SSTI Digest

J. Mike Books is leaving his post with the Indiana Health Industry Forum to become the first economic development director for the city of Columbia, Missouri. He also will serve as president of the Regional Economic Development Inc. Brooks will assume his new responsibilities on July 15. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of Judith Canales as Administrator for Rural Business and Cooperative programs in USDA's Rural Development agency. Donald Cardon, who has been serving as director of the Arizona Department of Housing since March, was named director of the Arizona Department of Commerce. John Chaffee has assumed the post of president and CEO of North Carolina's Eastern Region Development Commission. His predecessor, Al Delia, left when he was appointed as Gov. Bev Perdue's policy director. Howard Gobstein is now the Executive Officer and Vice President of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Toronto's MaRS Innovation has appointed Dr. Raphael (Rafi) Hofstein as President and CEO, effective June 8. Jeff Mason, currently senior vice president and chief business development officer for the…

The role of a technology incubator or accelerator for supporting nascent firms generally is regarded with the utmost importance by the tech-based economic development community. Tech incubators provide essential resources for startup companies to develop and commercialize new technologies, leading to the creation of high-quality jobs. With estimates suggesting there could be as many as 5,000 incubators of all shapes and sizes worldwide, finding the latest and best practices for tech business incubation could be a challenge. Fortunately, award programs, such as the currently open SSTI's 3rd Annual Excellence in TBED Award, can help call attention to some of the most successful approaches. The longest running award program for incubation is offered by the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA), which recently announced its top incubation programs, clients and graduates as part of its 2009 awards competition. San Jose BioCenter was named the 2009 Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year, the organization's most prestigious honor for technology incubators. The BioCenter and the six other award recipients were recognized at a ceremony during NBIA's 23rd annual…

Growth is most noticeable in dogs, cats and humans when they are puppies, kittens and infants. A new analysis by the Kauffman Foundation looking at the Census Bureau's Business Dynamics Statistics reveals the same phenomenon in businesses: growth, as measured by net employment, is most significant for younger companies compared to their more mature counterparts.  Infant mortality of young firms is very high, though - nearly 20 percent of all jobs at very young startups are lost due to the businesses failing within the first year. Nevertheless, net employment growth in the firms that survive their first birthday is 15 percent. The net employment growth gradually tapers off as firms mature, but so, too, does the risk of failure and closing.  The Kauffman Foundation terms this an "up or out" pattern. The findings suggest TBED policies and investments that help to increase the survivability of young startups can lead to sustained employment growth, although at a lower incremental rate. Another possible implication for TBED programs could be to influence the importance of metrics that look at jobs sustained as much as annual job creation by client…

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation.  The University of Missouri Mizzou Innovation Center is the anchor research tenant in the new Missouri Innovation Park - a 500-acre knowledge-based science and technology park being developed by the City of Blue Springs and the university. The project will support public research organizations, private businesses, and other research-related organizations establishing business clusters that focus on commercializing technological innovations. Initial seed capital is provided by the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation, the City of Blue Springs and Kansas City Power & Light. Tenants are expected to move into the research park within the next five to 10 years, reports the Columbia Daily Tribune. Plans for a 350-acre biomedical research campus in Kansas City were unveiled last month by Oxford Redevelopment Company. The proposed development, which is called Oxford on the Blue, is part of an overall concept…

Not all of the news coming out of governors' offices is bad for TBED strategies. For example, just in the past week, governors in Missouri, Ohio and Texas proposed increases in state investments for job creation in emerging fields, higher education scholarships, and technology commercialization and research programs. The following overview provides highlights of their recommendations for TBED proposals in the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. Missouri During his first State of the State Address last week, Gov. Jay Nixon outlined his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, which include a 38 percent increase in funding for job creation and workforce development programs, an expanded college scholarship program, and level funding for a statewide science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Announced in January, the Show Me JOBS initiative focuses on growing small businesses throughout the state and expands upon the current Quality Jobs Program and the Missouri BUILD program. Last month, the governor signed three executive orders in support of the initiative. Executive Order…

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell named George Cornelius, the immediate past president and CEO of Arkema Inc., as secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Mark Crowell, head of economic development and technology transfer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been appointed vice president for business and technology development at the Scripps Research Institute. Robert De Wit, a former Pfizer Inc. executive, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the business incubator of Western Michigan University's Parkview Campus. Michael Dockter has been hired as the new associate vice chancellor for research and technology transfer and chief research officer at Arkansas State University. David Edgerly, who for the last two years has headed Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development, will resign from his post. Jim Fram, the president and chief executive of the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Bartlesville Development Corporation, is resigning. He will leave Feb. 2 to become the senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Nate…

The third installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses from governors in Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, and New Mexico. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, State of the State Address, Jan. 15, 2009 "...We should also grow jobs by enacting a green jobs initiative. New opportunities in energy from wind, solar, biomass, biogas, geothermal, biofuels and energy conservation are opening a whole new sector of our economy." Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, Inaugural Address, Jan. 12, 2009 "We'll turn this economy around by making Missouri a magnet for next-generation jobs. We'll invest in new technology. We'll inspire cutting-edge innovation. And we'll embrace science, not fear it. "And not only will we lead with our ideas, we'll also lead with our greatest asset - our people. We must prepare our world-class workers with 21st-Century skills and connect them with the jobs of tomorrow that we will create." Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, State of the State Address, Jan. 15, 2009 "(M)y 2009 energy bill is designed to…

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. California Two measures supporting renewable energy were defeated by California voters. Proposition 7, requiring public and private utilities to generate a percentage of their power from renewable energy, was defeated 65 percent to 35 percent. Proposition 10, authorizing the state to…

Eleven gubernatorial elections were held across the U.S. on Tuesday, resulting in the selection of three new governors - with TBED initiatives spread throughout their campaigns' messages. Only one of the races resulted in a change of party affiliation in the top state position, Missouri, where Democrat Jay Nixon defeated Republican Congressman Kenny Hulshof after current-Governor Matt Blunt declared he would not seek another term. Democrats now hold twenty-nine governorships, expanding on their significant gains in 2006. Governors retaining their seats include John Hoeven (R-ND), Christine Gregoire (D-WA), Brian Schweitzer (D-MT), Jon Huntsman (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitch Daniels (R-IN), John Lynch (D-NH), and Jim Douglas (R-VT). Several of the governors-elect made economic development and TBED a part of their platforms throughout their candidacy. Here is a sampling of policies and programs announced by some of the governors-elect on their official websites as collected by SSTI: Delaware State Treasurer Jack Markell (D) notes in his economic development plan that he became Nextel's 13th employee in 1989, in addition to being a colleague of…

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. Maryland A proposal in Maryland asks voters to approve an amendment to the state constitution authorizing video lottery terminal gaming to provide funds for public education. Question 2 legalizes up to 15,000 machines at sites in four counties and the city of Baltimore. HB 4 requires…

Tony Armstrong, Indiana University executive director for engagement, has been chosen as the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporations new president and CEO. Jeff Costantine will retire this fiscal year as president of the Nashville Technology Council. The board of directors has begun the search for a new president. Joseph G. Danek stepped down as executive director of the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation. He will continue work at the foundation as its senior advisor and will also remain senior vice president of the Implementation Group, a Washington consulting firm. James B. Hoehn, a senior associate at the foundation, became its executive director.  Monica Doss, the longtime president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development who stepped down earlier this year, has been named director of the Kauffman Foundation FastTrac program. Mike Edwards, former assistant vice president and director of the Office of Research at the University of Notre Dame, has been named associate vice president for research in the Office of Research and Technology Management at Case Western Reserve University. Liam E. Leightley has been tapped as the new executive director of the…

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The KTEC Pipeline is seeking a program director to work with its president to help sustain the KTEC Pipeline fellowship program and related entrepreneurial programming. This position assists the president in many areas, including cirriculum development, finanicial organization, program tracking, sponsorships, publications, alumini programming and outreach, mentor programming, and presenter/speaker recruitment. A bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in one of the following fields is required: entrepreneurial ventures, finance, program management, or public policy related to entrepreneurship or economic development. The University of Missouri System is seeking someone to serve as assistant vice president for research and economic development. This position is responsible for promoting the commercialization of intellectual property and products of faculty discovery, innovation and development and working closely with the vice president for research and economic development to identify research results that can promote innovation and…