SSTI Digest

In case you missed it, the midterm elections were on Tuesday, resulting in Republicans taking control of Congress, several new governors, and five states endorsing minimum wage increases. Although the 146 state ballot measures up for vote were a quarter-century low, several proposals were relevant to the TBED community, as highlighted in a Digest article last week. Voters ultimately approved many of these proposals, although initiatives related to higher-education in North Dakota and Oregon both failed.  Issue Three in Arkansas was approved by voters, officially banning lobbyist gifts to state officials, prohibiting direct corporate and union contributions to candidates, and doubling the time needed before former politicians can become lobbyists. It appeared that the measure was headed to defeat, largely because in addition to these provisions, Issue Three also increases term limits to 16 years per office.  Colorado voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 105, an initiative to label genetically engineered foods, with more than 68 percent of voters saying no to the labeling. About $900,000 was contributed in support for the initiative, mainly from…

On November 4, 42 states will vote on 146 ballot issues across a wide array of issues. In addition to initiatives on gun control, bear baiting, and the minimum wage, several initiatives relevant to the TBED community are also up for decision. SSTI has gathered information on many of these and will discuss their results after next week’s elections. Arkansas voters will decide on Issue Three, an initiative that seeks to establish an independent citizens’ commission to evaluate salaries for public officials, eliminate free meals and gifts to state politicians, prohibit politicians from receiving donations from corporations, and restructure term limits for state senators and house representatives. Currently, Arkansas’ state representatives can serve six years in office, while senators can serve eight. Issue Three will allow politicians to serve 16 years in either chamber, rather than forcing them to switch chambers after serving at the current limits. The bill will also force legislators to wait two years before they can become a lobbyist. In Colorado, residents will vote on Proposition 105, which would require any prepackaged, processed food or raw…

Tennessee legislators overwhelmingly approved Gov. Bill Haslam's cornerstone proposal for addressing affordability and accessibility issues plaguing higher education while at the same time making a substantial commitment toward future workforce preparedness: free community/technical college tuition. First unveiled in his February State of the State address, "Tennessee Promise" guarantees every graduating high school student may enjoy tuition-free attendance at any institution within the state's system of community colleges and colleges of applied technology. The program, slated to start in the fall of 2015, will be designed to allow students to earn an associate's degree at the community and technical colleges or, if they choose, transfer to one of the state's public universities as juniors to complete a full-four year degree — effectively cutting the cost of college in half for participating students. Transferring credits from two-year to four-year schools, often a stumbling block in many states, is ensured through the Tennessee Transfer Pathways Guarantee, created by the governor and legislature in 2010. To help further…

The fifth installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Connecticut, Maine, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Read part I, part II, part III and part IV.   Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, State of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2014 “Here are three ways we can continue helping employers to grow jobs this session. “First, we can continue to fund the Small Business Express program, which has a proven record of success. “Second, the budget adjustments I submit to you today include $125 million to support Connecticut businesses. That includes increased funding for the Manufacturing Assistance Act, to help grow some of those target industries I mentioned, as well as a new Advanced Manufacturing Fund. “Together these initiatives will provide incentive-driven financial assistance to Connecticut businesses to help them modernize their technologies, focus on research and development, and create the jobs of tomorrow. … “... To ensure that our students are better prepared for college and a career when they finish high school, particularly in high-tech…

Recently, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced a statewide Regional Prosperity Initiative — a voluntary, competitive grant process for existing state-designated planning regions and metropolitan planning organizations. The plan will divide the state into 10 zones with the intent of empowering local and regional partners to develop a consensus vision and implementation plan for economic success. Under the initiative, all state government departments also will begin serving the 10 regions, enhancing service delivery and encouraging communities to collaborate on a regional basis. Although specific details still are being worked through, starting in 2014, regions will compete for grant funding to support economic development efforts including establishment of regional prosperity collaboratives, councils and boards. The Initiative was signed into law as a part of the state’s FY14 budget (59 PA 2013). Read the Regional Prosperity Initiative FAQ… Michigan joins New York and Tennessee as states that have shifted their economic development efforts to focus on regional zones. In April 2011, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers agreed to establish a regional…

Rice University's Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has been named the top university business incubator in the world by the University Business Incubator (UBI) Index based in Sweden. The group reviewed 550 university business incubators and studied 150 incubators to determine the top incubators in the world based on their value for the ecosystem, their value for clients, and their attraction rate and past performance. Other U.S. incubators that made the UBI Index Top list include VentureLab, the University of Buffalo Technology Incubator, and Tech 20/20.

Yuka Nagashima, executive director of the High Technology Development Corp. and center director for the Innovate Hawaii program, has resigned from both posts and will leave the state agency in August. Nagashima will be leaving for Denmark to support her husband's research career. Len Higashi, current senior economic development manager, was selected to become the acting executive director. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been appointed vice chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council by Gov Pat Quinn. Jason Hall has been named the St. Louis Regional Chamber's vice president for business development and corporate counsel, effective June 28. Hall's most recent position was as deputy director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University announced plans to retire, effective July 1. Executive vice president and provost Joseph Alutto was named interim president. Rep. Jo Bonner announced he will retire from Congress on Aug. 15 in order to take a newly created position of vice chancellor for government relations and economic development at the University of Alabama System. Joan Dunbar…

Sean Greene has joined the Case Foundation as entrepreneur in residence. Greene most recently served as associate administrator for Investment and special advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration. Jane Oates, assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration, which oversees the Job Corps program for the U.S. Department of Labor, has announced her resignation effective at the end of the month. Euan Robertson has been appointed president and COO of MaRS Discovery District. Robertson joins MaRS from the New York City Economic Development Corporation Doug Hockstad has been named the director of Tech Launch Arizona, the revitalized Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Arizona. Sudarsanam Suresh Babu has been named the 11th University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor's Chair. Babu will serve as Governor's Chair for Advanced Manufacturing. He begins on July 1. Kalliat Vasaraj has been selected as Louisiana State University's vice chancellor of research and economic development.

Bill Kirkland will head the new Office of Economic Engagement that will begin operations July 1 at the University of South Carolina. The new entity will facilitate business development statewide, and work through USC&'s seven regional campuses. John Carey, a former state representative, was appointed by Gov. John Kasich as the chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. Nancy Bryan will be welcomed as the new president & CEO of BioFlorida at their 10th Annual Celebration of Biotechnology on May 9. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has created a new Office of Innovation to make government services more efficient and transparent, and to help with economic development. The city has hired Kristine LaLonde and Yiaway Yeh as co-chief innovation officers.

President Obama nominated Ernest Moniz as the next secretary of Energy, Gina McCarthy as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Sylvia Mathews Burwell as director of the Office of Management and Budget. The nominations require confirmation by the Senate. Draper Triangle Ventures is opening a Columbus, OH, office. Will Indest, formerly of TechColumbus, has been named managing director. Jim Stefansic has been named commercialization director of Launch Tennessee. The position previously was held by James Stover, who stepped down from his full-time role in 2011 but served as a consultant to LaunchTN in the interim. Jasper Welch has been named president & CEO of the National Business Incubation Association.

The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee and Texas. Our first three installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 issues of the Digest. MarylandGov. Martin O'Malley, State of the State Address, Jan. 30, 2013“Creating jobs through innovation is not just the responsibility of the private sector. There are things we can do together ”“ through the common platform of our government ”“ to accelerate innovation and improve the business climate ... expanding our successful job creation tax credits for biotech, and research and development. And, by creating a new cyber security tax credit. ... “... Your vote on the EARN bill, will allow us to partner with business to equip more of our workers with the skills they need to fill the jobs that are in highest demand.” MissouriGov. Jay Nixon, State of the State Address, Jan. 28, 2013“Two years ago, I convened a summit to lay out my agenda for higher education. I challenged the leaders of all our public two- and four-…

While Washington remains in political gridlock and the national economy continues sluggish growth, one key trend for political and economic success is apparent: U.S. metro regions experiencing high economic growth have invested federal, state, and private funds in high-speed broadband access. In a recent NY Times Op-Ed, Thomas Friedman illustrates the impact of local investment in high-speed infrastructure that has contributed to an economic resurgence in Chattanooga, TN. Since installing a city-wide fiber network and smart meters, major global companies including Amazon and Volkswagen have moved operations to the city. The result is that corporate relocations, along with community-based tech-startups, have created over 3,700 new jobs in the past 3 years. Chattanooga's success is not an outlier. A recently released report from the Brookings Institution lists Pittsburgh, Knoxville (TN), and Dallas as the only U.S. metro areas that have experienced a full economic recovery. The report credits investments in infrastructure, including high-speed broadband access, as drivers of growth. While businesses consider many factors for site location, high-speed broadband…