Geoff Howe, senior vice president, Howe and Howe, Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems; co-pioneer of robotic firefighting technologies, including Thermite™ firefighting robots

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding his pioneering efforts in bringing a robotic invention to market. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The interviewee is Geoff Howe, Senior Vice President of Howe & Howe, Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems and a leader in advanced robotic platform solutions and applications built and proven for the most extreme conditions in the world. Geoff and Michael Howe founded Howe & Howe Technologies in 2001 and was acquired by Textron Systems in 2018. In 2010, Howe and Howe developed one of the world’s first robotic fire-fighting solutions. Geoff Howe describes the evolution of the Thermite robotic firefighter’s commercial development, along with the challenges of breaking ground in this new industry. Findings Geoff and his identical twin brother, Michael Howe, are inventors, military contractors, actors and entrepreneurial businessmen famous for their philanthropic drive to give back to their community. When Geoff and Mike were just six years old, they were known as “Howe and Howe Construction.” At the age of eight, Mike and Geoff built their own one room log cabin with the power tools their mom had given them for their birthday. At 16 years old, they started tinkering with vehicles before they even had their drivers’ licenses. They both graduated from Maine high school and colleges with honors. The company’s portfolio includes the RIPSAW® , Thermite, the Badger, Subterranean Rover and other extreme vehicles used for numerous applications. In 2010, Howe and Howe completed three new vehicles. First was the Thermite™ which entered the unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) market as the USA’s first firefighting UGV. The second vehicle was Ripchair™, the development of an off-road wheelchair for those that have become disabled and are unable to walk. The third vehicle was Riptide, the amphibious version of the RIPSAW. Year 2015 saw the commercial development of the Big Dog Extreme 4x4 fire truck and the Thermite RS1 and RS3 firefighting robots. The Big Dog is an off-road truck and also serves as an all-terrain multi-use firetruck. The Thermite provides firefighters and first responders immediate eyes inside the fire as well the ability to safely attack industrial, chemical and HAZMAT fires from their core. The Thermite robot provides safety and inside access on containing and defeating fires of any magnitude. Originality/value Howe & Howe Technologies first gained notoriety in 2001, with the development of the world’s fastest tank, the RIPSAW. Successful demonstrations soon followed, which eventually allowed the Howes, at the age of 31, to be named among the youngest in history to ever receive a multi-million dollar military contract from the USA. Soon after, in 2010, Howe & Howe received a Guinness World Record for developing the world’s smallest armored vehicle, the Badger. By the time the Howes were 36, they had one world record, multiple patents pending for their product developments, as well as military contracts. The Howes also had their own reality television show on a major US network. In 2010, they completed the Thermite, Fire Fighting Unmanned Ground Vehicle. In 2012, the Howes founded “Outdoors Again,” a nonprofit 501c3 organization that holds outdoor events and social activities for those who require the use of a wheelchair.

Why We Should Use the Term Illegalized Immigrant

Introduction The Associated Press (AP) recently announced an important change to its Stylebook: it “no longer sanctions the term ‘illegal immigrant’” (Colford, 2013; Morison, 2013). AP suggested alternative phrases, such as “person entering a country illegally” or “without legal permission” (Morison, 2013). While these phrases may be accurate, they are wordy, prompting AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, Kathleen Carroll, to project that suitable terminology will evolve “down the road” (Colford, 2013). In this Research Brief, I argue for the adoption of illegalized immigrant to fill the terminology gap.

Why We Should Use the Term Illegalized Immigrant

Introduction The Associated Press (AP) recently announced an important change to its Stylebook: it “no longer sanctions the term ‘illegal immigrant’” (Colford, 2013; Morison, 2013). AP suggested alternative phrases, such as “person entering a country illegally” or “without legal permission” (Morison, 2013). While these phrases may be accurate, they are wordy, prompting AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, Kathleen Carroll, to project that suitable terminology will evolve “down the road” (Colford, 2013). In this Research Brief, I argue for the adoption of illegalized immigrant to fill the terminology gap.

High Jack

This chapter examines the operations of FIFA in the CONCACAF zone. In this regard, it examines three main areas: (i) the use of public or celebrity type diplomacy, courtesy of David Beckham, as part of the English bid to host the 2018 World Cup; (ii) the blurred nature of the distinction between state and non-state actors in the context of Caribbean soccer, given the fact that a former senior vice president of FIFA was also a senior member of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago; and (iii) the implications of this overlap for the workings of the state and the governance of the game. In addition, it is argued that FIFA has practiced a dark form of soccer diplomacy in this area, be it in relation to state or non-state actors, which has been marked by adherence to its “own rules of the game” to the general detriment of the sport.

Cybersecurity in the Space Age

Graham Wright CBE, Senior Vice President for Security and Cyber at Inmarsat, talks to Johanna Hamilton AMBCS at the Cyber Security Connect UK conference — about satellites, security and paving the way for those new to the cyber profession.

SOCIAL SUICIDE: SHOW ME THE MONEY

Roger Capote, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services at CAN Community Health (CAN), oversaw the team hosting the 20th Anniversary CANDance revenue in the fall of 2019. Among the champions was Shelly Martin. Martin was well known in the area and had an extensive network that could be potential donors in the community. The morning of the event, Martin approached Capote and committed $250,000, the largest donation that CAN had ever received at a fundraising event. However, with all the chaos of coordinating the event, there was not much time to validate commitment, verify funds, and coordinate the logistics of payment.