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SSTI Digest
Geography: Colorado
Colorado Jobs Plan Engages Employers to Improve Workforce Quality
Outlining his Colorado Promise three years ago as a newly-elected governor, Gov. Bill Ritter envisioned an economy that supports high-wage jobs and offers an environment for businesses to expand and thrive. Educational programs would be synched with industry needs to produce a skilled workforce, workers would be trained in the high-demand fields relevant to each of the state's diverse regions, and enough businesses would be operating to employ them.
Two years later, Gov. Ritter convened the Jobs Cabinet, bringing together the state's economic development, education, and workforce communities to make recommendations for aligning jobs with industry needs. The cabinet presented to the governor last month a report and recommendations for achieving this goal in the report "Economic Competitiveness through Collaboration, Talent Development, and Innovation."
TBED People and Organizations
Rebecca Bagley, who left her position as deputy secretary for the Technology Investment Office within the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, was appointed president-elect of NorTech. Bagley will succeed Dorothy Baunach, the founding staff director of NorTech, as president and chief executive officer. Baunach will become president emeritus, serving as an adviser until December 2010. John Sider has been appointed to succeed Bagley. Prior to his appointment, Sider served as the director of venture investment for DCED.
Steve Crawford is leaving Brookings to take a new job as vice president for policy and research at CFED -- the Corporation for Enterprise Development in Washington, DC.
TBED People and Organizations
The Piedmont Triad Research Park laid off Bill Dean, director of the park, and Nancy Johnson, marketing director. Park officials said that the park's project manager and executive assistant also were laid off.
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced that he has tapped Don Elliman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development, to serve as the state government's first chief operating officer.
Western States Scale Back on 2010 TBED Investments
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.
Sponsor: Bill will create jobs
Doug Johnson of UniverCity Connections believes a bill providing tax credits to angel investors putting their money into start-up companies will create hundreds of new jobs in Colorado and help stimulate the lagging state economy.
Sponsored by Democrat John Kefalas of Fort Collins, the bill is expected to cost about $1.5 million, a price that if not reconciled will likely kill it as the state grapples with a possible $1 billion shortfall through next year.
"I completely understand that unless we can come up with a non-general-fund way to pay for this, it will be difficult to get out of the finance committee," Kefalas said.
"I don't want to further strain the budget for next year, but this is a very good economic development tool that will ultimately increase revenue because it will help businesses move along and create jobs. My job now is to figure out how to pay for it."
Superclusters push CSU inventions
Superclusters can be explosive.
Colorado State University this week announced that its researchers have more than doubled the number of inventions, a phenomenal effort in two years. University officials attribute the success to the supercluster concept, which unites researchers with those in the private sector who can take their ideas and run, such as business experts, patent attorneys, marketers, etc. While the superclusters don't create new research, they foster it by speeding the transfer of technology from research to implementation.
The number of inventions attributed to CSU researchers rose from 42 in 2006 to 91 in 2008; CSU is expecting 100 this year.
Another report last week found that CSU has created 13 bioscience companies from 2002 to 2007, which is key to a growing employment sector. The report, by a coalition of advocacy groups, says Colorado ranks 11th in the country for bioscience venture capital investments. Two of three CSU superclusters are related to bioscience: infectious dis-eases and cancer research. The third supercluster is focused on renewable energy.
Tech Talkin' Govs, Part II
The second installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses delivered by the governors of Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oregon and Vermont.
Arizona
Gov. Janet Napolitano, State of the State Address, Jan. 9, 2009
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
TBED People and Organizations
Gov. Jim Douglas plans to merge the Vermont Departments of Economic Development and Housing and Community Affairs.
Governor Outlines $12M Economic Stimulus Plan for Colorado
Gov. Bill Ritter announced his administration's plan to inject $12 million into initiatives that promote job training, provide small businesses with access to capital, and invest in the state's New Energy Economy and bioscience sectors.
The proposals were outlined as part of the governor's fiscal year 2009-10 budget recommendations earlier this month, which includes nearly $5 million for economic development initiatives in the upcoming fiscal year and another $7 million contingent upon budget reserves in 2010.
Several Statewide TBED Issues Win Voter Approval
The outcome of Tuesday's election resulted in several wins and some defeats for TBED among the more than 150 ballot measures presented to voters across the nation. Outlined below are the unofficial election results of select ballot measures from each state's respective election office and local media reports as of Wednesday, Nov. 5. More detailed information on the measures is provided in last week's issue of the Digest, which is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2008/102908.htm#election.
Arkansas
Voters approved 63 percent to 37 percent a constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to establish, operate and regulate state lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for residents enrolled in two- and four-year colleges and universities in the state. Voters also approved a measure to shift the state's budgeting from a two-year cycle to an annual cycle.
Election Preview: Voters to Decide on Statewide TBED Issues
While the Presidential election takes center stage on November 4, voters in several states also will cast their votes on statewide ballot issues affecting the TBED community. In addition to the 11 gubernatorial races and more than 5,800 state legislative seats up for grabs, voters across the nation will consider measures to provide funding for public education, expand investment in alternative and renewable energy, lift restrictions on stem-cell research, and eliminate income tax and state spending caps. Following is a summary of selected ballot issues from across the nation.
Funding Public Education
Florida
Florida voters will be asked to amend the state constitution to require that the legislature authorize counties to levy a local option sales tax to supplement funding for public community colleges. Ballot question 8 requires voter approval to levy the tax.