ADELANTO – The founders of a Victor Valley business were crowned Technology Entrepreneurs of the Year during the 11th annual 2013 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards ceremony. Co-founders Kevin Mahaffy and Eric Schmidt of Exquadrum Inc. in Adelanto took home the Technology Entrepreneur Award during “The Art of Entrepreneurship” event at the Ontario Convention Center.
Presented by Cal State San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, nine businesses took home awards in their respective categories during the Tuesday night black-tie event.
Nearly 600 attendees watched a short video explaining how the company works with rocket propulsion and munition technologies for the Department of Defense, NASA and other large aerospace contractors.
Founded in 2002, the Adelanto-based company was recognized for emphasizing leading edge creativity generating best practices, as they accomplish all stages of development for the rocket, energy and other industries.
“Our biggest project to date has focused on a thermalization technology that neutralizes chemical and biological agents,” Schmidt said. “That technology has been selected for inclusion in a larger weapon system in the coming federal fiscal year.”
Exquadrum has 27 employees and support staff between Adelanto, Victorville and Jupiter, Fla.
Spirit of the Entrepreneur organizers received 162 nominations this year. The list was narrowed down to 27 finalists in nine categories.
The award winners were selected by a team made up of previous Spirit of the Entrepreneur recipients.
“I couldn’t agree more with this decision,” said Abigail Jean, whose boyfriend works at Exquadrum. “Kevin and Eric, along with their awesome staff, work around the clock to develop technologies that help keep this great country safe, and being based in Adelanto, helps the desert community by bringing jobs and revenue to our area.”
For more information on Exquadrum, visit www.exquadrum.com. Visit www.inlandspiritawards.com for information on the award winners.
Rene De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com.
Read on Daily Press website: https://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20131122/NEWS/311229982
