SSTI Digest

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.



The Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) is seeking someone to serve as its capital resource director. The incumbent will provide financial incentives and tools to assist businesses in creating, expanding or retaining employees, among other responsibilities. Toward that effort, the director will work with various other financial sources, external partners and resource centers to provide more opportunities to all clusters, entrepreneurs and various individuals. He or she should have a bachelor's degree, with 3-5 years in specific industry experience. A Master in Business Administration degree is preferred.

Bob Dayton was named president of the Delaware BioScience Association.

The first two installments of SSTI's annual look at how TBED will play in the 2006 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm

Delaware

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Budget Proposal, Jan. 26, 2005

"My budget also includes $632,400 to fund 10 additional math specialists. We put 22 math specialists in middle schools last year, and while I had hoped to add more than 10 this year, we simply cannot do that and maintain our modest budget growth...

Gov. Ruth Minner launched over the summer the final component of her New Economy Initiative to provide a network of support and services to technology-based start-up companies.

The Emerging Technology Center will partner with private firms, regional organizations and universities to identify gaps in available services and provide access to technology development resources and laboratory facilities for product development, according to the governor's press office. The mission of the center is to seek individuals who have the capacity and desire to become tech-based entrepreneurs. Primarily, the state is interested in identifying those who have recently retired from technology-based corporations, individuals separated from their jobs due to business changes, new residents, professors, and graduate students.

Citing a reorganizing, the Delaware Economic Development Office fired 20 percent of its staff (10 positions) last Thursday. According to the Associated Press and local news sources, among those relieved of their duties were Janet Wurtzel, chief operating officer, and Rob Propes, entrepreneurial and small business support director.

July has been a tech-friendly month for Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. On July 14, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) named her "BIO Governor of the Year," recognizing her contributions toward growing the state's biotechnology industry, one of the strongest concentrations in the country. Further attesting to her grasp of biotech issues, Gov. Minner also serves as a co-chair of the National Governors Association Biotechnology Partnership.

More importantly though, the state legislature passed a capital budget in the early morning hours of July 1 that included all of the key components of the governor's New Economy Initiative. Gov. Minner signed the legislation later that same day.

As promised in her 2004 State of the State Address, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner released a New Economy Initiative last week that includes several new elements to encourage economic growth in Delaware. The $34 million package is expected to generate at least $16 million more in federal and private match. Many of the elements of the plan were recommended by the governor's Strategic Economic Council.

The largest component of Gov. Minner's proposal is a new $12.5 million Delaware Competitiveness Fund to make one-time investments in companies modernizing their production facilities. As presented in the governor's press materials, the uses for the fund could be quite broad: provided matching grants for implementing new manufacturing processes; bring in new product lines; abate taxes; find buyers for idled facilities; support employee training; and, bring R&D results into manufacturers' operations.

Other elements include:

Tech-based economic development remains high on the agendas of the most of the governors who gave State of the State or Budget Addresses this week. Selected excerpts are provided below:

Delaware

Gov. Ruth Ann Miner, State of the State Address, Jan. 22, 2004

"The era of opportunity we are entering presents us with the chance to diversify and fortify the Delaware economy. In February, I will unveil the details of an economic development package.

Judy McKinney-Cherry is the new director of the Delaware Economic Development Office.

John Wik, director of Delaware's economic development office, is resigning in September to pursue interests in the private sector.