SSTI Digest

Ohio Gov. John Kasich named James Leftwich as the director of the Ohio Department of Development, effective March 25. Leftwich has worked at the Dayton Development Coalition for six years, including three years as president and CEO. Leftwich will take the post previously held by Mark Kvamme, a California venture capitalist named the state's development director in January. Kvamme was appointed director of Job Creation within the governor's office, effective immediately.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced that Jackson businessman Leland Speed will return as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority for the remainder of the governor's term that ends at the end of this year. Speed, who served as executive director from 2004 to 2006, will succeed Gray Swoope. Swoope recently announced his resignation at MDA to lead Enterprise Florida, that state's economic development organization.

The seventh installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The first six installments are available in the Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 issues of the Digest.

Alabama
Gov. Robert Bentley, State of the State Address, March 1, 2011
"The Education Budget I present will preserve, protect and bolster areas that should remain a priority for all of Alabama. ... We will protect the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative. ...

Bob Crowley, president of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corp., will step down June 30. Crowley has held the position since 2002 and has been with the quasi-public agency since its beginning in 1978.

Mitch Adams, executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is resigning after leading the agency for nearly a decade.

Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance, and Keith Crisco, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, have been named co-chairs of the Southern Technology Council.

Thomas Guevara has joined EDA as deputy assistant secretary for Regional Affairs.

Gray Swoope has been named president of Enterprise Florida. Swoope most recently was executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

Alabama then-Governor-elect Robert Bentley on January 3 named former House Speaker Seth Hammett as director of the Alabama Development Office, replacing Interim Director Linda Swann. He also appointed the president of the Birmingham-based Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Bill Taylor, to lead efforts to grow and retain existing Alabama industries, while at the same time recruiting new businesses to the state.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper nominated Dwayne Romero, president of Related Snowmass, to be the new director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Florida Governor Rick Scott fired John Adams, the current president of Enterprise Florida, so that he can choose a new leader to help promote his job creation and economic development agenda.

Often credited with contributing significant revenue to states' economies, research parks also house facilities for workforce training and provide resources for tech-based industries, which is especially important as the nation's employment begins to pick up steam. In West Virginia, officials are building a $15 million advanced technology-training center at the state-owned research and technology park, and in Utah, officials recently broke ground on a building that will house engineers and analysts working on the nation's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program.

Four organizations were named winners of SSTI's 2010 Excellence in TBED Award, serving as national models for states and regions investing in science, technology and innovation to grow and sustain their economies and create high-paying jobs.

"We're very excited to share with the country the success stories from these four organizations," said Dan Berglund, SSTI President and CEO. "Communities and regions across the nation working to transform their economies can learn from the positive results demonstrated by these organizations selected in part for their ability to be successfully replicated."

Awards were presented Wed., Sept. 15 in Pittsburgh during SSTI's 14th Annual Conference, Accelerating Innovation: The Road Ahead for Technology-based Economic Development, attended by some of the nation's top economic development policymakers and practitioners. The following initiatives were named 2010 recipients of SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award:

Ray Gilley resigned as chief executive of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission after nine years on the job. Gilley was responsible for helping lure the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to Central Florida.

Peter Ginsberg joined the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as vice president of Business & Technology Development.

Leslie Smith was hired as the first general manager of TechTown, Detroit's research and technology park. A Detroit native, Smith previously served as director of business acceleration for the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Deputy Director Jonathan Taylor will fill the position of director of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund following the resignation of Alan Kirchhoff earlier this month.

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.

Florida is one of many states without an incumbent governor participating in the 2010 gubernatorial election, as Gov. Charlie Crist, who served just one-term in office, will seek an open Florida U.S. Senate seat this fall in a race against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek. Crist is running as in Independent. Policy aimed at job creation is the topic of much debate in Florida, where unemployment is around 12 percent. Gubernatorial candidates Rick Scott (R) and Alex Sink (D) recently provided detailed jobs plans and outlined proposals to achieve energy independence, which are highlighted in the second installment of SSTI's special election series.

Rick Scott (R)

Florida's FY11 budget, signed into law last month by Gov. Charlie Crist, replenishes the Innovation Incentive Fund with $75 million. The recruitment fund was immediately tapped by lawmakers for $50 million toward enticing Maine's Jackson Laboratory to open a branch in Collier County, leaving $25 million for other major R&D projects and create high wage jobs throughout Florida. The state has promised the Jackson Lab project an additional $80 million over the next three years if developed.

The $75 million FY11 appropriation for the Innovation Incentive Fund is contingent upon passage of increased federal Medicaid funds to the states, however.

Established in 2006, the Fund is responsible for attracting some of the most recognizable life sciences institutions, including the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, SRI International, and the Max Plank Society. The newest recruit, Maine-based Jackson Labs, specializes in genetics research. A 14,000-square-foot research institute that could break ground as early as fall is planned for the Florida branch, reports Marco Eagle.

Florida lawmakers last week approved SB 1752, a package of economic development incentives for industry sectors, including aerospace and small business, to promote immediate job creation and long-term economic growth. Funding for research commercialization matching grants and space industry business development are among the new incentives. The bill carries a $200 million price tag spread over the next three years, reports the Associated Press.

Funding and incentives are spread across the state's economic development programs, small business and space industry sectors, rural communities and unemployment, and the film and entertainment industry. Tech-based economic development components are focused mainly within the small business assistance and space industry development priority areas. The bill provides $11.9 million in assistance to small businesses, including:

Having the tools and resources to develop innovative concepts and products and move discoveries from the lab to the marketplace is an essential component for building tech-based economies. Research parks, a place where innovative ideas are borne, partnerships between university and industry are created, and companies grow and create new jobs, provide a foundation for the kind of economic growth necessary to compete in a global economy. Over the past few months, development plans and groundbreaking announcements from research parks across the nation have been made.

Construction on the first building of Innovation Park, a Missouri University of Science & Technology Research Park, began in March on what used to be a 60-acre golf course. When completed, the building will provide 18,500 sq. ft. of office suites and shared office space for tenants. The concept for a research park on the Missouri S&T campus has been a topic of discussion for more than 10 years, according to the university. Innovation Park is slated to open in October 2010.