SSTI Digest

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic announced the plans to form the "Akron Development Corporation Seed Fund" in his State of the City address on Tuesday. The fund, with backing from corporate sponsors, aims to attract biomedical companies to the region. Companies receiving investment would locate in the Akron Global Business Accelerator. Read the announcement...

Recent announcements of new and emerging technology incubators range from Google's selection of Cape Town, South Africa to launch a pilot incubator supporting technology entrepreneurs that it hopes to replicate globally to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's plan to create a statewide business incubator focusing on workforce training. Select announcements from across the globe are highlighted below.

Google will set up a new technology incubator called Umbono in Cape Town, South Africa, reports Memeburn. Startup companies selected for inclusion will receive six months of free office space and bandwidth, in addition to $25,000 to $50,000 in funding from a panel of angel investors and Google. The goal is to replicate the model in other parts of the globe. The name means "vision," "sight" or "idea" in Zulu, the article states.

Leasing the state's wholesale liquor distribution system to JobsOhio to provide a dedicated funding source of about $100 million annually for job creation is a key component to reforming Ohio's economic development efforts under Gov. John Kasich. The governor unveiled the plan last week as part of the 2012-13 biennial budget. The proposed budget also sets aside $33 million in the second year of the biennium to facilitate the transfer of economic development initiatives from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to the newly established nonprofit corporation.

The seventh installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The first six installments are available in the Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 issues of the Digest.

Alabama
Gov. Robert Bentley, State of the State Address, March 1, 2011
"The Education Budget I present will preserve, protect and bolster areas that should remain a priority for all of Alabama. ... We will protect the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative. ...

Fifteen years ago this week, the SSTI Weekly Digest launched with two pages faxed to a distribution list of 56. We faxed it on Fridays because, at the time, Sprint offered free faxing on Fridays. When we started the Digest, one of our board members expressed concern about not having enough material to produce a weekly newsletter; as it turned out, that's never been a problem. As technology has changed, so has the Digest, and we're always looking for the best ways to communicate and get out the news. It seems fitting that after 15 years of publishing the Digest, SSTI would launch a Facebook page. Betty White said on her Facebook-generated appearance on Saturday Night Live, "I didn't know what Facebook was. And now that I know what it is, I have to say it sounds like a huge waste of time." We promise that if you "like" us on Facebook, it won't be a waste of your time. It will be a primary mechanism for getting you the latest news as fast as we can.

National recognition for your organization's achievements is priceless. Past recipients of SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award tell us the recognition has helped to generate positive publicity, raise funds, and attract the attention of key stakeholders and legislators. SSTI's 2011 awards program kicks off May 17 with an open call for applications. The awards showcase initiatives that greatly impact state and regional economies through successful and innovative efforts to: Commercialize and Expand Research Capacity; Increase Access to Capital; Build a Culture of Entrepreneurship; and Improve the Competitiveness of Existing Industries. Entry fees are $75 for SSTI members and $95 for non-members. Learn more about the program and our past recipients: http://www.ssti.org/Awards.

Bob Crowley, president of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corp., will step down June 30. Crowley has held the position since 2002 and has been with the quasi-public agency since its beginning in 1978.

Mitch Adams, executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is resigning after leading the agency for nearly a decade.

Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance, and Keith Crisco, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, have been named co-chairs of the Southern Technology Council.

Thomas Guevara has joined EDA as deputy assistant secretary for Regional Affairs.

Gray Swoope has been named president of Enterprise Florida. Swoope most recently was executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

Facing massive government deficits and stagnant regional economies, many states are exploring new options for their economic development activities. Three states recently have taken steps towards eliminating their primary economic development agencies, and replacing them with public-private partnerships, intended to reduce state spending and improve the responsiveness of state efforts.

Arizona
Last week, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed off on a comprehensive economic competitiveness package. The centerpiece of the legislation is the elimination of the Arizona Department of Commerce, and the creation of a new Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). Brewer says that the restructuring is needed to streamline the responsibilities that had been accumulated by the Commerce Department and to clarify the state's focus on creating new jobs. Many of the programs currently associated with the department may be permanently eliminated, including the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment office, the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) program, the Arizona Main Street program and many of the state's technology programs.

Hosted by TechColumbus, SSTI's 15th Annual Conference will be held at the Hyatt on Capital Square in Columbus, Ohio on November 8-9, 2011. Past attendees know SSTI's conference is the premier event for sharing ideas on the best ways to encourage technology-based economic development and foster regional prosperity in a global economy. And 2011 will be no exception.

Central Ohio provides an excellent backdrop to celebrate SSTI's 15th Annual Conference. The state has made science and technology a central focus for its economic development investments, making Columbus a perfect choice to showcase successful technology-based economic development practices and strategies.

With support from the Greater Cleveland Partnership, NorTech (the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition) is accepting applications for the two positions below:

• The Energy Enterprise Senior Consultant, reporting to the vice president and director, Energy Enterprise, is a key member of the NorTech Energy Enterprise team. NorTech Energy Enterprise is leading a collaborative regional effort to drive growth across all sectors in advanced energy and develop a thriving advanced energy industry cluster in which public, private and academic partners create and grow new technologies.
• The FlexMatters Senior Consultant is a key member of the NorTech FlexMatters team. NorTech FlexMatters is the regional innovation cluster emerging around the flexible electronics industry in Northeast Ohio. Flexible electronics is a new science and manufacturing opportunity for printing electronic devices on flexible plastic materials.

Maine Governor Paul LePage named Phillip Congdon as the new commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. Cogndon is a licensed professional engineer who spent more than 20 years with Texas Instruments in Dallas. He replaces Acting Commissioner Thaxter Trafton.

Ohio Governor John Kasich announced Mark Kvamme, a partner at Sequoia Capital, will serve as the interim state development director. The Silicon Valley venture capitalist has agreed to do the job for a dollar.

Former NorTech CEO Dorothy Baunach will be Cuyahoga County's interim economic development director.

Ken Bloemer, executive director of the U.S.A. National Innovation Marketplace, will replace Phil Doepker as director of the University of Dayton, Innovation Center.

The Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance is seeking a new president who will play a leading role in developing strategy for modernizing Oklahoma's industrial base. The successful candidate will possess strong leadership skills, demonstrated administrative ability, entrepreneurial management skills, organizational awareness, political sensitivity, and the ability to establish rapport with numerous constituencies. The position requires executive experience in managing budgets, contracts, and operations for a major company or organization.