CONTACT
Sarah Miller Caldicott
(708) 445-9335
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOV. 5, 2014
ANNOUNCING THE GRAND OPENING OF THE
MIDNIGHT LUNCH™ LAB
A Lab Inspired By Thomas Edison, Where Engineers Can Tinker and Test Ideas
A new collaboration concept in Open Innovation is opening its doors in the Research Triangle Park in
Raleigh, NC. Inspired by Thomas Edison’s world-famous laboratories, Bi-Link Global Solutions
announces the grand opening of a collaborative workspace where engineers can tinker and test ideas
called the Midnight Lunch™ Lab.
The Midnight Lunch Lab space creates a technology-driven “home away from work” destination for
design engineers — an atmosphere where they can get manufacturer-based input early on the design
process. Engineers can use the Midnight Lunch Lab to bounce their ideas off other top industry minds,
plus access the latest tools and resources to test their concepts.
The Midnight Lunch Lab in Raleigh will open with an official ribbon cutting at 5:00 pm. On hand for the
launch will be Edison’s great grandniece, Sarah Miller Caldicott, an innovation process expert and author.
The new collaborative space is inspired by Caldicott’s book on Edison’s collaboration methods, entitled
Midnight Lunch: The 4 Phases of Team Collaboration Success from Thomas Edison’s Lab (Wiley 2013).
The new Midnight Lunch Lab is located at: 200 Trans Air Drive, Suite 800, Morrisville, NC 27560.
Caldicott commented, “I’m thrilled to see Thomas Edison’s timeless concept of midnight lunch coming to
life through Bi-Link’s new workspace. I know the engineers who collaborate in the Midnight Lunch Lab
space will be working well into the night, enjoying a meal, and rolling up their sleeves just like Edison
and his innovation teams did at Menlo Park.”
Adjacent to the lab is a second workspace designed by Bi-Link called The Hardware Store™. Featuring
CAD CAM equipment, advanced software, and 3D printers, The Hardware Store is a destination concept
developed by Bi-Link to enable engineers to develop actual prototypes of their designs.
Ray Ziganto, President of Bi-Link, likens the Midnight Lunch Lab and Hardware Store workspaces as a
retreat for engineers. “They get a change of scenery, away from the day-to-day, where they can come
tinker and push the boundaries on design projects,” he says. “These workspaces are all about bringing
great minds together in an idea-driven atmosphere. Bi-Link is unique in how we provide engineer-toengineer (E2E) support as a matter of course — collaborating with engineers to make sure they’re
designing for manufacturability. Together, the Hardware Store and the Midnight Lunch Lab take this to
another level.”
About Sarah Miller Caldicott
Sarah Miller Caldicott is a great grandniece of Thomas Edison, an innovation thought leader, and author.
She is CEO of the Power Patterns of Innovation, advising Global 500 organizations on how they can
build new innovation capability to drive growth and relevance. Her books Innovate Like Edison and
Midnight Lunch have been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, and in Fast Company.
###