Judging Panel
The B2B Innovation Awards are evaluated by experienced industry professionals who assess innovation, business impact, timeliness, and relevance.
Sascha Deri
Founder & CEO, bluShift Aerospace
Sascha Deri is the Founder and CEO of bluShift Aerospace, a Maine-based aerospace company developing modular hybrid rocket propulsion for commercial, research, and defense applications.
An entrepreneur and engineer, Sascha has spent more than 25 years building companies around complex technical challenges. In 1999, he co-founded the altE Store, an early online renewable energy distribution and light-manufacturing company. Under his leadership, the business grew into a national operation generating tens of millions of dollars in annual sales.
Sascha founded bluShift Aerospace in 2014 with an ambitious idea: high-performance rocket propulsion did not have to rely solely on traditional toxic or hazardous propellants.
That vision led bluShift to develop its proprietary bio-derived fuel and hybrid rocket engine technology. On January 31, 2021, the company successfully launched Stardust 1.0 from Maine. The flight became the world's first commercial rocket launch powered by bio-derived fuel.
Today, Sascha is leading bluShift through its next stage of commercialization. The company's propulsion technology is being developed for applications including boosters, launch vehicles, hypersonic testing, suborbital research, and other aerospace and defense missions.
Sascha's leadership reflects bluShift's approach to innovation. The company emphasizes testing, iteration, data, and learning from real hardware. He regularly brings engineers into conversations with investors and supporters while speaking openly about technical progress, challenges, and lessons learned.
His work is also deeply connected to Maine. Sascha grew up in the state and established bluShift at Brunswick Landing, the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. He has worked to demonstrate that aerospace engineering, manufacturing, propulsion development, and testing can thrive outside the industry's traditional centers.
Sascha holds a degree in physics from Earlham College and electrical engineering from the University of Southern Maine.
Across renewable energy and aerospace, his career has followed a consistent theme: pursuing unconventional ideas and methodically turning them into working technologies and viable businesses.
Craig Scharton
Entrepreneur
- City Councilmember: Was elected to the Fresno City Council at the age of 25, leading the revitalization of the city’s Tower District.
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Director of Downtown and Neighborhood Revitalization: Led strategic initiatives to breathe new life into the urban core and historic neighborhoods and sup[port locally-focused economic development.
- Main Street President: Served as the first State Board President, championing the preservation and economic health of 39 cities in CA.
- Business Incubator CEO: Successfully led two premier business incubators, including the globally recognized Water and Energy Technology (WET) Incubator.
- Peeve’s Public House Owner: Founded and operated a highly popular downtown establishment that served as a vibrant community hub, celebrating local food, craft beer, and culture.
- Manufacturing Consultant: Advised 200 companies on operational efficiency, supply chain management, and growth strategies within the regional manufacturing sector.
- Adjunct Professor: Taught in the entrepreneurship program at Fresno State for 14 years, mentoring the next generation of business leaders and innovators.
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Financial Institution Advisor: Offered regional insight as an advisory board member for Union Bank and ACCESS + Capital (Community Development Financial Institution), supporting equitable capital access.
- Civic Advocate: Maintains a lifelong commitment to the arts and ecological conservation, integrating cultural vibrancy and environmental sustainability into his community development frameworks.
Clay Schwabe
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Clay Schwabe serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and ensures customer needs are met at every stage of their engagement with the company.
Clay has over fifteen years of experience in medical device market access, sales, sales management, global product marketing, and commercialization. He is an emerging technologies specialist with experience in early-stage commercialization of minimally invasive surgical products and procedures. Most recently, he served as VP Business Development, Commercial Strategy, CRO, and Market Access of Veranex. From 2021 to 2023, he was VP Sales / Business Development – Early Commercial and Market access for PRIA Healthcare where he built up the business development team to include sales operations, marketing, and field operations. From 2016 to 2021 he was an Area Manager with Vertiflex, which was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2019, and from 2007 to 2016 he was the marketing manager and interventional sales consultant at Medtronic.
Clay is a graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point having served as a United States Army Captain, Platoon Leader, Battalion Staff Officer, Army World Class Athlete Program.
B.S. in Systems Engineering | United States Military Academy West Point.
Tim Parrish
CEO, Sagemont Advisors
Tim Parrish is the CEO of Sagemont Group and a licensed attorney with 13+ years of experience building end-to-end tax credit and incentive services. Prior to joining Sagemont, Tim co-led the tax credits practice at Ernst & Young LLP, where he built tax technology tools and advised companies of all sizes on complex tax savings opportunities. While at EY, he was recognized as a finalist for the Mike Boldasaro Exceptional Client Service Award. Throughout his career, he has helped hundreds of clients navigate high-value programs, including the R&D Tax Credit, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Federal Empowerment Zone Credit, Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit, Employee Retention Credit (ERC), and various state and local credits and incentives.
Tim also serves as President of the HIRE Coalition, an advocacy group that supports employment-related tax incentives to help employers of all sizes hire, invest, retain, and expand in the United States. In 2025, HIRE led the lobbying effort to prevent the retroactive termination of most ERC claims, putting billions of dollars back in the hands of small businesses.
A graduate of the University of Virginia and Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Tim’s expertise spans the full tax credit lifecycle – from monitoring legislation and guidance, to developing technology solutions, advising clients, and defending claims before the IRS. He is actively involved in the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, serving as the Chair of IPT’s 2025 Credits & Incentives Symposium and receiving its 2026 Credits & Incentives Member of the Year Award. When he isn’t advising clients on federal and state tax credits, Tim enjoys rooting for his native D.C. sports teams, beach volleyball, and traveling.
Anthony Lopez
CEO, Board Director, NACD Governance Fellow Business Advisor, Executive Coach, Organizational Architect Author of The Legacy Leader Series of Books
Tony López is an experienced C-Suite and Board executive with a reputation as an inspirational, multicultural, and bilingual leader. He has a strong track record of success in global leadership positions with $ 1 billion P&L responsibility. He is recognized as a strategic thinker and leadership talent developer with a proven record of driving positive, empowering change while delivering breakthrough results.
Tony is a sought-after speaker and expert on leadership, an executive coach, and is the author of “The Legacy Leader, “Breakthrough Thinking”, “The Leader’s Lobotomy”, “The Leader In the Mirror”, “LEGACYWOMAN: The Legacy Leader As Superhero”, and “CQ: The Legacy Leader’s SuperPower: Driving Cultural Intelligence From The Boardroom to the Mailroom”.
He began his professional career as a military officer and served as a Captain in the Air Force before starting his corporate career at Johnson & Johnson in 1991. At J&J, he held leadership and GM roles in Engineering, Operations, Sales, and Marketing. From 2009 to 2011, he was SVP and GM for Respiratory Systems at CareFusion, and from 2011–2017 he served as President of Ansell Healthcare. In 2017, he was named CEO & Managing Director of AZZUR GROUP. He served as Board Member and Interim COO for MAS Global Consulting. He is the founder and CEO of L&L Advisors, a leadership and management consulting firm where he currently serves clients across several sectors, including Healthcare, Technology/IT, Consumer, and Industrial. His work with executive teams and the Board of Directors covers strategy development, M&A, executive coaching, and leadership training. He was Chairman Emeritus of the Board of PROSPANICA, served as an Executive Advisory Board member for NexPhase Capital until 2025, and was on the Board of MAS Global Consulting and PROSPANICA, where he served as Board Chair for 2 years. He currently serves as CEO and Board Director for AVS Life Sciences, is an Operating Partner at ALTURA Capital, and is a member of the PROSPERA Board of Directors.
Tony has received numerous awards including:
Military: The Meritorious Service Medal, AF Commendation Medal, Aerospace Primus Award for Technical Excellence, AF Achievement Medal (2), AF Organizational Excellence Award, and the Air Force Defense Service Medal.
Corporate: J&J Standards of Leadership Award (5), J&J Achievement Award (4), ETHICON Quality Award (3), Silver Award (4), Bronze Award (5), Rainbow Award (9), Telly Marketing and Multi-Media Award (2), Multi-Media Industry Impact Award, J&J James Burke Marketing Award, DePuy’s 2006 President Award.