Seegrid Palion Tow Tractor image

Seegrid CEO dedicates Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 East Central Award to company founder Hans Moravec

Listen to this article

Autonomous mobile robot provider attributes win to collective team with a passion for creating a better future

Seegrid Corporation, the provider in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling, announced that Jim Rock, Seegrid’s chief executive officer, dedicated his 2021 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year East Central Award to Seegrid founder and chief scientist, Hans Moravec. Ernst & Young announced Rock as an award winner for the East Central region last week based on the program’s evaluation criteria that include entrepreneurial leadership, talent management, financial performance, societal impact, values, originality, innovation, and future plans.

Jim Rock headshot
Jim Rock

“Hans’ lifelong passion for creating intelligent machines that help humanity is the cornerstone of Seegrid’s purpose,” said Rock. “His decisive moments, innovative risk-taking, and dedication to elevating human potential continue to inspire Seegrid’s culture and accomplishments.”

World-renowned roboticist Moravec spent decades perfecting innovative approaches to robot perception and navigation at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University. Moravec founded Seegrid in 2003, and now the company has grown to encompass more than 350 diverse individuals who are collectively dedicated to building upon Moravec’s lifelong goal of elevating human potential through next-generation autonomous mobile robots and enterprise software. The company operates with a culture that promotes working and winning together which reflects the team’s collective years of hard work, dedication, and persistence.

The Ernst & Young award follows a year of fast-tracked growth for Seegrid. The company recently announced multiple new products, including the Palion Tow TractorPalion Pallet TruckPalion Lift AMR, and Fleet Geek™ analytics software. Seegrid continues to advance its artificial intelligence technology which is built on Moravec’s breakthrough vision-based technology, allowing Palion AMRs to see, understand, and learn. With a visionary mindset, Seegrid remains committed to delivering solutions that transform the world’s supply chain, autonomously moving material as safely, effectively, and efficiently as possible.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity, and courage in the face of adversity help catapult society from the now to next and beyond. As a regional award winner, Rock is eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be announced on November 13, 2021. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2022.

“Seegrid has an entire team of unstoppable entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in propelling Seegrid forward every day,” said Rock. “This award puts a spotlight on our team’s unique ability to automate material flow safely, productively, for better outcomes for our customers, the community, and the global supply chain. We continue to thoughtfully look forward to the future and how we can advance automated material handling.”

Magazine & eNewsletter

Printed Monthly Magazine

Published monthly, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of relevant industry issues and products.

Digital Monthly Magazine

Published on the fourth Thursday of each month, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of relevant industry issues and products.

Material Handing Wholesaler Weekly Newsletter

Our Weekly newsletter is emailed every Tuesday and contains the latest Industry Events and People News, Source Directory, and important Industry Links.

Forklift International Weekly Hot Sheet Newsletter

Published every Monday morning with the latest material handling equipment
available for sale.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Our Current Issue

Trader Network

Magazine & eNewsletter

Our magazine is published and mailed monthly, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of important industry issues. 

Weekly Newsletter – Get the latest industry events and people news in this weekly e-newsletter as well as direct access to Wholesaler’s Source Directory and link.

Current Supplements







From Bootcamps to Panic Buttons: The New Era of Warehouse Safety

Listen to this article How training, equipment, and the latest tech can help protect workers and products As material handling…

Zenith Pumps Celebrates 100 Years of Precision Gear Metering Excellence

Listen to this article A century of precision engineering excellence from CIRCOR’s Zenith Pumps, serving critical manufacturing environments CIRCOR International,…

Industrial Measures Fall in March 2026

Listen to this article U.S. industrial production decreased in March 2026 after a strong uptick in February, according to the…

Monoflo International and Premix Group Collaborate to Expand ESD-Safe, Automation-Ready Packaging Solutions

Listen to this article  Monoflo International and Premix Group announce a collaboration to support the increasing need for ESD-safe, automation-ready…

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. Brings CNC and Robotics Expertise to Machine Tending

Listen to this article As manufacturers face skilled labor shortages, rising costs, and pressure to maximize machine utilization, Mitsubishi Electric…