Page 20 - Innovation Delaware 2019

in the most optimal way.”
The Innovation Space just celebrated
its second anniversary and is committed
to connecting entrepreneurs taking their first steps in the business world with experts capable of offering their expertise to promote growth — and with potential funding sources that can turn great ideas into marketable products. Its board includes Gov. John Carney’s Chief of Staff Doug Gramiak, Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, executives from DowDuPont
and high-ranking University of Delaware officials.
“It really helps us cross the public-private barrier more easily,” Provine says.
Although Kurt Foreman has only
been in the state for a little over a year, the CEO of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) values the “connective tissue” that binds the various sectors within the state. DPP is committed
SUPPORTING ‘THE CONNECTIVE
TISSUE’
Real World Experience.
Real Results for Your Business.
The State of Delaware’s Offical Export Program.
• Customized Business Trips Worldwide
• Meetings with Foreign Customers/Distributors
• Network of Delaware Trade Offices Globally
• Translation of Sales Material
• Export Consulting
• Export Grants
export.delaware.gov | export@delaware.gov
An initiative of the Delaware Department of State
18 DelawareBusinessTimes.com
#DELAWARECONNECTED
Connections are easy
in Delaware’s tight-knit community of innovators, where startup founders rub shoulders with industry leaders and policymakers. Here’s a story of a connection that made a difference:
WHO: Ernie Dianastasis, CEO, The Precisionists Inc.
CONNECTION: Former Gov. Jack Markell
WHAT HAPPENED: In 2012, Gov. Jack Markell invited Thorkil Sonne, CEO of the Danish company Specialisterne, to come to Delaware. Specialisterne’s mission is to create jobs for people on the autism spectrum, which was also a focus of the Markell administration. Markell connected Sonne with local business leaders, including Dianastasis, who was
then an executive at IT company Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI). Working with Specialisterne, Dianastasis hired 40 people with autism over a four-year period. Seeing these employees’ outstanding accuracy, attention to detail and work ethic, Dianastasis was inspired to take
the partnership to the next level. In 2016, Dianastasis sold his interest in his former company to start a new business, Wilmington-based The Precisionists, Inc. Its goal is to create jobs for 10,000 people with developmental disabilities, including autism, by 2025 in fields including IT, back-office accounting, quality control, light manufacturing and more.
ERNIE DIANASTASIS
SINCE THEN: “Now, only a little over two years old, The Precisionists
is one of the fastest-growing companies
in Delaware and across the country,” says Dianastasis. The company “has over 85 people and will be at 140 by the middle of this year.” The Precisionists announced in February that it would expand to Phoenix, Arizona to create 500 jobs for people with disabilities over the next four years. It has partnered with major companies including Pfizer, Delmarva Power and Independence Blue Cross to create employment opportunities for individuals with special abilities.