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tions, large and small. In the case of team Elastec/American, taking the quantum leap from a float- ing, spinning utility bucket to the creation of the world?s fastest and most efficient oil spill recovery system was the investment of innovative minds, a talented workforce and the lure of the X-Prize competition. The Mission The X-Prize foundation targeted oil spill clean-up tech- nology in the wake of Deepwater Horizon, challenging entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists worldwide to develop innovative, rapidly deployable, and highly effi- cient methods of capturing crude oil from the ocean sur- face. The 10 finalist teams ? each of which travelled to New York for the awards ceremony ? then had to demon- strate their cleanup systems individually during field test-ing over a 10-week period in the summer of 2011; the teams were overseen by an panel of judges as they demon- strated their technology?s ability to recover oil from the sea-water surface Ohmsett ? the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility ? in Leonardo, NJ, which is the largest outdoor saltwater wave/tow facility in North America. The qualification to be considered for a top prize was stringent, as teams had to demonstrate an Oil Recovery Rate (ORR) above 2,500 gpm, with an Oil Recovery Efficiency (ORE) of greater than 70%. Only Elastec/American Marine and NOFI were able to exceed both goals, with Elastec/American creating a system that exhibited a staggering Oil Recovery Rate (ORR) of 4,670 gpm, with an efficient of 89.5% oil to waterrecovered; , and NOFI exhibiting an average ORR of 2712 gpm with an average ORE of 83%. The Winning Team Elastec/American Marine, a manufacturer of oil spill and environmental equipment known for innovation in machinery design, is a self-funded, privately held Midwest corporation that has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers of oil spill equipment in North America. The company, which started over 20 years ago as just an idea, has grown into a 100+ workforce that has gained a global reputation for its technological innovations. In the X-Prize competition, Elastec/American Marine reached more than three times the industry?s previous best oil recovery rate tested in controlled conditions. Team leader Don Johnson is manager of the Elastec/American Marine Aluminum Boat Division, and has 30 years experience in the design and manufacture of recreation vessels. He was embedded at the Deep Water Horizon event as an onshore facilitator representing Elastec/American Marine for the In-Situ burn task force. To know the Elastec/American Marine Team story, it is essential to start from the beginning of the company. Elastec/American was started by Donnie Wilson and Jeff Cantrell, started as any other Southern Illinois oilfield service company. From the start it was their innovation www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 19Left:The Winning Team: Elastec/American Team Leader: Don JohnsonTeam Location: Illinois, USA Team Members:  Donnie Wilson  Jeff Cantrell  Stewart Ellis  Charles Storey  Brian Orr The Glosten Associates, Inc.MTR#1 (18-33):MTR Layouts 1/3/2012 9:51 AM Page 19