US Airways - December 2013 - (Page 94)

IMAGINATION UNBOUND From futuristic screens to high-tech tape, innovation ﬂourishes in Charlotte USA. T1Visions' inTouch Interactive Walls By Gina Carroll Howard # 94 DECEMBER 2013 usairwaysmag.com needed for technology start-ups, including researchers, engineers, and skilled technicians," Feldman says, adding he also has discovered the area to be a good source for angel investors and venture capital. But not all innovative companies in Charlotte USA are young ones. Shurtape Technologies, LLC, has its roots in a yarn-spinning company that began in 1880. Through a combination of acquisitions, partnerships with inventors, and its own ideas, the privately held Hickory, North Carolina-based company has developed a reputation for innovation and has become one of the largest global adhesive tape manufacturers. One of its consumer brands, FrogTape, changed the painter's tape market by using a patented edge-treatment technology to prevent paint from bleeding under the tape. Its Duck Tape brand has over 200 options, including colors like Funky Flamingo. With unlimited means for self-expression, Duck Tape pops up as wallets, purses, and even prom wear for the annual Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. The brand boasts nearly 5.5 million Facebook fans who help fuel innovation with product suggestions. "Innovation is about stretching the bounds of how you think about a product or a market," says Shurtape CEO Stephen Shuford, the ﬁfth generation of his family to lead the company. "We have more ideas than our research and development department can metabolize. There are oceans of ideas out there, and a critical aspect of being an innovative company is to tap into creativity and ingenuity wherever it exists." With this much inspiration, it's no wonder that innovation ﬂourishes in Charlotte USA. Shurtape Technologies' Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest FOR MORE ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE REGION, GO TO CHARLOTTEUSA.COM. PHOTOS (FROM TOP) COURTESY OF T1VISIONS AND SHURTAPE TECHNOLOGIES In a dramatic scene in Minority Report, Tom Cruise uses DreamWorks movie magic to toss images around on a futuristic screen. T1Visions has done Spielberg one better. The company's inTouch Interactive Walls, measuring ﬁve feet tall and ﬁfteen feet wide, allow visitors in corporate lobbies, hotel atriums, and universities to toss pictures and videos from one end to another, or to touch the screen and split it so multiple users can run different applications simultaneously. "We saw a revolution coming in touch screens for mobile devices," says T1Visions president Mike Feldman, a former University of North Carolina at Charlotte professor who holds more than 80 patents, including one for the "tossing" technology. "We felt that there was a need for touch-screen products that could bring people together." The Charlotte-based company designs custom software and makes hardware for its wall and table models in a variety of settings. The ﬁve-year-old business has experienced explosive growth, moving from a three-room house to increasingly larger ofﬁce parks. "We have found the Charlotte region to be rich in the personnel http://www.usairwaysmag.com http://www.CHARLOTTEUSA.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - December 2013

Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Vacation Memories
Hub Crawl: Miami International Airport
Wine & Dine: Holiday Fizz
Diversions: Going Whole Hog
Diversions: Time Travel
Style Spotlight: Holiday Bling
Adventure: North Carolina's High Country
Adventure: Arizona Story
Adventure: Sled Dog Racing
Gear Up: Stocking Stuffers
Great Escapes: Charleston Place Hotel
Great Escapes: Hotel Palomar in Washington, DC
Travel Feature: Costa Rica
US Airways: Tower Talk
Celebrate Tucson, AZ
Health Matters: Miami Foot and Ankle Surgery
Charlotte, USA
Must Read: I Got Schooled
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - December 2013