Show 130: Co-Founder and CEO of RockStep Solutions, Inc. Chuck Donnelly

Show Information

Show: 130
Air date: Saturday, May 2nd
Guest: Chuck Donnelly
Host: Steve Woods (Stevoe)
Studio Contributor: Debi Davis
Executive Producer: Emily Sullivan

Chuck Donnelly is from away (New Jersey, to be exact), but vacationed in Maine growing up. In 2000 he accepted a job at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor and has been here ever since. He is now the CEO of RockStep Solutions, Inc., where they are creating a ground-breaking Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) that they call CLIMB (Cloud Information Management Bundle).

Chuck Donnelly

Host of TideSmart Talk with Stevoe, Steve Woods, recently welcomed CEO of RockStep Solutions Chuck Donnelly (right).

Donnelly and his team had been working off of a 10-year grant from the NIH (National Health Institute) to develop a better LIMS. At the time, it was mostly research, design, and engineering work. When the grant expired, the team looked for a new path. Donnelly and the NIH were hoping to get this technology into the private sector so it can be used for commercial use. That is how RockStep Solutions came to be.

RockStep specializes in getting emergent technology into research laboratories. Donnelly explains that this technology is not as advanced as even some video games, but that it could be. They also pride themselves on being good citizens and being good on the planet. They are taking this emergent technology and bringing it into the private sector where Donnelly believes it will be a billion dollar market.

Donnelly and RockStep recently were the recipients of a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research award. This, along with matching funds (in the form of a specialty loan) from the Maine Technology Institute, will give the company the start-up funds it needs to get CLIMB into labs everywhere.


Posted on Monday, May 4th, 2015 and filed under Show Recaps.