Ben Franklin Technology Partners has announced it will be welcoming local serial entrepreneur, Todd Erdley, to its State College-based investment team effective March 1, 2023. As the central regional director, Erdley will be the principal point-of-contact for companies seeking financial investment and business support services from Ben Franklin in the Central Region comprised of Centre, […]
By Beverly Molnar Photo: Antifragile Brewing Co. When you think of “craft beer towns,” you might think of Asheville, North Carolina, which was first named Beer City USA in 2009, or Burlington, Vermont, which holds the record for the highest number of breweries per capita. But brewers in Happy Valley aim to change that. Over […]
By Timothy Kelly An experimental MCDI unit. Photo: Chris Arges. A team of researchers, led by Chris Arges, Penn State associate professor of chemical engineering, is working to optimize a water desalination process called membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) for mobile teams of U.S. Marines. We asked Arges to explain how the system works, why he […]
By Holly Riddle You don’t need to be a mechanical engineering professor like Penn State’s Dr. Bo Cheng to recognize that hummingbirds contrast significantly with their avian relatives. The smallest of bird species, hummingbirds flit and dart their way from food source to food source in a way no other bird can. Flying backward, forward […]
The issue of brain drain, or losing workforce talent, is a real concern for innovation hubs around the country. While there are a myriad of tangential concerns — cost of living, livability, schools — the problem boils down to one key issue: workforce talent goes where job opportunities exist. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central […]
By Staff Writer Ben Lawrence. Photo: Jim Valent. According to sales professional turned author Ben Lawrence, Happy Valley has a problem: Despite being home to one of the nation’s largest research institutions and investing millions into startup business efforts, our region is still among the worst performers at spinning cutting-edge research into profitable business. Compare, […]
