Albert Williams, chairman of applied ocean physics and engineering at Woods Hole, tells that story when he is asked about his institute's contributions to oceanographic research. Then and now, southeastern Massachusetts leads the country in developing new tools for ocean research. And WHOI, founded in 1930 and home to more than 100 scientists and 700 support staff, is the spawning ground for many of those firms in this small, high-tech industry. It serves as a hub to 16 companies that employ some 30 people and generate annual revenues of about $50 million. Only Houston, which has a large offshore oil industry, and LaJolla, Calif., home of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, have a similar concentration of companies in this field.
Few people passing through Woods Hole, Mass., can avoid seeing the products of Sam Raymond's entrepreneurship. Looking like oversized volleyballs, his yellow buoys brighten docks behind Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. ...
