Page 37 - Innovation Delaware 2019

Partnership. However, the partnership is engaging in a campaign to bring more businesses to the area, mainly in the warehousing/ distribution, health care and business services sectors. “We’re creating a good ecosystem. We are master-planning two areas in Kent County at present, so that they will be ready for job growth and development,” says Parkowski.
BIG-CITY SCENE, SMALL-TOWN VIBE
On any given day, there’s something to
do in Delaware. Just ask Michelle Kramer- Fitzgerald, who owns Wilmington-based Arts in Media, which represents small-to-medium arts organizations and individual artists in Delaware.
“Delaware is blessed with a wealth of talent and a vibrant art scene, especially for its size,” she says. “Exciting things are happening in all levels of arts and culture.”
In the city of Wilmington alone, you’ll find:
u The Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
u The Delaware Theatre Company, a professional
acting group that develops shows for Broadway. u OperaDelaware, a professional nonprofit
company.
u The Grand Opera House, a performing arts
venue for national and international acts.
u The Playhouse on Rodney Square, formerly
the DuPont Theatre, which is known for
booking Broadway shows.
u The Queen, a concert venue managed by
Live Nation.
DELAWARE IS HOME TO A THRIVING, DIVERSE ARTS SCENE, INCLUDING (CLOCKWISE) CITY THEATER COMPANY, MUSICAL ENSEMBLE MELOMANIE AND FEARLESS IMPROV.
WHY DELAWARE?
#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: Dennis Prather, President, Phase Sensitive Innovations
CONNECTION: U.S. Sen. Chris Coons WHAT HAPPENED: Prather is also
a professor at the University of Delaware’s Department of Electrical
& Computer Engineering and met
Sen. Coons while he was visiting the department. “I had the good fortune to show him some of my work, and I was actually quite surprised at how well
he understood it. He’s a really sharp guy,” says Prather. The technology involves a kind of electromagnetic signal called millimeter waves,
which most objects naturally emit. Through his company, Phase Sensitive Innovations, Prather is developing imaging systems that can “see” these signals and detect concealed objects — a potentially useful technology
for military operations, but also
civilian security. Coons “was just a tremendous supporter,” says Prather. “He helped us go from the lab to more of a production mindset. We were a small company that was working with
some Department of Defense sponsors to slowly build up interest in this technology, and Sen. Coons just gave it a huge shot of steroids.”
SINCE THEN: Thanks to the connection with Sen. Coons, “we are now building an 18,000-square-foot facility in Newark, maybe two or three miles off the UD campus,” says Prather. “We’ve already hired more than 30 engineers and will be up to 50 by this time next year if things go according to plan.”
DENNIS PRATHER
INNOVATION DELAWARE 35
MOONLOOP PHOTOGRAPHY
MOONLOOP PHOTOGRAPHY TIM BAYARD
JUSTIN HEYES/MOONLOOP PHOTOGRAPHY