The Hudson Library & Historical Society’s Winter/Spring 2012 Entrepreneurship Series culminates at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16 with its popular “Entrepreneur Success Stories” panel consisting of individuals who have taken the plunge into starting their own business and have lived to tell their tale. Each of the businesses featured on this year’s panel are in different stages of development and success, yet all have a unique story and perspective to relate.

Intelligent Mobile Support CEO, John W. Steidley, Ph.D, is an innovator ahead of his time. Long before mobile phones and apps were commonplace, Steidley envisioned a solution that would allow the mobile workforce to be just as connected, informed, and engaged as those in a corporate office environment. Armed with this vision and 25 years of experience supporting field sales and customer service employees across the globe, he founded Intelligent Mobile Support, a mobile workforce productivity tool. His innovation connects a mobile workforce to experts and information often buried inside organizations. Steidly has a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, is an author, inventor and patent holder who has launched over 100 new products and options. Intelligent Mobile Support is one of JumpStart’s portfolio companies and received a $250,000 investment from the organization in 2011.

Victoria Tifft, president and CEO of Clinical Research Management, Inc. (ClinicalRM), founded the company in 1994 to respond to customer needs for clinical research services for two of the nation’s largest federal research laboratories. Through her vision and leadership, ClinicalRM has grown from three employees in 1994 to over 350 today.

Ms. Tifft began her journey in the US Peace Corps in West Africa in the field of infectious disease control. then continued on as a biologist for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and as a manager and coordinator of the Ronald McDonald House.  Following her work at the Smithsonian, Ms. Tifft recognized the need for a centralized clinical research center. In 1994, she was instrumental in the creation of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trials Center. Today, ClinicalRM is a full service Contract Research Organization that supports the entire product life-cycle development of FDA-regulated biologics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The company is working on finding cures for malaria and other infectious diseases and has expertise in a wide range of infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, wound infection, and disease surveillance. The ClinicalRM team is also on the forefront of leading technologies addressing traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, mental health, stem cell, and regenerative medicine.

Hudson’s own Vertical Runner is a running specialty store that recently expanded to a second location in Brecksville. Co-founders and co-owners Steve Hawthorne and Vince Rucci started the business in 2003. Hawthorne does double duty with his day job as the Director of Advancement at Kent State University. Prior to Vertical Runner, he worked in various industries including retail banking, corporate finance, and management consulting and also has significant experience in pharmaceutical sales, medical device sales, and non-profit development.

Rucci describes himself as “husband, father, ultra-runner, owner at Vertical Runner, race director, and race organizer.” Called “the unofficial mayor of endurance running in Northeast Ohio” by the Plain Dealer, Rucci is an avid runner and trainer who serves as an inspiration to the store’s many customers.

Come hear how these individuals made their idea into reality. The Entrepreneurship Series is made possible with the support of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, which supports the library’s Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Research. To register for this free event, register online at hudsonlibrary.org.