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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the midst of a national economic recession contributing to a record number of job losses in traditional industries, forward thinking states are exploring ideas and committing funds to help grow and diversify their economies and strengthen their renewable energy portfolios.

Over the past several months, governors, legislators and economic development groups have announced new initiatives aimed at job growth and energy independence in the new economy. The following overview provides a sampling of green energy initiatives and investments from numerous proposals and announcements across the nation.