[December 23, 2013]URBANA — Riverside Research, a not-for-profit
company with facilities in Champaign, recently signed a global
licensing agreement with the University of Illinois for the
exclusive rights to MarketMaker, a Web-based information and
communication resource designed to link farmers and producers with
markets.
The MarketMaker
website was created in 2004 by a team from U of I Extension with the
intention of building an electronic infrastructure that would more
easily connect food-producing farmers with economically viable new
markets.
Today, MarketMaker is one of the largest databases of searchable,
food industry-related information in the country, currently linking
producers and consumers in 19 states plus the District of Columbia.
As the exclusive licensee, Riverside Research plans to invest in
additional research and development to expand MarketMaker's
capabilities to new markets and regions, both nationally and
globally.
"Riverside Research is the ideal partner for MarketMaker," said
Darlene Knipe, co-founder and director of the national MarketMaker
program. "The company has great experience and expertise in
information systems, a long-standing commitment to the greater good,
and a high-integrity business culture. These qualities are critical
to the future expansion of MarketMaker and realizing its great
potential to fight world hunger."
Knipe, along with her husband, Richard Knipe, who is the founder
and co-director of MarketMaker, will continue to direct the national
MarketMaker program as employees of Riverside Research.
"We look forward to growing the MarketMaker community in the
years ahead through what we expect to be a showcase
public-private partnership between Riverside Research and the
University of Illinois," said Richard Knipe.
With the signing of this licensing agreement, Riverside Research
assumes responsibility for the national MarketMaker program and its
partner organizations.
