SSTI Digest

Pat Snider, the first CEO for BioGenerator in St. Louis, announced her departure from the two-year-old organization by the end of the year.

Randa Hayes is the new director of the business development and trade division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Greg Steinhoff to head the Missouri State Department of Economic Development.

The Kauffman Foundation named Patrick Von Bargen CEO of the Center for Venture Education. Von Bargen was the former managing executive for policy and staff at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

The Kauffman Foundation recently launched "Giving Back to Entrepreneurship," a website dedicated to informing entrepreneurs how they can use their energy and creativity to support their communities and help jumpstart the next generation of entrepreneurs. Giving back can include both financial and service contributions. For example, dedicating one's time and expertise to activities such as mentoring, serving on boards, teaching or contributing to online or print publications for entrepreneurs provides valuable services without a financial commitment. Companies also can provide services such as in-kind donations, which can include products, consulting or office space, sponsoring internships and scholarships, offering employer-sponsored programs, or establishing a company foundation. In terms of a financial contribution, the Kauffman Foundation suggests joining an angel investing group, donating to entrepreneurship education through high school, college, or postgraduate levels, or starting a new foundation. The website provides many features, including a giving scale that displays how…

As the angel investment community continues to evolve from individual investors to sophisticated angel investment groups, the Kauffman Foundation and the Angel Capital Association (ACA) have jointly published a new guide designed to help angels form the most effective angel organizations for their communities. Angel Investment Groups, Networks, and Funds addresses the decision-making process in forming an angel group, from evaluating whether a particular community can support an angel group to determining the best structure. The 158-page guide offers examples of organizational structures and management functions and provides critical documents such as membership agreements, funding options, term sheet samples and due diligence checklists for more informed investment decision-making. To alleviate some of the risk and work in angel investing, angels have begun forming angel groups, the guide points out. About 200 such groups were active in 2003, up from an estimated 10 in 1996. The increase, the author says, represents an evolution of the angel investing market as individual investors find many…

New manufacturer training funds, enhanced enterprise zones, and new economic development infrastructure loans are among the incentives included in Missouri's Jobs Now legislation, signed into law by Gov. Bob Holden on July 8. Passage of key elements of the package was one of the governor's top priorities for the legislative session and was considered critical for securing the new 1,200-employee H&R Block headquarters in downtown Kansas City, according to local news reports. During the signing ceremony, Gov. Holden noted the new economic incentives will benefit both community colleges and businesses. Jobs Now provides $15 million to help retrain existing workers to keep up with advanced technology upgrades. To be eligible for the retraining assistance, companies must have maintained at least 100 employees during the two years prior to being in the program. They also must make a capital investment of at least $1 million in long-term assets at the project location, such as buildings or equipment. SB 1155 also calls for enhanced Enterprise Zones, areas marked by high unemployment and low personal…

Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center, a Rolla-based, multi-office nonprofit organization that provides business and technical assistance to manufacturers, agricultural producers and startups, is seeking candidates for the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. The full description and application instructions can be found at http://www.missourienterprise.org/Ceo.asp

Arizona taxpayers paid at least $100 million for the TGen Institute. The east coast version of Scripps cost Florida a cool $500-plus million. How much should Kansas City expect to pay the Stowers Institute for Medical Research to double the size of its 600,000 sq. ft. research facility instead of locating a second campus elsewhere? Not a dime. At least not directly. In making the announcement, founders Jim and Virginia Stowers acknowledged the efforts of city, state and academic leaders to strengthen life sciences research at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the University of Kansas. “Virginia and I have been gratified to witness the efforts of our government leaders in Kansas and Missouri to support growth of excellent life science at both state universities," Jim Stowers said. "Their actions have reinforced to us that they are as committed as we are to making Kansas City the best place for life science research and discovery development. Our confidence in their efforts to help the two universities has led us to conclude that the next phase of growth in the research…

Kelvin Simmons is the new director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, replacing Joe Driskell who held the position for 10 years. Simmons had been serving as chairman of the state's Public Service Commission.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation awarded on Monday $25 million in grants to eight U.S. universities that pledged to make entrepreneurship education available across campus. The selected universities, shown with their award amounts, are: Florida International University, $3 million; Howard University, $3.1 million; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, $4.5 million; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $3.5 million; University of Rochester, $3.5 million; University of Texas-El Paso, $2 million; Wake Forest University, $2.16 million; and, Washington University in St. Louis, $3 million. Because schools must match the grants at least two-to-one, the Kauffman Campuses initiative ultimately directs a minimum of $75 million for the creation of new interdisciplinary entrepreneurship education programs in American higher education. The initiative is believed to be the first such program of its kind. While entrepreneurship programs traditionally have been the domain of the business school, the eight Kauffman Campuses schools propose to…

While rural regions strive to establish basic high-speed Internet connections, larger cities such as St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Roanoke, Va., are looking to establish free, wireless Internet access across several blocks to encourage economic development. Recent reports show efforts are underway to speed the technology's deployment in each of the metro areas. In St. Louis, O2Connect is looking to build possibly the largest, free, wireless Internet network in the nation. USA Today recently reported that the city and O2Connect have agreed to offer the service in a 42-square-block area. O2Connect provides wireless high-speed Internet access and data transport to corporate clients using 2.4/5.8 GHz and 900 MHz technologies to deliver 802.11 radio signals. For St. Louis, the small, 3-year-old company already has installed the first of six antennae to transmit the invisible signals and has donated $25,000 worth of equipment. The Oklahoma City-based 4D Networks, Inc. plans to install portable wireless systems, as well as fixed and mobile ones, throughout Oklahoma and abroad in the near future.…