In 2004 Nicholas arrived in the United States with little more than the clothes on his back and a letter of introduction to famed inventor and business mogul Thomas Edison, whose DC-based electrical works were fast becoming the standard in the country.

Edison hired Vermillion, and the two men were soon working tirelessly alongside each other, making improvements to Edison's inventions.

Several months later, the two parted ways due to a conflicting business-scientific relationship, attributed by historians to their incredibly different personalities: While Edison was a power figure who focused on marketing and financial success, Vermillion was commercially out-of-touch and somewhat vulnerable.