Engine Research Associates is Innovator of the Year

Engine Research Associates is Innovator of the Year

Posted: Thursday, November 7, 2013 3:11 pm | Updated: 3:19 pm, Thu Nov 7, 2013.

Engine Research Associates was named the Innovator of the Year at Business Weekly's 2013 Innovation Awards event Thursday at the Landmark Conference & Reception Centre in Fort Wayne.

The company, which is based at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, makes the patented Erickson Migrating Combustion Chamber engine that was created by the late Frederick Erickson. The engine is popular with model airplane enthusiasts and is being developed for use in power lawn and garden equipment.

Engine Research Associates, run by Erickson's sons Jeff and Rick, also has secured contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. For one of the contracts, the motor would be used to run a 2,000-watt, lightweight generator. The motors would be used in unmanned aerial vehicles in two other contracts.

Engine Research Associates won the Emerging Company category — one of seven categories that make up the Innovation Awards. Each of the category winners presented to a panel of judges who selected the overall Innovator of the Year.

Other category winners were:

• Health Care: Harbour Assisted Living of Fort Wayne;

• Manufacturing and Distribution: Tuthill Corp.;

• Professional Services: GMS Distribution;

• Real Estate, Construction and Design: 3Rivers Federal Credit Union;

• Retail: Rudy's; and

• Technology: TransWorks.

Judges for the 2013 Innovation Awards were: Don Steininger, Steininger Development; Julia Fiechter, Lendingahand.net; Terry Housholder, KPC Media Group Inc.; Mike Fritsch, Northeast Indiana Innovation Center; and Bill Nicholson, ENS Group.

Innovation Awards sponsors were: ENS Group; Keyflow Creative; Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana Inc.; Star Financial Bank; Lake City Bank; and Sweetwater Sound.

A special Innovation Awards publication will be available in Friday's issue of Business Weekly.