Left to Right: Mark Huey, President of the Economic Development Council; Larry Thomson, President of Ringling College of Art & Design; Adam Sulimirski, President of Cruise Car, Inc.
The 2017 Ringling College Innovation by Design Award went to Adam Sulimirski, president and co-owner of Cruise Car Inc. The annual award was established in 2015 and is given to an individual who has used creativity in design to create a successful product and to solve market problems.
Cruise Car builds specialty electric golf carts and utility vehicles. The custom low-speed vehicles with renewable energy capabilities — some with solar panels on the roof — can carry up to 16 passengers. Some are built for wheelchairs, one’s an ambulance, some carry cargo and many are street legal where speed limits do not exceed 35 mph.
Larry Thompson, president of the Ringling College of Art and Design, said the innovation award went this year to a company in an industry “you wouldn’t think innovative” and “completed a customer-driven redesign” of every aspect of its products to satisfy clients. — Chris Wille, Herald Tribune
