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2007 National Tibbetts Award in Washington D.C.
Published in October 2007

Named for Roland Tibbetts, the person acknowledged as the father
of the SBIR program, these prestigious, national awards are made
annually to those small firms, projects, organizations and individuals
judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement.

The emphasis is on recognizing those accomplishments where, in the
judgment of those closely involved and often most immediately
affected, the stimulus of SBIR funding has made an important and
definable difference.

In selection for Tibbetts Awards, the focus is primarily on:

  • Economic impact of technological innovation
  • Business achievement and effective collaborations
  • Demonstrated state and regional impact and proven support


 Tibbetts Awards: An initiative of the non-profit Small Business
Technology Council (SBTC) with support from NASA, NSF, DoD,
Department of the Navy, NIH, DARPA, Boeing, The Association for
 Manufacturing Technology, Cybernet, Dawnbreaker, Gregg Olson,
ATF, Homeland Venture, RMD, PBC, and Physical Sciences, Inc.
Additional sponsors are pending and other sponsors are welcome.


Department of the Navy - success stories -
 Published August 2007, page 6

 

 

 

Economic Yearbook 2007
Published 4/1/2007 in Florida Trend

Stuart / Martin County

 Innovator (Stuart)
John Justak, founder and president of 10-employee Advanced Technologies Group in Stuart, works with NASA and the Defense Department on engine turbines, instrumentation and other highly technical work. Justak (pictured here with an L.E.D. array used to transfer power to electronics equipment for future use in the Joint Strike Fighter) wants more commercial work in 2007. Photo: Jeffrey Camp

SLOW GROWTH: Famous for its fear of joining the south Florida metropolis, Martin continues to look askance at major growth. That said, there's no shortage of pioneering ideas from existing businesses, such as Stuart's Advanced Technologies Group, a developer of novel engineering answers for problems defying conventional solutions. Founder and President John Justak's hunt for a place to put a new engine test lab typifies the Martin quandary. "I like living here because of all the restrictions, but trying to do business is different," Justak says. The exception in Martin is the more welcoming community of Indiantown, which will see 6,300 new homes in a few years.

The Stuart News 
Section: Business
Edition: All Dailies - Page: D1

 Tech trailblazers


Byline: Kate Grusich staff writer

With a background in ocean engineering and rocket engine development, John Justak always had a lot of novel ideas when it came to emerging technology. So when he felt his employer -- Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co. -- was moving away from research and development, he packed his bags and never looked back. Now, almost eight years after starting his fledgling Advanced Technologies Group in Stuart, Justak and his staff are becoming the darlings of the industry -- quickly reaping an enviable list of government contracts. "When they began moving away from R&D, I thought, 'Maybe I can do this on my own,'" Justak said. "And it's been great. I'm very pleased with our work." Founded in 1997, Advanced Technologies Group offers services ranging from applied research to software and data system development. The five-person staff -- some of whom hail from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution -- has found significant success through the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, program. The competitive program allows small firms the opportunity to win federal research grants for innovative technologies that benefit government operations. The program helps fund the startup and development stages and provides the incentive to commercialize those technologies.

 

In recent years, Advanced Technologies has received a number of separate government contracts through the program. It is working with the Navy to develop an active balance system for the Joint Strike Fighter and has joined forces with the Army to create high-temperature advanced seals for aircraft. Rounding out the list of current projects are two funded through NASA. One involves the development of a propellant mass gauge for space exploration, while the other entails a cryogenic flow sensor for zero-gravity applications. Sounds complex? Well, it is. Essentially, this means -- among other things -- the Stuart company will have a hand in assisting astronauts in space and improving the fuel efficiency of military and commercial aircraft. "They're the cream of the crop," said Carol Van Wyk, an SBIR program manager for Naval Air Systems Command in Maryland. "The goal of the program is to get better products out to the fleets. Advanced Technology has been really good at reading what the customer wants." The private company generated about $500,000 in revenue last year, an amount expected to increase. Although the bulk of the firm's business caters to Defense Department needs, Justak said many of the company's patented technologies have future commercial applications, even benefiting transportation and home health care. "What we're trying to do is develop some commercial products so it's not just all funded R&D," said Justak. "Now, about 90 to 95 percent of our work is with the government. We'd like it to be 90 to 95 percent commercial instead." - kate.grusich@scripps.com Advanced Technologies Group Core business: Research and development Location: 641 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart Principal: John Justak Employees: 5 Phone: (772) 283 0253 Web: www.advancedtg.com
 


 

 

Friday, February 20, 2004
Business Section D

 Navy pact buoys Stuart Firm

By Susan T. Port
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

STUART - Ideas are John Justak's stock in trade. And one of the engineer's ideas has landed his tiny Stuart-based company a very big military contract.

Late last month, Justak's Advanced Technologies Group Inc. was awarded a contract worth up to $25 million to design and build a turbine seal that would improve the fuel efficiency of military aircraft engines, U.S. Department of Defense officials said.

Justak, 42, has been working on the seal with the U.S. Navy since 2000. In April, he will start testing the seal at Rolls- Royce Plc's plant in Indianapolis. Opening a plant to manufacture the seal locally would provide his company with a steady stream of revenue, he said. More than 90 percent of Advanced Technologies' sales come from contracts with government agencies. 'It's all about coming up with an idea and seeing it through,' he said. 'Last year, all I wanted to do was license it. After meeting with potential investors and venture capitalists, I realize there is a huge opportunity.' 'Now I am thinking about assembling it here.'

Justak described the Navy contract as a 'big deal' for his firm, which employs five. The privately held company posted revenue of $500,000 last year, and revenue is expected to hit $800,000 this year. 'We're on the verge of the next stage,' he said. 'Hopefully, this latest Navy contract will take us there.'

Justak, who grew up in Valparaiso, IN., earned a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering from Florida International University in 1983. After working engineering jobs in Florida and New Hampshire, he signed on with Pratt & Whitney in 1989 and worked in the company's research & development division until 1997. He founded Advanced Technologies that year in a bid to stay involved in R&D, something he thought Pratt was moving away from.

Justak benefited from the congressional Small Business Innovation Research Program, which funds thousands of small businesses for high-tech research and development projects that solve government problems and also have potential for commercialization, said Jeff Bond, the program's administrator at the Defense Department.

Any government department with a budget of more than $100 million for research and development must participate, Bond said.

Advanced Technologies attained two patents through the program, he said.

Finding solutions is an ideal life's work for Justak, who always keeps pen and paper on hand in case and idea should strike.

'I develop things you can't buy off the shelf,' he said. 'It's not always technical ideas. Something could always be better.

Phase I awards:

 

NAVAIR SBIR Phase I: POD Mechanical Power production
 May 14, 2008

 

NAVAIR SBIR Phase I: Hybrid Lidar Radar Reviever for under water imaging application
 March 30, 2008

 

 

Phase II awards:

Army SBIR Phase II: Compliant Outer Air Seal
September 15, 2008
https://www.armysbir.com/awards/sbir_07ph1_topic.htm

Army SBIR Phase II CPP Extension: Hybrid Advanced Gas Turbine Seal
August 15, 2008

NASA Contract to develop a Mass Gauge For Zero Gravity
May 2, 2006

Army SBIR Phase II: Hybrid Advanced Gas Turbine Seal
February 15, 2006

NASA SBIR Phase II: Cryogenic Flow Sensor
December 2, 2005

NAVAIR SBIR Phase II: Solid-state Active-balance Powered-by-light
November 2, 2004

NAVAIR SBIR Phase II: Reverse Rotation Capable Turbine Seal
March 27, 2001

DOT SBIR Phase II: Portable Electronic Composite Track Loader
March 21, 2000

NASA SBIR Phase II: Optical Mass Gauge For Zero-Gravity
December 10, 1997

 NASA BAA Contract Award