iACTIV miniaturizes valves for airflow, making them as small as possible. The payoff for original equipment manufacturers is a product that’s more efficient, more compact and dramatically less expensive than anything used before.

Drummond and his two employees are developing MEMS (Micro-Electrical-Mechanical System) microvalves engineered into a range of configurations. With one field of use patent, Drummond is creating a refreshable Braille system computer monitor. A second application is for aircraft flight control systems. iACTIV has also submitted a patent application for a drug delivery system for respiratory therapy based on the technology, and is starting to explore other uses.

Drummond refers to his endeavor as “the new face of manufacturing.” By that he means that he’s incorporating high-tech innovations to serve Ohio’s traditional industries such as aerospace and drug production.

According to Drummond’s business plan, iACTIV’s main markets should generate $30 million in revenue by 2007, by which time he anticipates employing 30 to 40 engineering and production workers at the company’s location in Cleveland’s Midtown Corridor.

But first, the short term: “Within nine months we need to lock in funding,” says Drummond. That means raising more than $3 million in the next year or so.

With both an MBA and a doctorate in engineering—as well as stints at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Nordson Corporation, Invacare and Orbital Research (from which he’s licensing the technology)—Drummond feels up to the task: “The prototypes work, and we already have back orders from people who want the industrial (aerospace) product.”

Reprinted from COSE Update magazine