MARQUETTE, MI-- The Innovate Marquette SmartZone has hired a former Invent@NMU project liaison to serve as its program manager.
Rachel Barra is a graduate of Northern’s College of Business. She’ll work directly with CEO Ray Johnson to support inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs from the community.
While working at Invent@NMU for the past two years in a student and client management role, Barra worked with more than 100 clients to design, engineer, and launch their product ideas. A recent success was the launch of the TinKnocker Tool, a patent-pending HVAC installation tool created by local man Ron Aho.
Now in its second year, Innovate Marquette is the state’s 16th SmartZone. It operates as a stand-alone, private, nonprofit satellite of the MTEC SmartZone in Houghton-Hancock, which has been in operation for more than 12 years.
