Clackamas-based Cornell Pump Company awarded 2012 Product Innovation of the Year, by Pumps & Systems Magazine, voice of the pump and rotating equipment industry. The fourth annual Product Innovation of the Year, judged by Pumps & Systems magazine, was hotly contested. Dozens of innovative products vied for the distinction of being Product of the Year, and Clackamas-based Cornell Pump Company’s Cutter Pump was judged to be best of the worldwide entries—the last three contests were won by companies based in Denmark, Ohio, and Germany. Cornell won for its innovative cutter pump that addresses an issue plaguing every waste water treatment system in North America—fouled impellers. Cornell created an innovative cutter design, using a stationary and rotating element to reduce masses of solids to a size that will pass through the pump. Less impeller fouling means a dramatic increase in up-time for the pump; in tests of the cutters, savings of more than $31,000 per pump installed have been seen. With many municipalities employing dozens or hundreds of pumps in their systems, the savings can be truly dramatic.