SSTI Digest

The Idaho Department of Commerce has named Gynii Gilliam as its new chief economic development officer. Gilliam brings more than 20 years of experience to the position. Most recently, she served as executive director of Bannock Development Corporation.

David Kerr, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, will step down from the position Dec. 31.

Tim McLaughlin and Bob Merritt have been selected for leadership positions within the Delaware Economic Development Office. McLaughlin, formerly with the Delaware State Housing Authority, is taking over as director of business development, overseeing DEDO's recruitment efforts. Merritt, who was vice president of the First National Bank of Wyoming's loan department, joins DEDO as capital resources director, overseeing management of Delaware's Strategic Fund.

TechColumbus has appointed Tim Haynes, vice president for membership and marketing, as interim CEO beginning Jan. 1. Previously, Ted Ford, who spent six years as the organization's CEO, announced his plans to leave the post at the end of this year.

Job Corner
NorTech, a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization, is seeking applications for the position of vice president. The individual will be responsible for managing multiple internal and external special projects, developing and managing fundraising strategy, operations and government engagement program activities. It is critical for the candidate to be able to represent the CEO at various meetings and for execution of projects. This position requires the ability to multitask and continue to shift and prioritize projects as new opportunities emerge.

The Idaho National Laboratory is seeking applications for a senior economic development manager to leverage INL's scientific and technical capabilities, build local and state relationships, identify the science and technology needs of state and regional entities, work with commercialization managers and make funding recommendations to technology deployment management.

The second installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Our first installment was in the Jan. 5 Digest.

Arkansas
Gov. Mike Beebe, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2011
"I want to tie funding for higher-education institutions more closely to coursework completion and graduation rates, not simply to enrollment. These tax dollars must produce college graduates, not just fill up seats. We can and must double the number of college graduates in Arkansas by 2025 if we are to stay competitive. This is a lofty goal aimed at the future, but we must begin implementing it today."

Specialized and high-tech incubators provide crucial services and resources to promote and enhance Commercialization & Entrepreneurship, one of the six thematic tracks of this year's annual conference. Three sessions tied to this theme will be explored during SSTI's annual conference, focusing on direct lessons from successful and proven TBED programs, regional innovation clustering, and more. They include:

• Distributed, Non-University Models for Commercializing New Technologies
• Technology Entrepreneurship: Direct Contact Required
• Sustaining Entrepreneur-in-Residence & Mentoring Programs

Announcements of new incubators designed to hatch ideas, speed commercialization of university-based inventions, and grow technology-focused companies across the nation are detailed below.

Lawmakers in Idaho, Iowa and South Dakota recently passed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year providing funds to help stabilize higher education funding, support research projects related to renewable energy R&D, and provide temporary operational support for an underground deep science laboratory.

Idaho
Gov. Butch Otter signed into law HB 544, the Higher Education Stabilization Fund, setting up three accounts to help protect higher education funding from economic downturns. The bill redirects interest on revenue from tuition and fees at Idaho's state colleges and universities to a new strategic interest account within the newly established Higher Education Stabilization fund. The fund includes $114,000 in interest earnings available now, and lawmakers can appropriate money directly to the fund when a surplus is available in the future, according to a press release.

Entering its tenth year covering governors’ State of the State, Budget and Inaugural Addresses, SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from across the nation. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in the following states:

Arizona
Gov. Janice Brewer, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2010

“… I am taking the following specific actions to make Arizona even more competitive in creating jobs.

First, I am announcing the formation of a Governor's Jobs Cabinet. This team of key state agency directors will cut through the red tape and the green tape to speed job creation.

“Second, I will be allocating a significant portion of remaining federal stimulus funds directly to bring new jobs to Arizona. Specifically, I am devoting $10 million in one-time federal stimulus funds for job training. …

Three University of Idaho agricultural research and extension centers slated for possible closure this month due to budget cuts will remain open through June following monetary pledges from industry groups. Last week, the state Board of Education accepted a $1.5 million offer from the J.R. Simplot Co. allowing the Parma Extension and Research Center to remain open for the next five years in return for up to half of the center’s 100 acres of cropland and other facilities for the company’s own research, reports The Idaho Statesman. University officials also announced additional industry contributions will allow two other centers facing closure in Sandpoint and Tetonia to remain open through June 30. The Idaho Legislature reduced the state appropriation to the Agriculture Research Extension Service budget by 11.5 percent in FY09 due to declining state revenues, and in September, Gov. Butch Otter ordered an additional 6 percent cut. The centers conduct field crop research to create more efficient processes for growers across the state.

As economists and policymakers debate the details of how and when the nation will recover from the recession, the topic of entrepreneurship and the role it will play in shaping the new economy continually arises. In the coming years, some analysts predict a rise in entrepreneurship both as a result of massive layoffs and an aging workforce not yet ready or able to retire. Highlighting the correlation between joblessness and the uptick in entrepreneurship, several recent news articles have featured stories of the unemployed forgoing disappointing job searches and the corporate environment to pursue business ownership.

Lawmakers across several western states have reached budget agreements for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium allocating decreased or level funding for tech-based economic development efforts. Lawmakers also passed new legislation supporting job-creation efforts and investments in alternative energy. While funding for many of these programs appear secure in FY10, additional spending cuts are anticipated in the coming months if state revenues continue to decline.

Lonnie Emard has been named interim director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management, a recently formed collaboration of business, academic and economic development organizations intended to build information technology (IT) opportunities in South Carolina.

Boise State University has tapped Mary Givens as director of the newly formed Office of Technology Transfer within the university's Division of Research.  

G.P. "Bud" Peterson, chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder, was named the eleventh president of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

As governors across the nation seek to fill record deficits, many new and longstanding TBED initiatives are facing challenging cuts or elimination. At the same time, governors are shoring up support for critical, targeted investments in the economy that they say are needed now more than ever. Using the platform of the state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses, several governors have announced new or increased investments in workforce innovation, bioscience, and alternative energy (see the Jan. 7, 14, and 21 issues of the Digest). Summarized below are executive recommendations from budget proposals in Georgia, Idaho and Vermont outlining new plans and proposed cuts to ongoing TBED efforts.