CQ Media released KidGopher at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 2011. Neil Willis, CQ Media’s CEO, says “We are so proud to be included in the products and fine companies for the best in DSE award. The staff at CQ Media Networks works hard to provide product that informs, educates and protects. And there is no greater mission for us than protecting our small children. KidGopher is off to a fantastic start and we look forward to developing great relationships with resellers that will represent this product to America’s schools.”

KidGopher has a unique system to ensure child security. Guardians or “Gophers” will have an RFID card created with all of their contact information and a photo ID. Each gopher card will be associated with the student(s) that gopher is permitted to pick up. Educators will scan the Gopher Cards during pick up to verify the identity of the guardian. Once approved, this information is then displayed in real time at the designated pick up location(s) using Hypersign Digital Signage. This information is also displayed on a touch pad device that the faculty/staff use to securely place each child in the proper vehicle. All of this information is archived so that administration can later retrieve the records.

“KidGopher provides a way to be certain that every adult is who they say they are, and they are picking up only the children they are allowed to pick up. Carpool lines are scary. Dismissal is the scariest time of the day. So when you have 150 to 200 cars, and 250 to 300 children, having this technology in place means that the adult is verified and the child is accurately placed in the right vehicle. It is priceless” says Denise Barth, Principal of North Springs Elementary School.

CQ Media Networks is working with state agencies to implement an Amber Alert System within the KidGopher solution and will be available soon. This will enable school administration to submit an alert should a child be taken by an invalid “Gopher”. Included in the alert will be records of the child, and the information about the kidnapper including the type of vehicle, personal appearance, and time of day when the child was taken.

For more information about KidGopher, contact Sarah Sain at 864.486.0267 ext. 126 or visit kidgopher.com.

About CQ Media Networks
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, CQ Media Networks is a software solutions company aimed at delivering high definition content to multiple device types. CQ Media Networks is a private company and a leader in the development of IP based content delivery systems. CQ Media serves the Education (K12 & Higher Education) and Healthcare vertical markets with innovative solutions such as HD quality IPTV, Dynamic Digital Signage Service, Content Management Systems and real-time delivery of live content to the web or Apple IPhone via CQ’s CloudCaster service. CQ Media has won many national and regional awards most recently the InnoVision Technology Award for “Innovative Product for Education”. CQ Media distributes its products through SYNNEX, Inc. to system integrators and resellers nationwide.

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Pictured in center is Cynergi Systems VP of Operations, Mike Whitman, and CEO, Neil Willis, at The Capital Corporation SC Fastest-Growing Companies award ceremony.

GREENVILLE, S.C., Nov. 11, 2010 – The Capital Corporation one of the most successful Investment Banking firms in the country announced the winners of the South Carolina’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2010 program today at the South Carolina’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Summit event. The ninth annual event was held at the Wild Dunes Resort at the Isle of Palms.

This year’s winners are a diverse sampling of exceptional businesses covering a broad spectrum in terms of size and industry sector. These businesses span the breadth of South Carolina, from the Upstate to the Midlands to the Coast, once again proving that success is not driven by physical location but by strategy and customer focus. Over a dozen cities from across the Palmetto state are represented this year with the greatest number of top performers representing Charleston/Mount Pleasant (8) followed by Greenville (6) and Columbia (3). This year we also welcome Goose Creek and Bluffton home of two of our honorees

1. Wild Creations – got its start in 2007 with EcoAquariums, self-contained ecosystems for African Dwarf Frogs. These compact and easy-to-maintain habitats were a hit with stores, and Wild Creations soon had distribution in 1500 stores in 48 states. In 2008, Wild Creations began selling the EcoAquariums and accessories through its own website, www.wildcreations.com. After selling more than 500,000 of the TIA Toy of the Year nominated-EcoAquarium in 2009, Wild Creations expanded its product selection to include several licensed European lines for 2010. More than 40 new products became available in toy and gift shops, and on the company’s website in summer 2010. The Myrtle Beach-based company is grounded in an understanding of the interconnection of the earth and the cosmos with a profound reverence for animals, plants, soil, water and air. This reverence toward life is the basis for how the company conducts business and the basis for choosing the organizations they support including The Sierra Club and The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. Wild Creations also partnered with the South Carolina’s Horry County Disabilities and Special Needs Board to employ a team of six severely disabled community members to assemble the EcoAquariums™. Wild Creations is also a proud member of ASTRA and NSSEA.

2. Pegasus Steel – Pegasus Steel is a professional heavy steel fabrication service center specializing in the cutting and forming of steel from both sheet and heavy plate in all grades of material, including stainless steel and aluminum.
Since its inception in 1994, Pegasus Steel has grown to be the supplier of choice to over 380 engineering facilities throughout Southern Africa, as well as exporting to the Middle East and Singapore. They currently process steel for over 80% of the heavy engineering industry in South Africa.

From humble beginnings with limited resources, Pegasus Steel is now the benchmark for quality and service within the South African steel industry. Pegasus Steel operates its headquarters out of a recently completed 104,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

3. Barling Bay – Established in 2002, Barling Bay offers leading edge solutions to Federal Government customers, with a focus on Systems Engineering, Information Assurance / Security, Research and Development as well as Management and Administration. They provide the appropriate people, processes, and quality programs to enable successful integration of programmatic, technical, and operational environments.

4. J H Global – JH Global Services imports and distributes STAR brand electric golf carts, golfing accessories, and industrial products to dealers nationwide. It also offers outsourcing services to U.S. companies that want to have parts or products made in China, especially engineered metal products.

5. Levelwing Media – Levelwing Media, founded in 2002, is a full service digital advertising agency headquartered in Charleston with offices in New York. The agency’s success is built on an approach to marketing and communication rooted in the measurable implications digital channels provide. They specialize in using real-time, best of breed technologies to generate actionable intelligence, moving away from “faith-based” advertising to measurable results.

6. Dennis Corporation – Dennis Corporation is a Columbia based engineering, surveying and construction management firm specializing in a wide range of projects. Dennis Corporation’s specific fields of expertise include aviation engineering, civil infrastructure, construction management, construction services, environmental services, expert witness, geotechnical engineering, intelligent transportation systems, program management, special projects, surveying, traffic engineering, transportation engineering and water resources.

7. CareCore National – CareCore National, founded in 1994, a specialty benefit management company, manages quality and utilization of outpatient diagnostic and cardiac imaging, cardiac implantable devices, oncology drugs and therapeutic agents, radiation therapy, sleep, pain and lab services. With a comprehensive and diverse portfolio of offerings, we provide seamless solutions to health plans that seek to manage these specialty health care segments more effectively. CareCore National currently manages more than 30 million lives. Our clients include some of America’s most well-known, trusted health plans.

8. Lindbergh & Associates – Lindbergh & Associates (L&A) is a multi-discipline consulting engineering firm that offers architectural, structural, and site/civil engineering, land planning/landscape architecture, surveying, and construction management services.

9. Thomas Glover Associates – Founded in 1980, TGA develops custom IT solutions for entities as small as a local retailer to as large as the United States Government. They are an authorized dealer for Cisco, Citrix, VMware, and many other industry leaders. They design, execute, and maintain the full spectrum of data networks with their team of certified engineers and technicians. TGA also offers custom software, web site, and consulting services.

10. Nason Medical Center – Nason Medical Center is a fully-equipped emergency and
urgent care facility. The technology used in their facility is equal to or greater than that found in any emergency room in the country. Their emergency room physicians are specialists trained to handle all types of emergencies from very minor to very complex.

11. Rhythmlink International – Founded in 2002, Rhythmlink has grown into a multi-million dollar neuro-diagnostic accessory manufacturer leading the industry today. Rhythmlink designs, manufactures and distributes neuro-diagnostic accessories, such as electrodes that monitor brain activity. Rhythmlink has their own manufacturing plant in China that allows them to offer their products at lower prices and it offers free overnight shipping.

12. International Public Works – Established in 2002, International Public Works is an Engineering and Construction firm that is owned and operated by registered professional engineers. Projects range from commercial to residential in the public and private sectors throughout South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. International Public Works, LLC has earned the reputation of being a highly qualified contractor in the Southeast. IPW has significant experience in new construction, renovations, civil engineering, operations and maintenance, electrical, and mechanical services.

13. SYS Constructors – SYS has been serving the southeastern United States since 1987 with quality construction and project management. Services include industrial, commercial, and institutional construction. Additionally, all services can include all or a part of project management, design services, code review / analysis, scheduling, estimating and site selection.

14. J Banks Design – for over 24 years of business J Banks Design, a full service professionally degreed interior design firm, had been dedicated to taking their work a step beyond the competition. Their philosophy of making the complicated simple and making the design process fun, creative and exciting has resulted in cultivating lifelong relationships. This has led to substantial growth and currently employ a total of 32 associates.

15. Human Technologies – Human Technologies is a fully integrated employment solutions company focusing on recruiting, hiring, and a host of critical HR Services. They go beyond traditional staffing companies to deliver customized programs with built-in metrics.

16. Heritage Healthcare – Founded in 1999, Heritage Healthcare is a unique independently owned company providing comprehensive rehabilitation services to long term care, assistant living and continuing care retirement communities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest regions of the US.

17. Weir Capital – A financial investment firm in Greenville, SC, focused on helping
high net-worth individuals reach their long-term investment goals.

18. Vapor Apparel – Manufacturer of high-quality performance apparel and bulk fabrics specifically engineered for digital decorating, screen printing, and embroidery. In addition to the development and manufacturing of the Vapor product line, Vapor Apparel works with their customers to build custom garments and full private label programs specializing in short-run production.

19. Sabal Homes – Established in 2005, Sabal Homes has emerged as a leader in the South Carolina homebuilding industry. Sabal Homes combines local knowledge and expertise with an unparalleled concern for their customers. Their extensive backgrounds in land acquisition, product development, construction and customer service has made them one of the most trusted homebuilders in the state.

20. Electric Guard Dog – Since it’s inception in 1973, Electric Guard Dog has evolved into a multi-faceted security business, best known for their patented Electric Guard Dog perimeter security, developed by company founder Bill Mullis. Today EGD has captured a dominant share of the national perimeter security market.

21. Network Controls & Electric – Network Controls & Electric provides high-quality single-source design, installation and maintenance of communication networks and electrical infrastructure. The company services leading organizations including educational facilities, healthcare organizations and manufacturers. With offices in Greenville and Columbia SC, Network Controls & Electric operates throughout North and South Carolina.

22. Egroup, Inc. – eGroup delivers technology solutions. Their solutions combine robust high-availability and performance with secure information access.

23. Orian Rugs – Orian Rugs has been producing beautiful, affordable rugs from its Anderson, SC facility since 1979. The state of the art manufacturing plant currently has more than 500,000 square feet dedicated to products and services including yarn extrusion, weaving, finishing, packaging, warehousing and distribution.

24. Cynergi Systems – Cynergi Systems consults, designs, manufactures and implements technology solutions for K-12, higher education, small business, and enterprise facilities. Cynergi is also a nationally available manufacturer of the award winning CQ console and video streaming solution.

25. Coastal States Bank – Since 2004, Coastal States Bank has been providing Lowcountry residents with all their banking needs. At Coastal States Bank, the emphasis is on local. They are a local bank, funded by local shareholders and run by local executives who understand the unique personal and business banking needs of owcountry residents. They offer a full spectrum of cutting edge financial products and services, coupled with highly individualized personal attention.

10/12/10 – Christopher Hall
Using an integrated system of digital signage, kiosks and mobile interactivity, self-service tech provider NEXTEP SYSTEMS helped create a new Manhattan restaurant concept that the Serious Eats New York blog calls “a most unusual stylized and ambitious food destination in the southern reaches of Midtown.”

FoodParc is a 20,000-square-foot multiconcept eatery that opened Sept. 22 in Kimpton’s Hotel Eventi in New York City. FoodParc utilizes the efficiencies of NEXTEP SYSTEMS’ MyNEXTEP software that powers the eatery’s digital menu displays, touch screen kiosks and order management systems shared by its four restaurant concept operators.

FoodParc guests have the choice of placing their orders directly with a cashier at any of the food concepts or may make selections and payment for one concept — or multiple concepts — via 16 integrated touch screen kiosks. Order statuses are tracked on multiple digital display panels, and guests have the option of receiving a text message on their mobile phone, alerting them when their food is ready.

NEXTEP president Tommy Woycik says that what makes FoodParc’s technology suite unique is not just the self-order kiosks integrated with the Micros-built point-of-sale terminals, but the seamless integration of both those things with the digital menu boards, digital order status boards and the mobile text messaging system with the kitchens for all the restaurant concepts.

Using the touch screen displays, customers can even order items from the different restaurant concepts — the different menus are displayed on a dozen dynamic menu boards displaying daypart-specific menus — and have it all included in one order, and then track all their mini-orders on one of eight order status monitors, Woycik says.

“They can look up on the order status boards and see the status of each of their sub-orders within their overall orders,” Woycik said. “The idea was, ‘Hey, this is a very busy Manhattan eatery, lots of concepts, lots of flexibility with the menu, and keeping impatient New Yorkers apprised of their order statuses is paramount to the success of the concept.’”

And FoodParc patrons can decide to receive progress-tracking text messages on their phones or choose to follow their orders on the monitors, providing for constant communication with the customer, he says.

“It is really nice; wait times don’t seem as painful when you’re getting feedback,” Woycik said. “It’s the hourglass, right? Sometimes computers aren’t going very fast, but when you see the progress bar the wait doesn’t feel quite as bad because you know there’s progress, and that’s what we try to display on the order status monitors and text messages: ‘Hey, the kitchen’s working on it, and it’ll be there shortly.’”

All of the components have been done separately by NEXTEP before, Woycik says, but putting all the elements together this way makes FoodParc something of a rarity.

“It really is seamless integration from the customer perspective, regardless of preferred order method,” he said.

Foodparc is the brainchild of restaurateur Jeffery Chodorow and futurist Syd Mead, who helped design the look of iconic science fiction films like “Blade Runner,” “Aliens” and “TRON” — and Woycik says the multiconcept eatery concept still is expanding, with a courtyard, a larger digital screen and more seating likely opening soon.

And while there are actual people on staff there to help customers with their orders if need be, Gothamist.com calls FoodParc “a misanthrope’s utopia,” since “it’s not necessary to interact with any of them.”

The new dining hotspot is a collection of five gourmet food and beverage purveyors, including The Press, a coffee shop with to-go French press cups; RedFarm Stand, featuring Asian cuisine; Fornetti, with Tuscan offerings on oven-baked flatbread; 3Bs (Bacon, Burgers and Beer), serving custom, artisanal bacons and 16 domestic and international beers; and The Bar at FoodParc, a full-service bar.

The InnoVision Technology Awards Advisory Board on Friday announced the finalists for the 2010 InnoVision Technology Awards.

Founded in 1999, the InnoVision Technology Awards program presented by McNair Law Firm, P.A. recognizes and honors Upstate businesses, individuals and organizations that have demonstrated significant advancements in the areas of innovation and technological progress.

“This year was an outstanding year for applications with many first class companies and entries,” said Doug Kim, InnoVision Advisory Board chair. “Our judging committee was very impressed with the variety of creative and innovative entries.”

Award recipients will be announced at a dinner event Nov. 17 at the Carolina First Center. The recipient of the Dr. Charles Townes Award will also be announced.

This year’s finalists in the following categories include:
Technology Application
· Balanced Flow, LLC
· CQ Media Networks, a division of Cynergi Systems, LLC
· Techtronics Industries North America
· Teligy, Inc.
Technology Development
· Hoowaki LLC
· Kiyatec, Inc.
· Prescolite
· Telludyne Tech Industries
Innovation in Education
· Furman University Continuing Education Department
· Furman University
· GreenvilleHD.com, a division of My City HD, LLC
· Michelin North America
Small Enterprise
· Global Moisture Research, LLC
· National Sustainability Institute
· OnSight, Inc.
· The Technology Consortium
Sustainability
· Benton Green Energy
· Michelin North America – energy efficient tire
· NitroStrike, Inc.

About CQ Media Networks
CQ Media Networks is a division of Cynergi Systems, LLC®, a South Carolina company.  Cynergi Systems is the leading technology integrator for K12 schools in SC.  The CQ Media Networks division was started in 2006 to address the highly-specialized needs associated with streaming live and recorded media content over an IP network.  Hypersign is one of four streaming products developed for this purpose.  CQ Campus® provides digital encoding capabilities for the Education market; Lifevue® was developed in 2010 to provide the Health Services industry with a robust patient contentment system.  Cloudcaster® was recently released to provide organizations with the ability to reach their membership with vital information through a secure, private channel.  Additional information is available at  Hypersign and  CQ Campus.

Copyright 2010 Cynergi Systems LLC. All rights reserved. Hypersign, the Hypersign Logo and all other CQ Media Networks product and services names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cynergi Systems LLC.

CQ Media Networks, an leading digital content delivery company, unveiled its enterprise server edition of Hypersign®, the award-winning digital signage software.  Hypersign is an intuitive, full-featured digital display solution that focuses on ease of use and flexible content output to flat panel displays.  “Hypersign Enterprise® addresses the needs of a large, commercial organization that seeks to control all network assets behind its own firewall,” said Neil Willis, CEO.  “The Hypersign server is installed at the headend of the customer’s network, providing access to all players inside the network without accessing the internet.” Willis also explains “We didn’t want to be like every DS provider out there, we wanted this device to provide exceptional value. It can easily support over 1000 displays and is a completely solid state device built to last 20 years. In addition, DS content is kept on a RAID disk array for protection. When you combine the reliability of our hardware and the ease of use of our software, it introduces a great customer experience”

The Hypersign Enterprise Server was released following its rAVe award as “The most innovative digital signage product” of DSE (Digital Signage Expo) February in Las Vegas.

About CQ Media Networks
CQ Media Networks, based in Greenville, South Carolina is a developer of digital content delivery systems for the education and healthcare markets. CQ Media’s products include CQ Campus (IPTV solution for K12/Higher Ed), LifeVue Patient Contentment System(IPTV solution for patient bedside entertainment and education), Hypersign (digital signage solution) and CloudCaster (online media delivery platform).

CQ’s products delivery content to their software client, integrated touch screen, set-top box, web interface and enterprise servers. CQ has received multiple awards for its products and business excellence including “Most Innovative Product” at Digital Signage Expo 2010 and “Most Creative Integration Product” at Infocomm 2010. CQ has a network of resellers across the United States that are both IT and AV integrators.