Society of Innovators Inducts 31 New Members

From blended real food for tube-fed people to refurbished robots, The Society of Innovators on Thursday proved there is a plethora of creativity in Northwest Indiana by honoring men and women who have utilized theirs for the greater good.

Ivy Tech Community College Northwest and the Society of Innovators welcomed 31 new members into The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana at the 9th Annual Innovators Induction Ceremony at the Horseshoe Casino.

Even as those we honor this evening will tell us, we have more work to do,” said Thomas G. Coley, Ph.D., Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College Northwest and North Central.

O’Merrial Butchee, Director of the Gerald I, Lamkin Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Ivy Tech, said the event has come to be known as the, “Nobel Evening of Northwest Indiana.”

As you meet the individuals who have been nominated and inducted this evening, look for a spark of ingenuity, the flash of inspiration, or the discovery of a solution born of necessity,” Butchee said. Those inducted represent Jasper, Lake, La Porte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, and Starke counties.

Butchee welcomed Purdue University Calumet Professor Neeti Parashar, Ph.D., member of the a team of international researchers who won 2013 Nobel Prize in physics for their discovery of the Higgs boson subatomic particle, known as the “God particle.”

It’s completely exhilarating,” Parashar said of the Nobel Prize after Thursday’s ceremony. “This is the work of thousands of people over the last 50 years. For something of that nature to to come to this fruition is amazing.”

The Society also announced the 2013 - 2014 Fellows and Chanute Prize recipients, named after Octave Chanute, for his 19th Century experiments at the Indiana Dunes that inspired the success of the Wright Brothers in the pursuit of flight.

This year, there are two Co-Recipients for the Chanute Prize for Team Innovation. One is the Kemin/Lambert Spearmint Team, North Judson. The other is the Tuskegee Airmen, EAA Young Eagles Program at the Gary/Chicago International Airport. The co-sponsors of the Chanute Prize are Krieg DeVault and NIPSCO. All 31 new inductees will receive lifetime honorary membership in The Society of Innovators.

Among the members of the Young Eagles Program attending Thursday’s awards ceremony was original Tuskegee Airman 2nd Lt. O. Lawton “Wilk” Wilkerson, 87.

It’s a wonderful experience to have such an organization as this to recognize us, and we are honored,” Wilkerson said after the ceremony.

Six new Fellows were selected from among the members including Julie Bombacino, Just Food Blends, Chesterton; Mike Falk, PE LS, Falk PLI, Portage; Nina Fonstein, Ph.D. retired scientist, ArcelorMittal Global R&D Center, East Chicago; Lisa Hopp, Ph.D., RN FAAN, Purdue University Calumet; Don Keller, Tri-State Industries and Tri-State Automation, Hammond; and Stewart G. McMillan, Task Force Tips, Valparaiso. The Fellow awards are sponsored by ArcelorMittal.

Julie Bombacino, President, Just Food Blends, Chesterton, is the first to launch a new line of “blended real food meals” for tube-fed people. There are no ready-to-serve shelf-stable real food meal options for tube-fed children and adults, who rely upon a formula that typically is 50% corn syrup. She was inspired by her son, AJ, and his condition. Estimates indicate nearly 1 million tube-fed people in the U.S.

Mike Falk PE LS, CEO & President, Falk PLI Engineering and Surveying, Portage, is the first to introduce advanced surveying instruments called laser trackers and laser scanners in the global steel industry in NWI and beyond. He introduced a faster, more accurate technology from the space and automotive industries that helps steel companies optimize performance, ensure alignment, and improve safety.

Nina Fonstein, Ph.D., a retired scientist and now consultant, is a world-recognized expert in the development of the “new steels” that are stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly for ArcelorMittal Global Research and Development Center, East Chicago. This former technical manager published the first book in the world on dual-phase steels.

Lisa Hopp, Ph.D., RN FAAN, Purdue University Calumet, is founding director of the Indiana Center for Evidenced-Based Nursing Practice (ICEBNP), the first in the Midwest as part of a global effort to encourage ‘best available evidence’ in nursing.

To improve patient outcomes in area hospitals, she launched the “Evidence Implementation Fellowship” involving nursing teams to encourage best practices in 2012.

Don Keller, president and CEO of Tri-State Industries, Hammond, is the first in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area to launch an integrated system to sell refurbished robots. This pioneer in “lean manufacturing” also provides cells for robotic welders, programming and training for operators. Tri-State Automation is designed as a “one-stop shop” to give small manufacturers a competitive edge.

Stewart McMillan, president, Task Force Tips, Valparaiso, led a transformation in product development by using technology in a new way to involve more employees and distributors globally. He realized sustainability depended upon strategically involving the entire organization rather than relying upon a few individuals for ideas. TFT is an innovative leader in water flow equipment worldwide. He is a 2007 – 2008 member.

The Society named Stewart McMillan as the 2013 recipient of the Gerald I. Lamkin Fellow Award for Innovation and Service.
McMillan, CEO of Task Force Tips, who was inducted in 2007, led his company to become a leader in the water flow industry. McMillian returned his $1,000 prize to the Society.

New Society of Innovators individual members are:

The 16 new individual members are: Julie Bombacino, Just Food Blends, Chesterton; Mike Falk, PE LS, Falk PLI, Portage; Nina Fonstein, Ph.D., retired scientist, ArcelorMittal Global R&D Center, East Chicago; Lisa Hopp, Ph.D., RN FAAN, Purdue University Calumet; Micky Gallas, Tip Tee Toe Ladies Golf Shoes, Long Beach; Don Keller, Tri-State Industries, Hammond; Kathleen Kane, SNS, Michigan City Area Schools; Chris Mahlmann, Ideas in Motion Media; Valparaiso; Adela Ortega, Professional Locomotive Services, East Chicago; Michelle Robinson, YOUnique Yoga, Schererville; Mayor Keith Soderquist, Lake Station; Joshua Deboer, Tech Team 911, Dyer; Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Superintendent, Michigan City Area Schools; Barb Tracy, Marilyn’s Bakery, Hobart; Bonnie Trout, European Market, Chesterton; and Lana Zimmer, Ph.D., Hoophouse Farming Eduventure, Saint Joseph’s College, Rensselaer.

New Society team members include:

The new 15 team members also being inducted are: The Homelessness Prevention Internship Team, Gary; Lake County Community Transition Court Team, Crown Point; Beyond the Beach Discovery Trail Team, Indiana Dunes Tourism, Porter; GLC NASA – ARISS Contact Experience Team, Gary Literacy Coalition, Gary; Dunes Creek Daylighting Team, Indiana Dunes State Park; Quality Patient Safety Strategic Initiative Team, Indiana University Health La Porte Hospital; 2020 Vision: From Diesel to Natural Gas Team, Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete, Inc., Gary Division; South Shore Clean Cities, Crown Point; South Shore Civil War Memorial Trail Team, South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority; Nature in My Neighborhood Team, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Kemin /Lambert Spearmint Team, Kemin Food Technologies, Inc., & Ed Lambert Jr., Lambert Bros., LLC, North Judson; Porter County Veterans Treatment Court, Porter County PACT, Inc.; Innovative Technology for Better Patient Care, Prompt Ambulance Service, Highland; and Take 5 for Life Program, Community Healthcare System and Community Hospital Fitness Pointe; and Tuskegee Airmen, EAA Young Eagles Program at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, Chicago DODO Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

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