TiER1 Performance Solutions has won a 2013 Tibbetts Award which is presented to outstanding small businesses and individuals who demonstrate excellence in research and participate in an initiative known as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Founded in 2002, TiER1 Performance Solutions provides end-to-end corporate learning, strategic change, and organizational effectiveness solutions to help people achieve their best work. The Tibbetts Award is named after Roland Tibbetts , the father of the SBIR program. The SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs currently account for more than $2.5 billion per year in federal research and development funds coordinated by the Small Business Administration in cooperation with 11 other federal agencies. Several factors are considered in award eligibility, including economic impact of the technological innovation, overall business achievement, and demonstration of effective collaborations. Companies and individuals are only considered for the award when they reach a beacon of promise and model excellence in high technology. TiER1 first took part in the SBIR program in 2009 with the acceptance of their first Phase I award. Since then, TiER1 has won eight Phase I proposals and three Phase II proposals with a total value of over $3.2 million in small business research funding. In addition, TiER1 also received $1 million from the State of Kentucky SBIR Matching Funds Program.
TiER1 Co-Founder, Dr. Kevin Moore , and TiER1 Chief Scientist, Dr. Terence Andre , accepted the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 16. “The SBIR program has allowed us to research and deliver innovative learning solutions to the Air Force, NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Missile Defense Agency, and the National Science Foundation,” Dr. Andre said. TiER1 CEO Greg Harmeyer added, “The SBIR program has allowed our team to build our learning technology platform and provide impressive new capabilities in learning acceleration, competency management, game-based learning delivery, and adaptive learning pathways.†He said with the new capabilities and funding, the company is better able to deliver affordable, cutting-edge learning and knowledge management solutions to Fortune 500 companies such as Macy’s, FedEx, SAP and Abbott Labs. TiER1’s Founding Partner Normand Desmarais says the research has provided a foundation for launching a new company that will soon exclusively focus on the health care industry. Look to TiER1 to emerge into new tiers of industry.