SSTI Digest

The Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network recently selected Lisa Blakely, a former Bank of America executive, as its CEO.

ASME is seeking a Project Manager responsible for the research, planning, launch and growth of strategic initiatives in the areas of industry relations/corporate services and young engineers. The individual will play a key role in the project management of strategic initiatives to help meet the priority objectives of the ASME Board of Governors. Responsibilities will include business development and business planning; project management, including developing systems and processes necessary for the tracking and execution of strategic initiatives; management of project teams; and initiating, managing and maintaining relevant customer and outsourcing relationships. Qualifications include a Master's degree or equivalent (MBA preferred), and a minimum of five years relevant experience, association experience preferred. Please email, or fax resume which must include salary requirements to: email: meolal@asme.org Fax: 973.575.5484.

One of the recurring issues in many states for financing centers as part of their tech-based economic development portfolio is whether or not the organizations resulting from the multi-year, multimillion grants should become financially self sufficient at the end of the grant term. New York's approach of redesignating its Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs) provides a model similar to efforts employed in some states, but with broader applicability across many public-private initiatives to ensure long term, recurring public investments are yielding significant economic results.

Mandatory re-competitions through sunset clauses or grant terms force all of the partners in a particular tech-based economic development initiative to re-evaluate the program's continued value and effectiveness.

Although their courses of action may differ, competing proposals sponsored by the New York State Senate and Assembly would seem to have the same goal — create jobs, support small businesses, and transform the state's manufacturing sector.

Representing one side is Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Raymond), whose proposal would create the Excell-NY initiative. Bruno established the NexGen task force in December 2003 to provide recommendations for sustained job creation and economic growth, and Excell-NY resulted. The success of previous economic development programs such as JOBS 2000, Gen*NY*sis and NYSTAR led to the new initiative.

Andrea Lohneiss, community development director for Riverhead, N.Y., is leaving to become Suffolk County's commissioner of economic development.

Dr. Russell Bessette has been appointed to the Federal Homeland Security Science and Technology Committee. Dr. Bessette currently is the executive director of the New York Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR).

Nearly every region engaged in building a tech-based economy wants more access to seed and venture capital money. It's particularly useful when your largest employer announces it will lay off up to 23 percent of its workforce – as many as 5,000 people in your community and 15,000 across the globe – during the next three years.

The generous but bittersweet offer came from Eastman Kodak Company last week as it announced the creation of a $15 million economic development fund designed to promote business development and job creation in the greater Rochester region. Kodak currently employs more than 20,000 people in Rochester, a third of its total employment of 64,000 worldwide in 2003.