South Region

Harvey Firestone

Founder
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

1868–1938

4 U.S. Patents

Harvey Firestone, innovative businessman and founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was a pioneer in the rubber industry who did much to advance scientific research in Florida. He acted as a tireless booster for the state, purchasing a winter estate on the east coast where he hosted companywide retreats and promoted the area to all who visited. Most notably, Firestone collaborated with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford as co-founder of the Edison Botanic Research Corporation. Together, their groundbreaking search for a domestic source of natural rubber led to botanical and chemical advancements, helping to pass the Plant Patent Act of 1930 through Congress. Firestone’s contributions to this endeavor were critical as he utilized his international business and political connections to advance the project while contributing crucial scientific knowledge regarding the chemistry of rubber. Today, the Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory, located at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, has been designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark. Firestone also utilized his substantial political clout to encourage the passage of bills which furthered rubber research in Florida, benefiting sites like Chapman Field in Coral Gables. Firestone tires later became synonymous with automotive racing, which took root in Florida beginning in the 1930s, earning the area national renown. Firestone’s contributions to the automotive industry are plentiful and his impact on the state of Florida may be equally important. Today, his legacy lives on as his former east coast home is now the site of the celebrated Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. In 2006 he was elected into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He holds 4 U.S. patents.

A Mention about Invention

Harvey Firestone was born on December 20, 1868 in Columbiana, Ohio, the second of three children (all sons) of Benjamin and Catherine Firestone. He grew up there on the family farm, attending school in a one-room schoolhouse, graduating from high school, and completing a business-college course in Cleveland. He worked two years as a bookkeeper for his uncle, head of the Columbus Buggy Company; by 1892, he was in charge of the entire Michigan district. In November 1895, he married Isabelle Smith of Jackson, Michigan.

When his uncle’s company went into receivership, Harvey drove a buggy with rubber-tired wheels for the receiver. An idea came to him, as he later put it: “My future was right on the wheels of my buggy.” He and an acquaintance established a company in Chicago in 1896; after three years it was sold to a competitor, with Firestone receiving $41,666.67 in cash. He relocated to Akron, Ohio, where the big tire-making companies were located. On August 3, 1900, he organized the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; by putting in his own patent and money, he acquired half the shares of the $50,000 corporation. After 1903, when it began to manufacture its own products, the company prospered.

The beginning of a long and important business relationship, which also led to a personal friendship, occurred in 1906 when Henry Ford placed a large order with him. Firestone, Ford, and Thomas Edison later joined in summer camping trips (1915-24) that won national attention.

In 1907, he offered a “dismountable rim” which permitted a spare to be substituted. His tires became popular because of their use by automobile race winners. By 1913, the company’s annual sales were $15,000,000. Firestone, Goodyear, Goodrich, United States Rubber, and Fisk were the “big five.”

The 1920-21 depression left the company with a $43,000,000 debt. Firestone immediately cut prices, increased sales, and paid off the debt by 1924. He also cut wages and was able to forestall organized labor until the mid 1930s. In 1923, Firestone introduced the balloon tire, soon to become standard for most types of motor vehicles. Firestone made it through the 1929 depression without suspending dividend payments and continuing his position in the trade.

In 1932, Henry Ford’s V-8 engine meant Firestone had to develop a new tire; then he demanded it be at the same price Ford was initially paying. His Ground Grip tire, put out in 1935, used a new tread design that became widely successful.

In 1937, his company was showing profits of $9,000,000 — and was supplying approximately one-fourth of all the tires in the United States. The company had expanded its manufacturing facilities and had 12 additional U.S. and eight overseas factories devoted to steel, rubber, and textile products.

Firestone used “consensus management” by getting opinions of his management staff and having them come to obvious decisions. He also avoided bureaucratic hierarchy. His forty managers sent monthly reports to him. He also had a genius in choosing the right person for the right job. “My most valuable executives have picked themselves by their records. People prove themselves at lower levels.”

Real keys to his leadership were his ability to delegate responsibility — and to know men. At the Firestone Company, there was a tremendous commitment to getting the job done. He was one of the first in the country to offer company stock to his employees at reduced rates, so that they could be part of the operation. He was sad to see unions come in because he lost personal contact.

Credit: Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Edwin A. Link

Former Vice President
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Atlantic University

1904-1981

27 U.S. patents

Edwin A. Link, former trustee and vice president for the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), was a pioneer in aviation, underwater archaeology, and submersibles. He is most recognized for inventing the flight simulator, commercialized in 1929, which has trained countless pilots including 500,000 airmen during World War II. Link’s interests later turned to undersea exploration and, in 1965, his Sea Diver II research vessel first entered the Harbor Branch canal to seek shelter from an approaching hurricane. That same year, the Link Foundation awarded a grant to FAU for the first undergraduate ocean engineering program in the country. Much of the early science was done in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and another of Link’s on-site partners, the Florida Institute of Technology. This program generated new submersible decompression chamber exploration platforms, including the Deep Diver, designed for lockout diving, and a new class of human-occupied submersible vehicles, the first of which was launched in 1971. These aquatic research tools have been used to discover, observe and collect thousands of biological samples from ocean reefs, previously unknown to the marine science world. Today, Link simulators are still widely used for aircraft, spacecraft, ship, surface vehicle, and medical training. Link is a named inventor on 27 U.S. patents.

Herbert Wertheim, OD., D.Sc., MD. (hc)

Founder and CEO
Brain Power Incorporated

9 U.S. patents

Herbert A. Wertheim is an optometric physician, alumnus of the University of Florida (UF), and honorary alumnus of Florida International University (FIU) who was the first to discover and produce ultraviolet light dye absorbers for eyeglass lenses, helping millions avoid cataracts and other eye diseases. Wertheim is also the founder and CEO of Brain Power Incorporated (BPI), the world’s largest manufacturer of ophthalmic instruments, cosmetic and therapeutic tints for eyeglass lenses, and diagnostic products for optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians and optical laboratories. More recently, BPI manufactured colored dyes that have been used in diagnosing and/or treating dyslexia, autism, Parkinson’s-related dyskinesia, and childhood migraines. He was a founding member of the FIU Board of Trustees and, as chairman of FIU’s Academic Affairs Committee, he won approval for and chaired the Medical College Initiative. In 2009, the Wertheim’s made a $20 million contribution to FIU, which became $40 million with state matching, to establish multiple endowments and eight endowed chairs for the Medical College, including the first endowed chair in Optometry and Physiological Optics in any medical school. FIU then named the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in his honor. He was also instrumental in establishing FIU’s Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, building the Wertheim Conservatory, and transforming the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at FIU. In October 2015, UF announced the naming of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in honor of the Wertheim Family Foundation’s gift of $50 million, which funded an Engineering Innovation building and fostered collaboration between UF and FIU. He has served as chairman of the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation since 1977, which has supported hundreds of local and international educational, cultural, sporting, and health care organizations around the world. In 2016, Herbert and Nicole Wertheim joined The Giving Pledge. He holds 9 U.S. patents.

Michael J. DeLuca, J.D.

Electrical Engineer and IP Counsel
Florida Power & Light, NextEra Energy

150 U.S. patents

Michael J. DeLuca is an electrical engineer and currently manages the intellectual property portfolio for NextEra Energy including its subsidiary Florida Power & Light in Juno Beach, Florida. Mr. DeLuca is being recognized for his groundbreaking technology known today as “voltage scaling,” which significantly increases the battery life of portable communication devices. He has invented for numerous employers and partners such as Motorola, BlackBerry, SiriusXM, and PhotoNation while patenting his own inventions developed on his own time. Today at NextEra, he is dedicated to inspiring a new generation of inventors, helping them to cultivate their own creative problem solving abilities related to large scale clean solar and wind energy. These technologies benefit our entire society and are being invented here in Florida. Mr. DeLuca holds 150 U.S. patents in a number of different fields including electric power conservation, wireless communications, advanced interfaces, augmented reality, and digital camera technologies.

Phillip Frost, M.D.

CEO and Chairman
OPKO Health

10 U.S. patents

Phillip Frost is one of the nation’s leading philanthropists, a highly-respected physician, an internationally-lauded businessman in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, and the current CEO and chairman of OPKO Health in Miami, Florida. Frost is being recognized for inventing a revolutionary disposable punch biopsy tool, as well as various therapeutic methods for treating rhinitis, cell disease, and diabetes. He was also the founder, chairman and CEO of IVAX Corporation, a Miami-based multinational pharmaceuticals company and chairman of the Board of TEVA Pharmaceuticals. Frost served on the board of regents of the Smithsonian Institution from 2006 to 2010, and as a trustee of the Scripps Research Institute until November 2012. He is a member of the board of trustees of the University of Miami (UM), and with his wife Patricia, is the namesake of the Frost Miami Science Museum, the Frost School of Music at UM, and the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. Frost holds nine U.S. patents.

Andrew V. Schally, Ph.D, MDhc (Multi), D.Sc,hc.

1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Distinguished Medical Research Scientist
Department of Veterans Affairs
Distinguished Professor of Pathology
University of Miami
Chief of the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center Endocrine, Polypeptide and Cancer Institute

1926 – 2024

36 U.S. patents

Andrew Schally, Nobel Laureate and Distinguished Medical Research Scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Distinguished Professor of pathology at the University of Miami, and chief of the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center Endocrine, Polypeptide and Cancer Institute. Schally received the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1978 for his discovery of hypothalamic hormones. Subsequently he pioneered the application of analogues of hypothalamic hormones to cancer treatment, including the therapy of prostate cancer with agonists of LHRH used worldwide.

Schally holds 36 U.S. patents licensed to 5 companies and was author or co-author of more than 2,400 publications.

Henry Ford

Inventor and Businessman

1863 – 1947

273 U.S. Patents

Henry Ford revolutionized the way Americans travel and shaped the course of the 20th century. Like his friend and mentor, Thomas Edison, Ford was an innovator, transforming the automobile from a luxury item to a practical means of transportation. Henry Ford’s pioneering advancements in the automotive industry gave the average American the opportunity to travel freely. The explosive growth that followed led to the modern roadways and transportation systems that we know today.

A recipient of 273 patents, Ford not only revolutionized industrial manufacturing and production, but continued to improve upon his initial designs and explore new fields of automotive technology. Like Thomas Edison, Ford was a firm believer in finding natural solutions to industrial problems. Ford pioneered research in producing soybean plastics and finding new sources of natural rubber, and his quest for an American source of natural rubber led him to create two experimental rubber test sites in Florida, one of which—the Edison Botanic Research Corporation—was a collaborative effort with Thomas Edison and tire magnate Harvey Firestone. The groundbreaking work of the trio would lead to important botanical and chemical advancements, as well as aid passage of the Plant Patent Act of 1930 through Congress. Today, the Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory, located in Fort Myers, has been designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark, the first such location in Florida.

Ford also conducted aeronautical research in Florida. Ford pilots flew several early Ford-manufactured aircraft in the state. Several Ford commercial aircraft were named after prominent Florida cities, including Miss Fort Myers. In addition, early experimental work on the highly secretive V-8 engine was also conducted in Florida, according to employees engaged in the project.

Florida remembers Henry Ford’s contributions to science via the Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory and the Mangoes, winter home of Henry Ford, both located in Fort Myers. Ford’s legacy of innovation and keen interest in research and education continue to inspire new generations.

Nan-Yao Su, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Entomology
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center University of Florida

13 U.S. Patents

Dr. Nan-Yao Su is one of the world’s leading authorities on subterranean termites and their management. Along with colleagues at Dow AgroSciences, he developed a revolutionary approach for protecting homes and other buildings from these wood-consuming insects, the Sentricon® termite colony elimination system.

For much of the 20th century, the standard treatment for subterranean termites involved application of liquid insecticide to soil around the exterior of a building. This method was not environmentally sustainable and not always successful at stopping infestations because it only killed termites in the treated area. Subterranean termites can travel hundreds of feet from their nests to forage.

Beginning in the late 1980s, Su and Dow scientists pioneered a safe, effective new approach to termite management, using a slow-acting compound called hexaflumuron. It kills termites by interfering with their molting process. The team incorporated hexaflumuron into a bait that could be placed underground in feeding stations. Foraging termites would feed on the bait and carry portions back to the nest to share with other members of the colony. This was a key advantage because it meant the bait could reach the majority of termite workers and potentially destroy the colony. Hexaflumuron is harmless to people and pets and poses no threat to other insect species when properly used.

In 1995, the Sentricon® system became commercially available. Since then, it has been used in 18 countries, protected more than 3 million homes, and saved more than 9,000 metric tons of insecticide that would have been applied otherwise. Su has used the system to protect historic landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, and has helped fight large-scale termite infestations in New Orleans and in other countries including Chile, China, New Zealand, and Vietnam.

To honor his accomplishments with Sentricon®, Su has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has authored and co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on termite biology and management.

He received a B.S. in 1975 and an M.S. in 1977 from Kyoto Institute of Technology and a doctorate in entomology from the University of Hawaii in 1982. Su has been with the University of Florida since 1984 and works at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

Su has received 11 U.S. patents and continues to develop innovations to make the Sentricon® system more practical, effective, and affordable.

Thomas Edison

Inventor and Businessman

1847 – 1931

1,093 Patents

Thomas Edison is the most prolific inventor in U.S. history with 1,093 patents. No other inventor improved the standard of living of Americans in the 20th century as much as Edison. His inventions span diverse fields: electric lighting and power systems, batteries, recorded sound, and film. Edison contributed to both chemistry and botany with a project in Fort Myers to find a natural source of rubber to be grown in the U.S. during a national emergency. Credited for creating the first modern industrial research laboratory, Edison followed an empirical approach to scientific research and helped set the standard for how to invent. As the man of the millennium, Edison’s research and business practices created the model for today’s research laboratories, product development and invention processes.