VA and research and development in Knoxville, TN, today announced the completion of a $20 million Series A funding round. This funding round was … Read More
PYA’s Marty Brown shares insights in presentation to “Spark Cleantech Accelerator” start-ups
By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA “I admire and appreciate the innovation you are pursuing and the fact that you are doing it here,” Marty Brown, PYA President and Chief Executive Officer, told the leaders of the five start-ups participating in the inaugural “Spark Cleantech Accelerator” during a presentation on Wednesday. Titled “Early Stage Companies: Each Move Counts!,” Brown mixed lessons from his more … Read More