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November 18, 2024 | Tom Ballard

“Innovation Crossroads” CEOs earn recognitions

One was named to Time Magazine’s "100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business." The other won an award for entrepreneurial excellence.

One alum and one soon-to-be alum of the “Innovation Crossroads” program operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been recognized for their achievements. One was on a national scale; the other was more local.

Megan O’Connor

Megan O’Connor, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nth Cycle, has been named to Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business.” She was one of 20 individuals selected for the Innovator category, one of five groupings. The other categories are:

  • Titans which include individuals like Bill Gates and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm;
  • Catalysts;
  • Leaders; and
  • Defenders.

Saying she was deeply honored by the recognition, O’Connor added, “Being included among such a remarkable group of visionaries is humbling, and I only wish there were room for a few hundred more. Every day, I encounter incredible people — from innovators to entrepreneurs and investors who are rewriting the playbook on addressing climate change. They’re driving solutions that inspire hope, accelerate net zero targets, and spur economic growth. I’d like to thank each of them, and the remarkable team at Nth Cycle for the progress we’ve made — and will keep making — together.

Sarah Jordan

Separately, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce held its fourth annual “Winsupply Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence” ceremony recently, and one of the two winners was Sarah Jordan, Founder and CEO of Skuld LLC, a member of the 2023 cohort.

The company, founded in a garage in Tipp City, OH, in 2015, is focused on the new AMEC (additive manufacturing evaporative casting) process and other manufacturing innovations. After several subsequent moves, Jordan and Co-Founder, Mark DeBruin an old Champion Foundry in Piqua, OH which had been closed for seven years. They are refurbishing the facility and rapidly growing after having won over $9 million in government contracts recently.

Ironically, Boston-based Nth Cycle also recently opened a new facility in Fairfield, OH (see teknovation.biz article here).



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