Centric Names Innovation Award Winners

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis-based Centric has announced the winners of the 2016 Indiana Innovation Awards. The think tank says the awards are given to individuals and organizations “who are successfully leading the innovation charge in our state.”

Eight winners were chosen by an executive panel of judges out of a pool of 30 finalists. Centric says the winning innovations were judged on criteria including how well they meet an unmet need in the market and their uniqueness.

This year’s winners include:

• A-GAME Call Center Gamification Program – Touchpoint One (Indianapolis, IN): A gamification platform that leverages structured, league-based competition to inspire, motivate, and recognize outstanding performance at individual and team levels in call-center environments.
• Diamond Charts Automated Scouting – Telemetry Sports (Noblesville, IN): Currently allows over 300 NCAA baseball and softball programs to automatically assemble comprehensive scouting reports with key tendencies about each and every opponent.
• Edwin the Duck – Pi Lab (Carmel, IN): The world’s first Smart Duck; an app-connected toy who entertains and teaches children. It is brought to life by a proprietary motion and sound technology platform called SQUACK (TM).
• Erskine Green Training Institute – Arc of Indiana (Indianapolis and Muncie, IN): The country’s first “Teaching Hotel,” providing all people with disabilities a postsecondary education opportunity in hospitality, food service, or healthcare.
• JB1 Extrication Slides – JB Works (Carlisle, IN): A coal mine rescue device for elevated machine operators. Assembly and rescue of a victim can now be accomplished in seconds.
• PassWhiz Digital Hall Pass System – PassWhiz (Noblesville, IN): Developed by a Noblesville high school student, this app-based hall pass system replaces traditional paper-based systems with a digital platform.
• Thunderbird Roller Coaster – Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (Santa Claus, IN): The world’s only “launched wing” coaster. Holiday World was the first amusement park to combine launch technologies and wing technologies into one ride.
• WhatFriendsDo Coordination Platform – WhatFriendsDo (Indianapolis, IN): A technology driven platform created to simplify the coordination of communication, help and support for an individual going through a life-changing event like a serious illness or death of a loved one.

The winners will be recognized at Centric’s Day of Innovation conference next week at Butler University. In an interview last week with Inside INdiana Business, Centric Executive Director Jason Williams discussed the Day of Innovation.