Local businessmen honored by FIRST organization
April 20, 2003     Greenville Herald Banner

By Brad Kellar

Herald Banner Staff

Dean Kamen may refer to Innovation First as a "very small company", but that didn't stop the originator of the international For Inspiration of Robotics, Science and Technology (FIRST) Competition from honoring the Greenville business in a very big way earlier this month.

Kamen presented Tony Norman and Bob Mimlitch, partners in the local robotics and computer technology firm, with the 2003 Founder's Award during the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in Houston on April 12.

The Founder's Award is presented to one organization or individual for exceptional efforts in advancing the ideals and mission of FIRST.

Norman was still in shock about the recognition five days later.

"It is the pinnacle of our whole company," Norman said.  "It is the best thing we've ever done."

During the awards ceremony at Reliant Park stadium, Kamen noted how FIRST was just paying due to some of its own.

"We give the Founder's Award every year to somebody that allows it to happen ... that helps promote FIRST and allow it to scale up and grow," Kamen said.

The honor has been given to major corporations, entire cities and even EPCOT at Walt Disney World.

"This year ... it is going to somebody who you will all really appreciate, a very small company," Kamen said. "This company started as couple of guys on a team."

Norman and Mimlitch graduated from Greenville High School and went to work for Raytheon, where they became involved in the FIRST Robotics competition, which challenges students from across the United States and around the world to solve engineering problems using robotics technology.  They started competing in 1993.

"They were awesome, they won," Kamen said.

The pair were able to point out some defects in the system used by the competition and became the default technical support staff.

And, as FIRST began to grow, so did Innovation First.

"They started building complete systems to run our machines," Kamen said.

Innovation First has recently begun building Edu-Robotics kits, which help rookies compete in the FIRST Competition.

"Then, with only 14 people in their company, they've managed since 2000 to have somebody at every sing regional and every event we've run and they have run very smoothly, I'd say flawlessly," Kamen said.

This year, Innovation First provided $100,000 to help support four of the FIRST regionals.

"They've created technology, they've designed it, they've build it, they've donated," Kamen said. "They are committed.  My only problem is, what can we ask them for next?"

Innovation First is also involved with a variety of other technology-related products and services, such as slide mount brackets and related items for Yahoo to hold the Dell computers which provide its Internet services.