Y-Carbon, Inc., a nanotechnology startup developing an innovative method of making and tailoring novel, nanostructured carbon materials with applications in energy storage, medical products, life science research, filtration and purification systems, announced today that Edward L. Erickson has been appointed CEO and a Director.

Mr. Erickson has served as president, CEO or director of a dozen such companies, four of which successfully completed IPOs during his tenure. He has raised more than $500M in equity and debt capital in both the private and public capital markets. Ed will serve Y-Carbon initially on a part-time basis pending completion of certain other entrepreneurial projects.

Y-Carbon, founded in 2004, is a materials science company with an initial focus in energy applications. Y-Carbon has obtained broad and exclusive rights to intellectual property in the field of carbide derived carbon (CDC), which is an innovative “tuneable” nano-porous, high specific surface area material invented by Prof. Gogotsi’s team in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. The company is currently based in the Philadelphia Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) and is a spin off from the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute. Y-Carbon is also a portfolio company of the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center and The Nanotechnology Institute of Ben Franklin Technology Partners Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Read more about Erickson’s move to Y-Carbon CEO

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Dave Speers is an online marketing consultant and blogger that has worked with a wide variety of Philadelphia Start-Ups . Dave spends most his time annoying really smart people at Indy Hall co-working collaborative.

And when you have a chance, check out all 40 Buse-isms. You can justify the time as an investment into your business education

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Entrepreneur, Statesman, diplomat, educator, inventor, author, printer, philosopher, scientist, shopkeeper, musician, economist, public servant and American hero.

In response to an alarming number of helicopter crashes, the U.S. Army once built a helicopter with two engines. In theory, this backup engine would reduce the number of crashes. If one engine went out, the pilot could simply turn the other engine on.

In practice, however, the dual-engine choppers actually had more serious accidents than single-engine versions. It turned out that having the option of engaging the second engine was diverting the pilots’ attention from the immediate challenge - landing safely. At the first sign of an engine malfunction, the pilots were taking their focus off flying the aircraft as they attempted to switch between engines. The second engine proved to be a dangerous distraction rather than a helpful option.

Performance Principle: In a crisis, too many options can cause paralysis. When coaching individuals who have an immediate problem, help them to pick one strategy that they will stick to for the short term. This keeps them focused and gets them working toward a solution. Later, the strategy can be modified or even abandoned. But often, people need to work rather than think their way out of trouble.

A question: Do you have people who are paralyzed by too many potential solutions to a pressing problem? If so, how can you help them to choose and stick to one strategy that will get them moving forward?

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Eric has 18 years of experience in recruiting, coaching, and motivating business people. Previous to founding his firm Clarius, Eric was an executive recruiter, working with Fortune 500 and mid-market companies to identify and recruit CFOs, Controllers and financial staff for their organizations.

Anyone who has ever been in charge of organizing and managing ticket sales for anything larger than a 4th grade trumpet recital can tell you it’s a confusing pain in the arse. Now, move that process online, multiply the ticket buyers by a hundred and add in some government privacy protection laws and you’ve got a hot mess on your hands. Enter Ticketleap.com, the simple app for selling tickets online. Philly’s own Ticketleap.com has been making the ticket selling process easier for a couple years now and has recently expanded their services to the hugely popular social network website Facebook.com . I interview Chris Stanchak, founder of Ticketleap.com, to get an update on the Facebook App, why he started a company in Philly and how they’ll take on the ticketing giant Ticketmaster.

When you have a chance, check out Chris’s Top Ten Ways to sell more tickets.
or this other uppity profile on Chris with it’s fancy-dancy lights and ‘impressive’ equipment: (We prefer to keep it real here in Philly )

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Dave Speers is an online marketing consultant and blogger that has worked with a wide variety of Philadelphia Start-Ups . Dave spends most his time annoying really smart people at Indy Hall co-working collaborative.

Continuing a long-running downward trend, Philadelphia lost more residents between 2000 and 2007 than any U.S. city except hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.

Population in the city decreased from 1,517,550 to 1,449,634 in the seven years, a loss of nearly 68,000 people, according to Greg Harper, a demographer for the bureau.

That drop of 4.5 percent represents the largest percentage loss in population of a top-25 U.S. city between 2000 and 2007, figures show.

Philadelphia’s population peaked at 2,071,605 in 1950, and has dwindled ever since. The city’s current population is the lowest since the start of the 20th century, when the number of residents increased from 1.3 million in 1900 to 1.6 million in 1920, figures show.” - courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer

You know what a Phillypreneur thinks during times like these? That’s right, CHEAP PROPERTY! Now is the time to grab up as much property as possible before this half century depopulation trend completely turns (with economic and environmental incentives driving people back into the city, it’s already starting!). Get a piece of the action now before it’s too late.

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Entrepreneur, Statesman, diplomat, educator, inventor, author, printer, philosopher, scientist, shopkeeper, musician, economist, public servant and American hero.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist La’Mont Graves is working on a show [about every day heroes]. Growing up poor in South Philadelphia, Graves’ life consisted of “getting beat up at home by my father and then dodging gang fights at school.” Many cold, winter nights were spent sleeping in the park with his mother and two siblings. But Graves rose above the nightmare to become a successful corporate event planner and founder of the DreamLink Foundation, which supports needy families in four cities (Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles) with clothing, food and educational assistance. DreamLink was the launching pad for “Everyday Heroes”, an uplifting new TV series in which La’Mont Graves honors individuals who have overcome tremendous challenges and who are working selflessly to help others.

- Courtesy of Urban Thought Collective
Read more about Graves’s new show, Every Day Heroes
Read more about the specifics of LG’s entrepreneurial journey

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Entrepreneur, Statesman, diplomat, educator, inventor, author, printer, philosopher, scientist, shopkeeper, musician, economist, public servant and American hero.

The following is an excerpt from Bizcovering’s inspiring article on Six Excuses That Must be Discarded to Become a Millionaire.

Here’s my favorite example from Excuse #3: I Have No Capital

Another poor man who captured the world’s imagination was Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, writer and inventor. He was the youngest child in the brood of 16. Though his parents owned a candle shop in Boston, Massachusetts, the mean income could not support comfortably with the whole family. Young Benjamin did not think much of food and what to eat because he had been told not to do so, he hardly eat delicious food. His older siblings had large appetite and would jam the table even before Ben could occupy his chair. When he realized that his father could no longer afford to send him to school, he decided to work in his brother’s printing shop. Much of his earnings went to books. He adored poetry and short stories. Amidst poverty, young Ben dreamed big things; he practiced writing, though he did not know the very basic of that profession. Then his brother started beating him cruelly, this prompted Ben to run away, with little bucks left in his pocket, he stole down to Boston harbor and went to New York City. Ben had nothing except clean t-shirt and the pants he wore. In New York, he was not accepted for any work, so he went to Philadelphia, because he had no money to pay for the transportation, he endured the long miles walking the rocky roads and sleeping at the fields at night, by the time he reached Philadelphia he was tired, dirty and hungry.

Benjamin accepted odd jobs and work day and night until he earned enough money to support his schooling. Later in his colorful journey, he founded his own printing shop, invented the first gas stove, published stories and became America’s most celebrated statesman.(trivia: When Benjamin owned a company, he noticed a young man, 14 years his junior, who was prone to failures despite his aggressiveness in work, though this young man armed with undisputed talent, intellect and strengths, he was easily intimidated and discouraged with slightest mistakes. Benjamin decided to train this man and making his own struggles in life as example, he taught him how to conquer odds, the result was remarkable, this man became an asset of the company which later on made him a successful professional, he later on quit his job and joined politics, but the great lesson Benjamin Franklin taught him never fade in his mind and he used it as his springboard as he soared high in his career. That young man was none other than James Madison, who became the fourth US President. It’s amazing to know that his great teacher in life was a poor stow away boy from Boston who once endured walking a rocky road, tired and dirty just to reach his dreams.

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Dave Speers is an online marketing consultant and blogger that has worked with a wide variety of Philadelphia Start-Ups . Dave spends most his time annoying really smart people at Indy Hall co-working collaborative.

There haven’t been any sightings of Tom Kat wearing Ryan Howard jerseys, but that doesn’t mean Philly hasn’t gotten all uppity and gone Hollywood. Ever since the PA lawmakers signed into effect Act 55 of 2007, Creativity in Focus, a plethora of Hollywood Production Studios have descended on Philly and the surrounding burbs, including M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening,” “The Lovely Bones,” staring Mark Wahlberg, “Happy Tears,” staring Demi Moore and Parker Posey, “The Dream of the Romans,” staring Lauren Graham and Jeff Daniels, and “Transformers II” with Hollywood ‘It boy’ Shea Leboeuf.

According to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development reports, the tax credit has resulted in more than $300 million in direct economic activity in Pennsylvania, which has created an estimated 4,355 jobs and generated nearly $20 million of new tax revenue.

Here’s exactly what the tax credit provides:

Effective July 1, 2007, Pennsylvania provides a 25% Film Production Tax Credit for film production expenses incurred in the Commonwealth. The transferable tax credit is available for feature films, TV shows and series, and commercials intended for a national audience. In order to qualify for the tax credit, 60 percent of the total production expenses must be incurred in Pennsylvania. No more than $75 million per year can be awarded” - courtesy of Greater Philadelphia Film Office

The best part: The budget for the tax credit was renewed for 2009! Score.

Note to Phillypreneurs:
If you want in on the cash cow of major motion picture production, there are a lot of opportunities for the industrious. A need for traditional services like craft services (catering on set) , courier services, location scouting and lodging management all come with the big budget caravan. Considering how huge these film budgets are and that they will pay almost anything to keep they’re high-end cast and crew happy, there are plenty of more entrepreneurial opportunities.

More about the PA Film Production Tax Incentive:
Innovation Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia Film

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Entrepreneur, Statesman, diplomat, educator, inventor, author, printer, philosopher, scientist, shopkeeper, musician, economist, public servant and American hero.

Ever since that first move off campus, all other moves have been determined by the need for a great place to socialize over great beer and food within walking distance of my home. That’s how I came to meet Scoats, the owner operator of my home away from home, The Grey Lodge Pub.

Scoats and his partner Patrick McGinley have created a space that dazzles the taste buds. They offer choices in an area where it’s mostly the same old stuff from one space to the next. I was curious about how Scoats has not only stayed the course by going against the grain, but innovated and succeeded through the hard times to become the nationally recognized success that he has today. Scoats was gracious enough to sit down for ten quick questions:

1. What do you do for a living? how did you get started in the business? Was that something you always wanted to do?

I own and operate The Grey Lodge Pub, a beer bar and restaurant in Northeast Philadelphia. I have been doing it for 14 years.I worked my way through college in the restaurant and nightclub business. After realizing I wasn’t going to last 20+ years in a cubicle the Fortune 500 world, I decided the restaurant business was a business I could do. While it didn’t start out as a dream, it has evolved into one, which maybe why I am doing it after 14 years.

2. What one word would you use to describe where you are and what you have accomplished?

Established.

3. What would you do with your life if today if you knew you could not fail?

Open a 2nd location in another city. Or I’d become a full time writer and artist.

4. What characteristics or traits do you believe successful people have in common?

Persistence, determination, and imagination.

5. How do you plan to change what you do today to grow your business for the future?

My business might be right-sized as it is. If we do expand, I would need to hire a manager to do a lot of what I do.

6. How did you get others to believe in your dream?

Persistence, and chasing a dream that others were dreaming (for a good beer bar to exist in Northeast Philly).

7. What was the biggest mistake you made along the way?

Choosing the wrong partner initially.

8. What kind of formal/ informal education do you have?

College degree, CPA certification.

9. What advice would you offer to someone starting out?

Be able to happily live cheaply for many years when you are starting out. Expect to work long hours for many years.

10. What is the one accomplishment that gave you the greatest sense of pride in what you are doing?

Being listed as one of the best bars in America by Esquire Magazine. We were also Ranked #25 nationwide by the Beer Advocate

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Melissa Centifonti was born and raised in Philadelphia. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and spent her early career in art education. She currently works as a realtor on the Centifonti-Lippman Team in the Keller Williams Realty office, located in Washington Square.

This change can be witnessed in places like Atlanta, Georgia, Detroit, Michigan, and Dallas, Texas, said Leinberger, where once rundown downtowns are being revitalized by well-educated, young professionals who have no desire to live in a detached single family home typical of a suburbia where life is often centered around long commutes and cars.

Instead, they are looking for what Leinberger calls “walkable urbanism” — both small communities and big cities characterized by efficient mass transit systems and high density developments enabling residents to walk virtually everywhere for everything — from home to work to restaurants to movie theaters.

So what does this mean for Philly? Most likely it means more and more suburbanites and would-be suburbanites will be moving into Center City and ‘Near’ Center City neighborhoods to escape the financial black hole of large properties and white picket fences. So what does that mean for Phillypreneurs? Buy property now! When looking for new business opportunities, think of what suburbanites are comfortable with. Could they bring their love of grass and green space with them? Will we see urban garden centers popping up? Will WaWa make a new resurgence in the city? Who knows for sure, but rest assured the city and it’s demographics are changing and ripe for some entrepreneurial ingenuity to guide it.

Read the full story on CNN.com

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Entrepreneur, Statesman, diplomat, educator, inventor, author, printer, philosopher, scientist, shopkeeper, musician, economist, public servant and American hero.