Posted April 1, 2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- Seven Chattanooga-area companies have been selected as Kruesi Award finalists.  The award recipient as well as the other finalists will be recognized at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon on April 16.

The finalists are: Accurate Automation Corporation, Andersen Flaps, Inc., Astec Industries, Inc., Cleveland Tubing, Inc., EnWaste Recovery Systems, Transcard and TR Automation. Each of these companies will exhibit their innovative products at the luncheon.

Along with the Kruesi Award winner, the recipients of the Early Innovator Award and the Great Ideas Competition Award will be announced at the annual event.

Roger Staubach, executive chairman of The Staubach Company and former professional football stand-out, will deliver the keynote address at the event which begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Convention Center.

The Kruesi Award recognizes companies for innovative products, services and business practices that have been created and implemented by businesses in the Chattanooga area.

Mayor Ron Littlefield will present the Great Ideas Competition Award to three high school students who have come up with a great idea for a business, product or invention. Scholarships totaling $7,500 will be awarded to the winning students.

Accurate Automation Corporation will be recognized for designing and implementing Sentinel, an unmanned ocean racer equipped with artificial intelligence that protects water-based assets such as ships and oil-drilling platforms. Sentinel is the first and only artificially intelligent boat that can perform in a variety of high-demand, real life situations -- such as during storms and at night -- without human risk or intervention.

Andersen Flaps is a contender for designing the Eco-Flap, a patented mud flap for trucks with a 75 percent open surface area which allows water and air to flow through the flap.  The flaps reduce the spray from trucks’ tires in the rain to make roads safer and also reduce the drag effect, resulting in a fuel savings to the trucking industry of up to three percent, depending on conditions.

Astec Industries, Inc. has developed the Double Barrel Green System which allows the production of “warm-mix” asphalt cement without the use of expensive or caustic additives or systems.  Double Barrel Green provides a 14 percent reduction in fuel usage for producing asphalt cement, as well as a 14 percent reduction in emissions and costs.

Cleveland Tubing is a Kruesi finalist for inventing Flex-Drain®, a patent-pending flexible, expandable plastic pipe, usable in most drainage applications.  The product offers an alternative to bulky, traditional plastic draining pipe. It collapses to six feet and expands to 25 feet, making it easy to transport and to store.

EnWaste Recovery Systems has created a patented filtration system to address the healthcare industry’s need to recover silver and other heavy metals from the photo-chemical process in radiology departments.  The system not only allows the silver to be captured and recycled but also neutralizes and captures heavy metals, preventing contamination of the water system.

Transcard will be recognized for integrating financial processing settlement technology with legacy software platforms for companies and industries. Transcard is a financial stored value processor, taking cash and converting it into electronic cards for everything from payroll to tax benefits and tax payments, gift cards and other transactions.

TR Automation has developed a revolutionary approach to robotic work station manufacturing, called SuperCell, which allows for greater productivity because the robot or robot group is working 95 percent or more of the time.  The innovation -- particularly applicable to the automotive and aerospace industries -- reduces floor space, improves the quality of parts manufactured and achieves a 30 percent reduction in production costs.

Reservations may be made by calling 423-763-4366 or emailing ckelly@chattanoogachamber.com.

The Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon is sponsored BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, EPB, Tandus, Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, Miller & Martin, PLLC; Northwest Georgia Bank, SRC Technology Solutions, TVA, Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Unum, Chattem, Inc.; EDI, LTD; Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC; Kennedy, Coulter, Rushing and Watson, McKee Foods Corp., Regions, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union and Merrill Lynch.