Three Ohio-Based Companies Partner Ahead of Smart Cities Conference

TWINSBURG, Ohio, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Three Ohio-based companies have combined their resources and talents to tackle the challenges many cities face as they try to examine the merits of Smart Cities implementation. The United Nations defines Smart Cities as follows:

"A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses ICTs and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects."

Cleveland Electric Laboratories (CEL), Eco Development, and LogiSync are all Ohio companies that possess capabilities in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and IoT solutions which collectively remove many of the barriers for cities considering the adaptation of a Smart Cities approach. With nearly 150 years of combined experience in sensing, energy management, and IT automation the three companies feel the time is now to help cities and their benefactors find solutions that work.

Ashley Chance, the CEO of Eco Development stated, "Even without the recent turmoil in Ukraine and the preceding pandemic, it was becoming clear that resource management and efficiencies gained from smart services management generated cost savings and environmental advantages that could no longer be ignored. Now, with the current energy crisis looming and the National Smart Cities Conference being held in Columbus in a few weeks, we sensed an urgency in bringing our knowledge base together to inform the many Conference attendees that we are ready to assist them, not only here in Ohio, but anywhere in the world where governments or agencies may be considering these types of initiatives." Eco Development is a Mason, Ohio company that specializes in renewables, lighting retrofits and environmental consulting.

In examining the merits of the partnerships, the leaders of the companies began to realize that there was no "one size fits all" approach that would work, but that each Smart Cities' initiative needed to be considered on its own merits. Ed Yenni, the CEO of LogiSync, an Avon, Ohio - based company put it this way, "We have been on the forefront of services automation for over 25 years and each appliance we have automated or improved throughout our history had both benefits and provided new opportunities  that shaped our approach. For instance, when household electricity required an in-person check of the meter, we instinctively felt that a wireless communications solution would upend the industry  and we reacted. Now we are working with Cleveland Electric Laboratories, to automate their no-power sensing capabilities for Smart Cities use, eliminating the need for retrofitting cabling to automate city services." LogiSync has been on the leading edge of device automation for over a quarter century.

Smart Cities implementation is gaining momentum in a variety of ways. Technology has never really been the issue, but more the implementation of the schema is what often proves most challenging. This can be due to financial hurdles, which often require the investment be placed ahead of the efficiency gains. Across the globe innovative financing options are appearing from even the biggest brokerage houses in the world. Firms like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have created ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Funds with the sole purpose of making green energy and Smart Cities initiatives happen without the usual eye towards profit, but rather with a broader aperture towards social benefit.

Cleveland Electric Laboratories President, Alan Seymour explains, "Our meetings with international partners and federal agencies used to consist of gathering sensing requirements for national and international security purposes, now we are meeting with banks, investment firms, city managers and other technology providers to determine what sensors will be required to automate city services such as water and electrical provisioning as well as unique services such as more efficient trash removal and mass transit availability."

In the US, depending on the State's regulatory schema, a city considering adopting a Smart Cities approach could even see the financing paid for by simply having the reductions in their energy bill used to pay for the gains over time allowing for low or no upfront costs in making the improvements. What is clear is that momentum is behind the three companies, and they are hoping to entice the many city managers and decision makers attending this year's Smart Cities Conference from ideation to implementation.

Frank LaRose, Ohio's Secretary of State recently commented, "I'm always amazed at the innovative business ideas coming from Ohioans. It is especially gratifying that inventors and entrepreneurs are choosing to chase their dreams here at home, utilizing the vast business and technology resources we have all over the state." CEL, LogiSync, and Eco Development through their combined contributions intend to put Ohio in a position of prominence globally relating ESG initiatives and their global impact.

For more information pertaining to this press release, please feel free to reach out to Robert Riegle, J.D. Government Affairs Director at Cleveland Electric Laboratories via email or phone at [email protected] or 330 977-1897.

SOURCE Cleveland Electric Laboratories