The Top 25 Innovators in State History are Revealed

Whether it was the drone flying in the ballroom, the avatars of Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein serving as co-masters of ceremonies, or the digital caricature artists providing sketches of the guests, there was much to remember from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's Oct. 27 Gala commemorating the state's 350th anniversary and its rich legacy of innovation.

Among the more than 500 guests at The Palace in Somerset were Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno; the heads of the state's most prestigious companies and R&D firms; and a delegation from the Isle of Jersey in the British Channel.

Einstein and Edison

A highlight of the evening: The Chamber revealed the Top 25 Innovators in New Jersey history. Albert Einstein, who revolutionized the way the world looks at the universe, edged Thomas Edison for No. 1 (To see the N.J. Chamber's Top 25 Innovators, click here).

Ralph Izzo, president, CEO and Chairman and of PSEG, asked a question that drove home New Jersey impressive heritage of innovation, "In what other state would Thomas Edison not be number one?"

On hand were the families of Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion picture camera, and Selman Waksman (No. 3 on the list), the Rutgers professor whose work to create new antibiotics made him a conqueror of once-rampant diseases like tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever and bubonic plague.

"To all the families of innovators long since gone, and to all of New Jersey's innovators here with us today, know that we are in awe of your capacity and inspired by your determination," said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the N.J. Chamber of Commerce.

Also attending the party was John J. Mooney, whose invention of the three-way catalytic converter landed him at No. 17 on our list of the Top 25 innovators. The EPA says cars today are 98 percent cleaner than they were 30 years ago and that the three-way catalytic converter is the main reason.

N.J.'s Top Innovations

Part of the evening was spent recognizing the most innovative products that came out of New Jersey, ranging from air conditioning and antibiotics to the light bulb and television. The state also gave birth to Band-Aids, bubble wrap, the chlorination process to purify drinking water, condensed soup, the drive-in theater, fiber optics, the ice cream cone, lead-free gasoline, motion pictures, motor oil, pork roll, radar, radio, salt-water taffy, solar panels, the transistor and Viagra, to name a few. (To see the top innovations based on our survey of 1,000 New Jerseyans, click here).

Some of the world's latest innovations - a drone, an optical cloaking device and a 3-D printer - were used to reveal the ballot winners.

The Garden State's Future

Speakers saluted the Gala's prime sponsor, Haier, the world's largest home appliances maker, which recently moved its American headquarters from New York City to Wayne, New Jersey. "Thank you Haier for leading New Jersey's charge forward for human innovation," said David Sloan, the great grandson of Thomas Edison.

Adrian Micu, president and CEO of Haier, said, "We wanted to be part of New Jersey's burgeoning business climate. We wanted to collaborate with all of you, the individuals driving New Jersey's growth. We, too, wanted to share the rich history of innovation this state boasts."

A special thank you to Haier for sponsoring the event.