That’s a wrap: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, and not just any Wednesday but the very last Wednesday before Christmas, and the second-to-last hump day of 2023.
Yes, the big, year-ending holiday week is imminent, along with a slew of innovation-pausing work vacations. With that, please enjoy today’s newsletter, then get to your wrapping and unwrapping and cooking and eating and family and friends – Innovate Long Island will be back on the beat Jan. 2.
Have a safe and a happy and all that good stuff! And now … ho, ho, here we go!
Game room: Make some space for a classic today … it’s National Games Day, when our favorite games are afoot.
Do you think this is a game? A sleigh-load of new games arrive Monday (or sooner, courtesy of Amazon Prime), but your old ones are standing by for National Games Day, a Dec. 20 staple encouraging us to pick a card, roll the dice, hit “Start” and otherwise blow off steam at the height of a stressful season.
And cross your T’s, too: Of course, even on National Games Day, even with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads, there’s still work to be done – hence Dot Your I’s Day, when we’re reminded to pay attention to whatever we’re doing.
Fruit loop: After work, congratulate yourself on a job well done with a glass of spiked punch – it’s also National Sangria Day, mixing it up (sweetly) every Dec. 20.
The Great White Way: Glasses were surely raised in New York City on this date in 1880, when a long stretch of Broadway – between Union Square and Madison Square, for those keeping score – became the first U.S. street illuminated by electric lights.
Tall order: Also celebrating were the engineers who completed the Niagara Cantilever Bridge – in record time – on Dec. 20, 1883, connecting the United States and Canada across the Niagara Gorge.
Seeing red: The former USSR, in all its imperial glory.
Mother Russia, and friends: Probably celebrating were Vladimir Lenin and his comrades who officially formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – comprising Russia and other territories of the former Russian Empire, with more regions to follow – 101 years ago today.
Screen shot: Definitely celebrating was Pennsylvania-based Russian immigrant Vladimir Zworykin, who paved the way for television, radar, oscilloscopes and more when he patented the cathode-ray tube on Dec. 20, 1938.
Oh, hot dog: And celebrating the beauty of life was director Frank Capra and the cast and crew of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which premiered in New York City on this date in 1946.
While it technically debuted with this Dec. 20 charity screening (benefitting the Boys Club of New York), the Christmas classic wasn’t officially released for nationwide distribution until Jan. 7, 1947.
Extending a Branch: American baseball player, manager and executive Wesley Branch Rickey (1881-1965) – a true innovator who invented batting helmets, conceived the minor-league “farm” system and shattered baseball’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers – would be 142 years old today.
Mind-bending illusion: No, Geller was not given telekinetic powers by aliens.
Also born on Dec. 20 were American industrialist Harvey Firestone (1868-1938), who re-invented the wheel (at least, the tire); American philosopher Susanne Katherina Langer (1895-1985), a writer and educator who explored the psychological ramifications of artistic expression; American physicist Robert Van de Graff (1901-1967), who facilitated the study of atomic nuclei with the high-voltage Van de Graff generator; thoroughly debunked Israeli British illusionist Yuri Geller (born 1946), who has dialed back longtime claims of extraterrestrial-endowed paranormal powers; and American writer Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), an accomplished novelist, poet, short-story writer, essayist and artist known best for “The House on Mango Street.”
Mr. Met: And take a bow, David Allen Wright! The New York Mets’ all-time offensive leader – whose surefire Hall of Fame trajectory was done dirty by spinal stenosis and other nagging ailments – turns 41 today.
Give the seven-time All-Star your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips are always a hit and your calendar events fit like a (gold) glove.
About our sponsor: Whether it’s helping in site selection, cutting through red tape or finding innovative ways to meet specific needs, businesses that settle in the Town of Islip soon learn that we take a proactive approach to seeing them succeed. If your business wants to locate or expand in a stable community with great quality of life, then it’s time you took a closer look at Islip.
BUT FIRST, THIS
NCC’s C A-OK: After years of reconstruction and a lengthy COVID-flavored delay, Nassau Community College has finally cut the ribbon on an impressive $31 million STEM hub.
Remodeling of the circa-1970s, three-story “Cluster C” building – where about 90 percent of NCC students take at least one course, according to the college – began in 2018 but was slowed by the pandemic. Aiming to prepare students to thrive in rapidly expanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors, the remade 61,900-square-foot space is now officially up and running, boasting the latest computer technologies, a dozen STEM-focused laboratories, a telescope-filled astronomical observatory and more high-tech bells and whistles.
Funded by Nassau County and the State of New York, the multimillion-dollar facelift – designed by Florida-based NV5 Global and executed by Holbrook-based VRD Contracting – also includes several environmentally focused upgrades (for both building operations and learning purposes), including solar panels, climate-friendly “green roofs” and miniature wind turbines. “We pride ourselves on making education and technology more accessible to all students,” noted NCC Chief Administrative Officer Maria Conzatti. “Modern facilities thoughtfully designed to support hands-on learning and innovation will foster our ability to shape the Long Island workforce.”
Picture perfect: Canon USA’s highly rated Melville headquarters will be spruced up with the help of the Suffolk IDA.
Canon power-shot: An economic-development agency known best for assisting smaller businesses is boosting one of Long Island’s cornerstone conglomerates, once again.
The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency has issued preliminary approvals for a tax-abatement package benefitting Canon USA, which is planning an $8 million facelift at its 696,000-square-foot Melville headquarters. The Suffolk IDA and the subsidiary of Tokyo-based multinational Canon are old friends: In 2013, the agency helped the company relocate its HQ from Lake Success to its 52-acre Melville campus, leading to LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the retention of 1,000-plus Long Island jobs and an overall regional-socioeconomics investment eclipsing $459 million.
The new incentives must undergo a full review and final vote, but assisting the major league-employer reinforces the IDA’s “ongoing efforts to fortify Long Island’s reputation for being a powerhouse for technological innovation and economic prosperity,” according to Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Commissioner Sarah Lansdale. “This collaboration with Canon … reinforces our pledge to facilitate growth, provide financial incentives and remain a dedicated partner to businesses that choose Long Island as their home,” Lansdale added.
TOP OF THE SITE
Cell high: Long Island’s socioeconomic destiny has been radically changed by the new Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Hub coming to Lake Success.
Free delivery: Still looking for a last-minute gift for your innovation team? It’s never too late for subscriptions to this informative and entertaining newsletter – always easy, always free and always appreciated (by them and us). Stuff those stockings!
VOICES
A big round of applause, please, for Technology Anchor Heidi Anderson, Government/Media Anchor David Chauvin, Healthcare Anchor Terry Lynam, Innovation History Anchor Tom Mariner, Commercial Real Estate Anchor David Pennetta, Human Services/Nonprofits Anchor Jeffrey Reynolds, Law Anchor Michael Sahn and Intellectual Property/Patents Anchor Allison Singh – Innovate Long Island’s amazing 2023 Voices rotation!
Our A-list team will be back in 2024 with more front-line vantages and best-practice solutions. Until then, catch up on everything you missed this year – and the last five years, for that matter.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Coming soon: Web3, expanded operability and all kinds of emerging tech – here’s the IT you’ll see in 2024. Forbes glimpses the (near) future.
Creativity killer: Productivity remains OK, but a new study suggests remote work is stifling innovation. Business Insider breaks down breakthroughs.
Are those jingle bells we hear? When did “Christmas” become synonymous with “romance,” anyway? Vox decks the Hallmarks.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Totus Medicines, a California-based biotech focused on small-molecule drug discovery and development, closed a $66 million Series B financing led by DCVC Bio, North Pond Ventures, Camford Capital and the Regents of the University of Minnesota.
+ Tetra, a New York City-based clean-energy innovator focused on home services, raised $10.5 million in seed funding led by Greycroft, Gutter Capital, Lerer Hippeau and 1sharpe Capital.
+ Myrias Optics, a Massachusetts-based developer of all-inorganic printed meta-optics, raised $3 million in seed funding led by Asia Optical, UMass Amherst, Tenon Ventures and HOSS Investment.
+ Dimensional Energy, a NYC-based producer of sustainable aviation fuel, raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Envisioning Partners, United Airlines’ Sustainable Flight Fund and Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund.
+ Fourth Power, a Massachusetts-based energy innovator focused on utility-scale thermal-battery solutions, raised $19 million in Series A funding led by DCVC, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Black Venture Capital Consortium.
+ Xeol, a NYC-based cybersecurity startup, raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Shield Capital, Y Combinator and 468 Capital.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask the Town of Islip). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Holiday Menu Edition)
Dip it good: Tomatoes with feta cheese and chickpeas makes Bon Appétit’s coveted 2023 cut.
Inflation deceleration: Surprise … your holiday grocery bill is lower this year!
Don’t try this at home: Why you should stick with store-bought eggnog.
But do try this: Bon Appétit shares the 20 best recipes of 2023.
The front burner: Please continue to support the amazing agencies that support Innovate Long Island, including the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, where they’re always cooking up delicious deals for small and midsized businesses. Check them out.
