Don Scipione Continues His Legacy of Cleveland-Based Innovation
Renner Otto’s Spotlight’s theme is “a good idea can change the world.” This month we shine the Spotlight on an inventor and entrepreneur who has world-changing ideas, Don Scipione. As far back as Don can remember he has been building things. As a kid he scoured the tree lawns of Cleveland Heights on trash-day looking for components for his inventions. At thirteen he built an electric powered go-cart with a truck starter-motor as the engine and powered by a car battery. He could tool around the neighborhood for twenty minutes before needing to recharge. Working on the production line in his father’s machine shop was his most important educational experience as it informed his perspective. Today, Don investigates and innovates solar panel systems to power our future.
Don left Northeast Ohio to pursue his education. After earning his Ph.D. in Experimental Elementary Particle Physics and participating in research groups at prestigious labs across the U.S., he returned to Cleveland, started teaching at Notre Dame College and launched ACME Express in 1979 to develop optimization software for the PC platform. His first applications were for truck routing and medical staff scheduling.
A challenge he encountered with Cleveland and the Midwest, in general, was a lack of venture capital, especially when compared to other parts of the country like Silicon Valley. A friend told him about Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) research grants, funds set aside by federal departments specifically for small businesses. His first attempt to win a grant from the National Institutes of Health was unsuccessful, but he was encouraged by the Ohio Department of Development to try again. He learned how to use valuable grant reviewer feedback and resubmit his proposals for better results. He became adept at grant writing and has won awards from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Don is on a mission to see how many different agencies and organizations he can work with before he runs out of ideas. He has recently submitted a proposal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is planning applications to the Air Force and National Science Foundation.
His recent projects focus on renewable energy: a racking system for solar arrays to reduce installation time and land use. In current solar arrays, array rows must be spaced out in a way to prevent erosion from rainwater runoff. Don’s solar racking system has built-in rainwater management. It reduces row spacing from 15 feet to 15 inches. Consequently, it reduces land requirements by 50%, allowing small and medium farms to keep more land agriculturally productive.
Along the way he became involved with area nonprofits like MAGNET, which promotes the region’s innovative manufacturing potential. In addition to working with MAGNET, his renewable energy projects have partnered with Northeast Ohio community resources such as NASA, Ohio Aerospace Institute, SDLE Research Center at Case Western Reserve University and Mazzella Companies. Don is an expert at tapping into the strong public, private and educational cooperation that can be found here in Northeastern Ohio. And he gives back to that collaborative atmosphere.
Over the years Don has mentored hundreds of future innovators by hiring students and graduates from Cleveland area colleges. He has never lost his enthusiasm for learning and tries his best to attend the weekly elementary particle / astrophysics lecture at the Case Western Physics Department.
Don (center) poses in front of panels.