In 2001, the Lorain County Commissioners seeded a bold vision to stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation in Lorain County. In an unprecedented partnership between government, the private sector, and higher education, the Lorain County Commissioners, the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and Lorain County Community College came together to breathe life into this vision by creating GLIDE: The Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise.

Dr. Church explains the economic growth initiated by GLIDE before presenting the Lorain County Commissioners with “Champions of Innovation” awards for supporting the business incubator.

"Ten years later, that vision has certainly been realized and expanded," said LCCC President Dr. Roy A. Church. "This one action, this first pebble in the pond, combined with a continued commitment to partnership has stimulated a ripple effect of opportunities that clearly makes Lorain County the place in Ohio for entrepreneurs to start and grow companies."

During GLIDE's first 10 years it has leveraged more than $200 million in economic impact creating a return of 62 times for the local investment.  This includes additional support leveraged from government and philanthropic groups, follow-on investments in portfolio companies, revenue growth of portfolio companies and jobs created.

"Our community is fortunate to have Commissioners who recognize the importance of investing in entrepreneurship and job creation to ensure the future economic vitality of our community," said Church. "Their willingness to invest in an idea and then continue that support for a decade makes a bold statement about our leadership’s commitment to ensuring Lorain County's competitiveness."

On behalf of GLIDE and the partnership, Church presented the Lorain County Commissioners with awards engraved at LCCC's FabLab recognizing each as "Champion of Innovation and Economic Growth in Lorain County" at an event July 27 at LCCC highlighting GLIDE's 10 year anniversary.

Since its inception GLIDE has advised or assisted 2,600 entrepreneurs or businesses, created 140 student/faculty business experiences, created 700 jobs by portfolio companies with an average salary of $48,000 and $60 million in revenue and $81 million in add-on investments. Forty-five of fifty GLIDE client companies are still in business.

"GLIDE's role is to educate entrepreneurs, connect them to available resources and provide mentoring to help accelerate their success and development," Church said. "With jobs for our local economy as the ultimate outcome."

Simon Melikian, a computer engineer, has had a decades-long drive to design software that can "see" objects in three dimensions, and guide robot arms in industrial tasks, to mimic how human vision guides our movements.

With a $100,000 award from the Innovation Fund, and help from the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE), Melikian's company has started selling a product that should soon be guiding robots on automotive assembly lines.

Recognition Robotics Inc has its offices in the Entrepreneur Innovation Center, on the LCCC campus. The company has four patents pending, and its first product, called CortexVision, teaches robots to recognize objects and their locations.

"Being a GLIDE client means you are not alone in your endeavor. You know a lot about your field, but you know little about business. GLIDE knows business and helps guide us to be successful," Melikian said.

Key milestones in GLIDE’s history:

• 2001 – GLIDE created; opens with 4,000 square feet of incubation space inside the P.C. Campana Engineering and Development Center on the LCCC campus.
• 2004 – Lorain County Growth Partnership created to strategically work with Lorain County organizations and businesses to compete more effectively in regional marketplace.
• 2005 –Team Lorain County formed to attract companies to locate in Lorain County; first satellite of Team NEO regional attraction initiative.
• 2006 – IRS approves Private Letter Ruling Request to support Innovation Fund charitable status.
  GLIDE recognized by state of Ohio as Edison Technology Incubator.
• 2007 – GLIDE outgrows space in Campana Center; expands to 20,000 square feet of incubation space in the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center on the LCCC campus.
  Innovation Fund launches first Quarterly Application.
• 2008 – REAL Teams formed to assess needs and provide proactive systemic approach to countywide retention and expansion of businesses in Lorain County.
• 2010 – SMART Commercialization Center formed with $5.5 million in funding from Ohio Third Frontier to accelerate commercialization of sensor technologies.
• 2011 – GLIDE recognized as national model by Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and American Association of Community Colleges.
  Innovation Fund America announced.