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RFID center opens doors to public for first time

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Jan Underwood Demetrius Powers of Smart RF Solutions shows a radio frequency identification pass card used in the company's "smart park" automated vehicle identification system. The system for parking lot access is being used at Wright State University. The company was among those present for an open house at the Dayton RFID Convergence Center Thursday, Oct. 29.

By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 11:54 PM Thursday, October 29, 2009

DAYTON — The Dayton RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Convergence Center, touted as the first RFID business incubator in the world, threw open its doors to the public for the first time Thursday, Oct. 29.

Area political leaders as well as representatives of companies like Cincinnati’s Procter & Gamble, Miamisburg’s Avery Dennison and Lexington, Ky.’s Lexmark could be found wandering the center at the city’s new Tech Town business park on Monument Avenue. Also on hand were leaders of companies who are the center’s first five tenants.

Having all of them under one roof at the same time excited Brad Proctor, the center’s director.

“We’re reaching beyond our borders,” Proctor said, referring to the center’s attention from beyond Dayton.

While the center was open to the public in the afternoon, invited guests to a morning event had tickets embedded with RFID tags. The center could “monitor” as guests arrived and dropped tickets off.

Among the center’s first tenants are Lackawanna Logistics Inc., founded by a Brooklyn, N.Y. entrepreneur, and RES RFID Enabled Solutions of Dublin, Ohio.

Asked what he wanted most from his company’s involvement with the Dayton center, Ryan Jones, in charge of business development for RES, said, “Help us with sales. Help us generate leads to connect into sales.”

Jones believes his company has technology that will aid oversight of retail logistics and ticket sales. Now, he needs customers.

“I think RFID is ripe over here,” said Benson Chanowitz, chief executive for Lackawanna, which is developing a way to quickly measure how completely radio frequencies are detected. “The people are hungry. I think the worst thing to do is throw in the towel.”

That’s the kind of business Proctor believes can best be helped by the center. . Proctor wants “pre-revenue” start-ups with RFID intellectual property and at least the start of a solid business plan — and a need for help to that next step.

The center is meant to help “great technologists” who may not yet be great entrepreneurs, he said.

The center has four more possible tenants “in the pipeline,” he added.

Said Proctor, “They’re all converging here. That’s what we are — a convergence center.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Your comments are a great indicator of your ignorance. I bet all of you own a cell phone... if the gov. was going to track you, they would use the SIM card in your cell phone. Educate yourself on the topic before you comment on it.

TheShepard
2:59 PM, 11/4/2009

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Country of Sheep

Yes
4:27 PM, 11/2/2009

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LOL! Yes this is a company of Sheep...Should have realized that after the 9/11 show!!!!!

Yes
4:26 PM, 11/2/2009

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Why waste time? Just tatoo the #666 on the all
the two legged sheep forehead or back-of-their-hand.

ezednnv
10:54 PM, 10/30/2009

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RFID is the devil but if smart rf can help me get out out of the parking lot sooner then thats A OK with me!!!!!!