SSTI Digest

Sandy Baruah has been selected to become the president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, effective March 15. John Collar, the chief executive officer and president of the Colorado BioScience Association, resigned this week to pursue other business opportunities. Denise Brown has been selected serve as the organization's interim executive director while a search is conducted for Collar's replacement. Ruth Cox has been named the executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council. Josh Lerner has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research. Marc Stanley is retiring as acting deputy director of National Institute of Standards and Technology. Stanley has served as director of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology since December 31, 2007

TBED People Eric Abelquist has been named executive vice president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities and deputy director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Arn Boezaart, who has been interim executive director of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center the past six months, will take over the position permanently. Melanie Brandt has been hired as chief operating officer for the Technology Association of Georgia. President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services within the International Trade Administration. James Maher, provost and senior vice chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, announced his intention to leave that position and return to the faculty at the beginning of the next academic year or as soon after that as his successor can be in place. Steve Martin has been named head of Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center. Maine Gov. John Baldacci swore in Thaxter Trafton as the new acting commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development…

To attract additional federal funds and boost job creation, Michigan legislators passed a bill authorizing the state to spend another $30 million on a program to create alternative energy clusters and support technology commercialization. The Centers of Energy Excellence program was enacted last year as part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s overall job creation and economic stimulus package proposed during her 2008 state of the state address (see the July 7, 2008 issue of the Digest). The Centers, which are administered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, match base companies with universities, national labs and training centers to accelerate next-generation research, workforce development and technology commercialization. Lawmakers capitalized the program with $45 million for FY 2008-09. SB 418 authorizes the Michigan Strategic Fund to spend up to $30 million through FY11 out of the appropriations received from the 21st Century Jobs Fund, reports Crain’s Detroit Business. The bill stipulates that all funds allocated to the program are required to be used to match federal funding. A previous requirement mandated that grants be used to match…

Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the final FY10 budget bills last week, cutting nearly $1.9 billion in spending and warning state agencies of a possible 20 percent cut in state spending next year. To help fill the FY10 deficit, the enacted budget incorporates $1 billion in federal stimulus funds. With less than $600 million in federal funds available next year, the state could face a shortfall ranging from $800 million to $1 billion, reports The Detroit News. The Michigan Strategic Fund, administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, will receive $114.6 million in FY10, down from $152.6 million approved last year. This includes $28.5 million for the 21st Century Jobs Fund, a sharp decrease from last year’s appropriation of $65 million. The fund supports job creation in emerging fields such as renewable energy, life sciences, homeland security, and advanced manufacturing by investing in basic research at universities and providing access to capital. The business incubator program is funded at $1.3 million, a $50,000 boost over last year. For the No Worker Left Behind Initiative, a workforce training program that provides financial assistance for…

The national recession that began at the end of 2007 is "very likely over," according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Recovery, however, may be a long way off. Because states were affected differently by the economic downturn in both timing and impact, recovery for state and local economies is likely to occur at different times. Moody's Economy.com predicts, according to an MSNBC article, that job growth will return first in five states: Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Four of those states benefit from high-tech industries, and the fifth, Texas, has a strong base of energy industries, the article notes. Re-examining policy and priorities in the early aftermath of the national recession, governors and business leaders in three states that are likely to be at the tail end of the recovery recently unveiled long-term economic development plans to position their respective states for sustained growth in the new economy. Following is an overview of strategic plans and recommendations unveiled in Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin. Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell outlined last week a comprehensive strategic plan for Connecticut…

President Obama has named Ron Bloom as the administration's senior counselor for manufacturing policy. Since, February, Bloom has been a senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and he sits on the president's automotive industry task force. Detroit Renaissance and the Michigan Business Leadership Council are uniting to form a new organization called Business Leaders for Michigan. The new organization supports the Michigan Turnaround Plan. The U.S. Senate confirmed John Fernandez as assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. A former Mayor of Bloomington, IN, Fernadez will oversee the Economic Development Administration. President Obama announced his intent to nominate physicist Patrick Gallagher to be the 14th director of the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Stands and Technology (NIST). Gallagher is currently the NIST deputy director. Lisa Martinez resigned as Missouri's economic development director. Deputy director Katie Steele Danner has been named the department's interim director. Ohio Gov. Ted Stickland has named Lisa Patt-McDaniel director of the Department of Development. Patt-McDaniel…

As economists and policymakers debate the details of how and when the nation will recover from the recession, the topic of entrepreneurship and the role it will play in shaping the new economy continually arises. In the coming years, some analysts predict a rise in entrepreneurship both as a result of massive layoffs and an aging workforce not yet ready or able to retire. Highlighting the correlation between joblessness and the uptick in entrepreneurship, several recent news articles have featured stories of the unemployed forgoing disappointing job searches and the corporate environment to pursue business ownership. At the same time, the U.S. may be on the cusp of an entrepreneurial boom thanks to its aging population. A recent report by the Kauffman Foundation finds the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity belongs to 55-64 year olds. The study points to several factors driving this shift, including changes in job tenure, an increase in life expectancy, and the continued decline of lifetime employment and the experience and tacit knowledge such employees carry with them. Additionally, stronger regulations aiming to prevent the rise of giant organizations may help…

Much emphasis has been placed on the importance of green jobs in the next economy as the nation continues to shed jobs in traditional industries. Creating these specialized jobs is a major priority for states across the nation that will compete for renewable energy industries. Two recent announcements in California and Michigan illustrate efforts underway to recruit and prepare a workforce capable of meeting critical industry needs. California Leveraging $20 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding with additional public and private funds, California is investing $75 million to establish the Clean Energy Workforce Training Program. The goal is to train more than 20,000 new or re-skilled clean energy workers specifically targeting unemployed, underemployed, and new workers, according to the governor's office. Training through community colleges, workforce investment boards, and partnership academies in high schools will prepare workers for jobs as solar installers, sustainable landscapers and water systems designers, and green building designers. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the program will help to develop a highly-trained workforce,…

The lazy days of summer may be the most challenging time to keep students and teachers motivated and engaged in academics. Fortunately, several programs across the country have risen to the challenge. And, with the Obama Administration's pledge to make math and science education a national priority, now may be an opportune time for collaboration among federal and state agencies, private foundations, and industry to reverse the U.S. decline in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As U.S. students continue to lag internationally in math and science test scores, there is a growing concern among policymakers, educators and industry leaders about the nation's ability to compete in a global economy. Results of the U.S. Department of Education Trends in Mathematics and Science Study released last December show that average science performance in fourth- and eighth-graders has stagnated since 1995, according to a Washington Post article. Students in ten other countries outperformed U.S. students in science, and students in eight countries outperformed U.S. students in math. This summer, several initiatives are underway to build excitement in…

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…

Within the last two weeks, both Kentucky and Michigan announced major developments in their ongoing efforts to build a statewide advanced battery industry. With these initiatives, the states hope to better position themselves for upcoming rounds of advanced battery development grants from the federal government and other future sources of investment. A partnership between the state of Kentucky, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Argonne National Laboratory is establishing a national Battery Manufacturing R&D Center to be located in Lexington. Focusing initially on advancing lithium-ion battery manufacturing, the Center will utilize the research and personnel from the universities, but also will have complementary R&D facilities at Argonne. Existing Kentucky programs to fund research grants and recruit researchers will be used to enhance the Center's activities. A few days after the Kentucky announcement, the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries (NATTBatt), a partnership of 50 battery and materials manufacturing companies, announced their intention to spend $600 million to build a 1 million-square-foot campus…