Events

The 2nd Annual TransTech Energy Business Development Conference was held Nov. 6-7, 2013 at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown, WV.  The yearly conference is designed to promote investment in new companies that can provide solutions to energy, environmental, and economic development challenges, while also creating new jobs and more competitive industries.

Total attendance over the 1 1/2 day period was 170 including 26 high school students with the MARS robotics team and 30 WVU undergrad and grad students. Participants represented 12 states and the District of Columbia.

There were 23 pitches representing eight states (eight from PA, seven from WV, three from OH, and one each from IL, IN, VA, NC, and KY). Two of the seven WV pitches were presented by WVU grad students who have started companies based on research done with their professors. Six of the 23 pitches were for commercializable projects – five for technologies developed at NETL and one for work currently in progress by a WVU grad student and his professor. There were no WV-based pitches at the 2012 TransTech Conference.

2013 Award Winners

Best of TransTech 2013

• Optimum Pumping Technology, Pittsburgh, PA, Glen Chatfield, President – $10,000
• SAVD Solar Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, Mark Vernallis, CEO – $10,000
• Rev LNG LLC, Ulysses, PA, David Kailbourne, CEO – $5,000

WVU Research Office Technical Assistance Award

• Vandalia Technologies LLC, Princeton, WV, Bruce Mutter, President – $10,000

Top Scoring WVU Student Companies

• WindPax LLC, Glen Dale, WV, Justin Chambers, President –  $2,500
• Aspinity Inc, Morgantown, WV, Brandon Rumberg, President – $2,500

Crowd Choice Awards for Best Pitch Presenter – Five $50 Best Buy Gift Certificates

• Pitch Session 1: Daniel Oldham, BioAdhesive Alliance, Greensboro, NC
• Pitch Session 2: John VanOsdol, Transpiration Purging Access Probe, NETL, Morgantown, WV
• Pitch Session 3: Ryan Dunn, Excavation Alert Systems LLC, Charlottesville, VA
• Pitch Session 4: Eric Casteel, SolarCast LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
• Pitch Session 5: Andrew Sherman, Terves Inc, Euclid, OH

Drawing for HP Pavilion 14” Chromebook

• Josh Matheny, Preston Machine Inc, Bruceton MIlls, WV (WVU grad student)