NEWS

NEWS

April 23, 2021

Three-day Edison Awards offers innovation presentations, networking

By: Vicki Parsons - IT

April 15, 2021

Attendees at the 2019 Edison Awards Gala. The awards recognizing innovation success are named after Thomas Alva Edison. COURTESY PHOTO

Attendees at the 2019 Edison Awards Gala. The awards recognizing innovation success are named after Thomas Alva Edison. COURTESY PHOTO

The Edison Awards is planning its 34th annual celebration in the city that its namesake, Thomas Edison, called home. The event takes place April 21-23 in the city of Fort Myers and organizers are offering Southwest Florida residents a $350 savings to attend the event.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting the Edison Awards in Fort Myers, a city that our namesake considered home,” said Edison Universe Executive Director Frank Bonafilia. “Our new location has enabled us to provide attendees a number of exciting learning and networking opportunities at some unique venues.”

The Edison Awards agenda features a broad range of executive-level networking opportunities, panel discussions, presentations and field trips with topics ranging from solar energy to space.

The event will kick off on April 21 with an opening reception at the former winter home of Thomas Edison: Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

The Edison Awards will celebrate Earth Day in a unique way on April 22. A full day of educational activities — both live and virtual — will take place at Babcock Ranch, America’s first solar-powered town, straddling Charlotte and Lee counties, just north of Fort Myers. Guest speakers include 2021 Edison Achievement Award Honorees Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive officer of the innovative carbon recycling company LanzaTech, and Reinhold Schmieding, founder and CEO of orthopedic surgical tools company Arthrex.

The three-day event will culminate with the Edison Awards Gala, where the best in innovation will be recognized and honored at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center.

This year’s list of finalists includes six from the state of Florida: Arthrex, Babcock Ranch, Black & Veatch, eco- SPEARS, Florida Gulf Coast University and NeoGenomics.

A full event schedule and registration information can be found at www.edisonawards.com. Southwest Florida guests may receive $350 off the ticket price using the discount code SWFLRES.

Event sponsors include the city of Fort Myers, The Horizon Foundation, Florida Power & Light Company, Babcock Ranch, Black & Veatch, NeoGenomics, Sabic, Arrow Electronics and Behmke Innovation Group LLC.

The awards recognizing innovation success are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose inventions, new product development methods and innovative achievements changed the world, garnering him 1,093 U.S. patents and making him a household name around the world.

The Edison Awards are operated by Edison Universe, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of fostering innovations and innovators. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com