SSTI Digest

John Maxson, former president of the Illinois Coalition, was named CEO of The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association.

Michael Relyea was named deputy executive director of the New York State Office of Science and Technology Academic Research.

Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Greg Steinhoff to head the Missouri State Department of Economic Development.

Mel Ustad, current interim vice president for research at the University of South Dakota, is the new director of the state's first Office of Commercialization.

The Kauffman Foundation named Patrick Von Bargen CEO of the Center for Venture Education. Von Bargen was the former managing executive for policy and staff at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

Tom White, president of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, announced he will resign his position after 28 years with the organization.

Kim Zentz, CEO of the Spokane Transit Authority, announced she will take a one-year position as interim executive director of the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute.

The first three installments of SSTI's annual look at how TBED will play in the 2005 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 24, 2005

If the success of its funded companies is revealing, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has done well to spur innovative activity in Maine, suggests an independent analysis recently released in the state.

An evaluation of MTI, a state-supported nonprofit, shows the organization's clientele saw employment grow by 11 percent over the last two years. This rate of growth, which surpassed that of Maine's cumulative 3 percent, resulted in nearly 600 jobs added to the economy. The University of Southern Maine's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) conducted the evaluation, examining MTI-funded companies that completed their projects prior to June 30, 2004.

Is Pennsylvania getting enough bang -- or the right bang -- from its investments in promoting a tech-based economy? The state has been one of the nation's leading public investors in technology-based economic development (TBED) for more than 20 years. Programs have evolved and been added over the years as factors affecting innovation and private sector growth changed. The result is now Pennsylvania's researchers and entrepreneurs have a complex portfolio of public-private resources available to them.

Understanding the function served by the various TBED policies, programs and TBED initiatives toward transforming the state's economy is a goal of a new report from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

Goal is improved service delivery, advocacy for tech community To produce a more focused and effective effort in the areas of commercialization and advocacy, the Illinois Coalition has divided into two separate public-private organizations.

The coalition’s historical goal of enhancing Illinois’ research structure by advocating for large-scale research and development (R&D) investment will remain the same, while the newly formed entity, the Illinois Technology Development Alliance (IDTA), will work with technology enterprises in accessing capital and establishing growth.

The Kauffman Foundation recently launched "Giving Back to Entrepreneurship," a website dedicated to informing entrepreneurs how they can use their energy and creativity to support their communities and help jumpstart the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Giving back can include both financial and service contributions. For example, dedicating one's time and expertise to activities such as mentoring, serving on boards, teaching or contributing to online or print publications for entrepreneurs provides valuable services without a financial commitment.