Lon Safko

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Lawrence "Lon" Safko (born August 1, 1955) is an American inventor, entrepreneur, author, trainer, and professional speaker. Safko is best known for the first commercialization of voice recognition.^[1]

Early life[]

Lon Safko was born in Yonkers, New York to Charles and Elizabeth Safko. He attended Westchester College and graduated with an "advanced civil technology" degree. Safko later attended Hofstra University, Pace University, and Mercy College, where he worked on a minor in computer science.

Career[]

Civil engineering[]

Safko founded Civil Consultants, a computer-aided design company. The company developed engineering software for coordinate geometry, subdivision design, earthwork, highway and traffic design, and hydrology and watershed analysis.^[2]

Safko was appointed as a member of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project engineering team for his work with the United States Department of Energy under Westinghouse Electric Company.

Apple and assistive technology[]

Safko managed two Apple Computer stores during his time at BWIP. He subsequently invented SoftVoice, the world's first voice-activated, environmental control computer system for the physically disabled, in 1985, and has subsequently created further assistive-technology software.^[3][4] Safko subsequently founded a second company, Safko International, Inc.^[5]

Recognition[]

Honors[]

Safko is the recipient of a number of awards and distinctions that include the following:^[6]

1. ACI-NA (Airports Council International, North America), "First Place for Creative Innovations Promotions in North America"
2. Arizona Innovation Network's "Innovator of the Year"
3. Ernst & Young Magazine, Inc. "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" (twice nominated)
4. Westinghouse "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" (twice nominated)

Museum collections[]

Eighteen of Safko's inventions are part of the permanent collection in the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution, and many of his personal and corporate records are in the collection of the museum's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.^[7]

Author[]

As an author, Lon Safko's works include: Gratuitous Serendipity, Life Is But A Dream (iUniverse Publishing), Build Your New House In No Time (Que Publishing), and director of marketing and technical editor for Launching Your Yahoo! Business, and Succeeding At Your Yahoo! Business (Que Publishing) in partnership with Yahoo!, The Social Media Bible (John Wiley & Sons) and The Fusion Marketing Bible (McGraw Hill).^[8]

References[]