O, say, can you see it from here: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we sweat out this latest muggy workweek and the anticipated arrival of a well-deserved holiday break.
On that promising note, a quick scheduling update from Innovation Command: Your favorite socioeconomic newsletter is taking a few days to observe the nation’s birthday next week, so please watch for your week-ending edition this Friday and your regularly scheduled Calendar Newsletter on Monday, July 1. After that, we’ll be back at you with three fresh newsletters beginning July 8. More reminders to follow.
On one condition: Thank you, refrigerators and air conditioners, and those who build and maintain them.
Traffick stop: Back here on June 26, we open with the UN’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, an annual reminder of the General Assembly’s unwavering determination to confront dastardly drug-runners around the globe.
Cold start: Here in the States, we cool off with World Refrigeration Day, showing a little love – or a lot, especially during these unprecedented, climate change-influenced heat waves – for the global refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector.
And we’re also digging into one of our favorite refrigerated desserts today – it’s National Chocolate Pudding Day, celebrating Swiss Miss, Jell-O and every other brand (or homemade version) of the creamy-sweet treat every June 26.
Brush up: Finish your pudding and go brush your teeth – with a nod of thanks to Chinese Emperor Hongzhi, who patented the toothbrush on this date in 1498.
Decorations up: Christmas in July we’ve heard of, but Christmas in June? Sort of – the U.S. Congress declared the sacred Dec. 25 Christian observation a national holiday on June 26, 1870.
Gas up: German automotive engineer Carl Benz (or Karl, your call) earned a U.S. patent for his “self-propelling vehicle” on this date in 1888, marking the first American patent for a gasoline-powered automobile.
New heights: Coney Island’s most famous ride quickly defined modern roller coasters.
Going up (and down, real fast): Described by aviator Charles Lindbergh as “more thrilling than flying,” Coney Island’s famous Cyclone roller coaster opened to the public 97 years ago today.
Ring it up: And supermarket barcode scanners became a thing on June 26, 1974, when clerk Sharon Buchanan – behind the register at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio – made retail history.
The first product scanned using the Universal Product Code: a 67-cent multipack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum, which is now archived by the Smithsonian Institution.
Made a Messier of things: French astronomer Charles Messier (1730-1817) – who objectified modern stargazing with a groundbreaking astronomical catalogue of nebulae and star clusters – would be 294 years old today.
Yoshiro Nakamatsu: The emperor of ideas.
Also born on June 26 were U.S. Army Officer Abner Doubleday (1819-1893), who did not invent baseball (and never claimed to); Scottish mathematician, physicist and engineer Lord William Kelvin (1824-1907), who devised the absolute temperature scale, among other influential achievements; American novelist Pearl Buck (1892-1973), the first American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize; Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu (born 1928), whose record 3,300-plus patents – everything from hydrogen/oxygen generators to a “self-defense wig” – dwarfs all other innovators; and retired American astronaut Bernard Harris Jr. (born 1967), the first African American to walk in space.
The Captain: And take a bow, Derek Sanderson Jeter! The American businessman, baseball executive and retired professional shortstop – a 14-time American League All-Star and five-time World Series champion during his stellar 20-year career with the New York Yankees – turns 50 years old today.
Give your best to Mr. November at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips hit for a high average and your calendar events always make the play.
About our sponsor: Arthur Germain, founder of sponsor Brandtelling, has written a new book, “The Art of Brandtelling: Brand Storytelling for Business Success,” a how-to guide for strengthening customer relationships and increasing business profitability. Get your copy today and start building your unique brand story. Use code ILIR20 and get a 20 percent discount on the eBook bundle when you order from the Brandtelling website.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Book it: Veteran marketer Gregory Demetriou has compiled his knowledge and experience in a new book.
Corner-ing the market: Greetings from the corner office, where old pal Gregory Demetriou has been hard at work on “Ask A CEO: Hints, Tips & Observations,” a new book chronicling his more than 30 years in the marketing business.
The former NYPD detective – whose “Greg’s Corner Office” website is a well-known welcome lobby, of sorts, for Edgewood-based award-winning marketing mecca Lorraine Gregory Communications – packs his 235-page tome with wisdom, practical advice and motivational insights gleaned from his three-decades-plus as a business leader, his wide-ranging blog and his “Ask a CEO” interview sessions, including dozens of Q&As with chief executives from across Long Island and beyond. Topics range from better client identification to developing stronger customer relationships to strategic branding, with plenty of tips along the way about leading with compassion, investing smartly in technology and executive self-care.
Published by New Hampshire-based MindStir Media, the book is available in print and e-book formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and other online retailers. “I wrote the book to share situations, events and decisions that occur while running a company,” Demetriou told Innovate Long Island. “The what, why and how are valuable to colleagues and aspiring CEOs.”
Refinancing 101: With important capital-improvement projects in the works, two Long Island school districts will share more than $70 million in state-issued tax-exempt bonds.
The Hempstead Union Free School District ($39.4 million) and the East Islip Union Free School District ($31.7 million) are included in the $956 million-plus in low-cost bonds issued this month to 69 statewide school districts by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. The funding is earmarked for classroom additions and renovations, athletic field improvements, energy-efficiency upgrades, safety enhancements and technological updates, with districts in each of the state’s 10 economic zones receiving assistance and the Southern Tier collecting the lion’s share (roughly $171 million spread over 12 school districts).
Through 114 bond-funding rounds, the DASNY has now distributed $8.8 billion-plus to more than 350 school districts via the refinancing program, which replaces short-term capital-improvement debt – already approved by district voters – with long-term, fixed-rate financing. “DASNY is proud to support school districts by providing low-cost financing,” DASNY President and CEO Robert Rodriguez said Tuesday. “The capital projects … can be used to enhance learning environments and provide the best opportunities possible for our students all across New York.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Toxic shock: An alarming Stony brook University study finds an irrefutable link between toxic exposure and the development of dementia – under the age of 60 – in 9/11 responders.
Definitive dialogues: Leading lawyers, dedicated doctors, ingenious inventors, exemplary executives and more dazzling doers are waiting to speak to you … catch their inspired ideas and other life lessons on Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast, delivering big-league business intelligence one conversation at a time.
VOICES
America is dangerously overweight – bad for individual health and the national economy – and Voices Healthcare Anchor Terry Lynam, Northwell Health’s former vice president/chief public relations officer, places a double serving of blame on deceitful food companies and dishonest “nutritionists” serving up half-truths and outright lies.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Smart pills: Artificial intelligence adds GPS-like functionality to oral meds that know where to go. Tech Xplore leads the way.
Smart plants: It’s next-generation nature as living air purifiers go online. TechRadar sows new seeds.
(Not so) smart vacation: AI-assisted “travel fraud” is trying to ruin your trip. Pymnts.com sniffs out scams.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Cadana, a New York City-based global payroll technology platform, raised $7.4 million in funding led by Costanoa Ventures, Better Tomorrow Ventures and 500 Startups.
+ Molten Industries, a California-based decarbonization startup focused on converting natural gas into clean graphite and hydrogen, raised $25 million in Series A funding led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
+ Semperis, a New Jersey-based identity-driven cybersecurity provider, raised $125 million in growth funding led by J. P. Morgan and Hercules Capital.
+ Huntress, a Maryland-based cybersecurity provider for small businesses, raised $150 million in Series D funding led by Kleiner Perkins and Meritech Capital.
+ Aymium, a Minnesota-based renewable biocarbon producer, raised $50 million in debt funding. Backers included Fortress Investment Group and Kilonova Capital.
+ Berg Enterprises, a Texas-based mechanical, plumbing and pipefitting provider, raised $2.5 million in funding led by Antina 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 Brandtelling). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Heavy Weather Edition)
Safety first: ‘Tis the season.
Seeds of doubt: No, cloud seeding did not cause historic flooding.
Melting point: Why these heat waves are terrible for the economy.
Bolt from the blue: How to stay safe during lightning season.
Clear skies: Please continue supporting the amazing agencies that support Innovate Long Island, including Brandtelling, where clarity of thought – and bright and sunny brand stories – fill the forecast. Check them out.
