People & TBED Organizations
The Aerospace, Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Cluster of Southern Arizona has consolidated its operations with the Arizona Technology Council.
Assessment Finds MTI’s Impact Positive for Maine Economy
A new study of the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) reveals MTI's award programs have been effective in contributing to the success of its awardees and in increasing high-tech employment in the state. The MTI evaluation, conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Southern Maine, also found that the success rate of MTI's funded projects improved over the five-year history of the organization.
People
Gov. John Baldacci has sworn in John Richardson as the new commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
People & TBED Organizations
William "Chip" Farmer was named interim director of the Greater Richmond Technology Council. Farmer replaces Robert Stolle, who left in December 2007 to join Core Consulting, a business and information technology consulting firm.
People
Lisa Kuuttila is the first CEO of Michigan State University Technologies, a business organization to train MSU students in the commercialization of science and technology.
TBED People
George Dycio was hired as an economic development specialist for the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council.
TBED People
Nicole Witherbee has joined the Maine Center of Economic Policy as a federal budget analyst and communications coordinator.
Lawmakers Approve Funding for TBED Initiatives in Tennessee, Maine
As July 1 approaches, the beginning of the 2008 fiscal year for most states, several state legislatures are still working to wrap up their appropriation bills. Maine and Tennessee are two of the most recent to close their books on next year’s budgets, and each has included increased funds to support TBED initiatives. Highlights for both states are provided below.
Maine
Opportunity Maine Uses Cash to Stem Brain Drain
A bill designed to keep new Maine graduates living and working in the state after college became law last week with Gov. John Baldacci’s signature. The Opportunity Maine bill, LD 1856, creates a tax credit to assist graduates with their student loan payments and enables employers of graduates to pay off the student loans.
People & TBED Organizations
The business development organizations Ann Arbor SPARK and Ann Arbor IT Zone are in the process of finalizing a merger. The resulting organization will be Ann Arbor SPARK.
Election Preview: States Consider TBED-Related Ballot Measures
Voters in four states will consider several TBED-related measures at the polls next week, including a $3 billion cancer research proposal, state funding for stem cell research, and an R&D bond proposal to spark job creation in emerging technology sectors.
Texas
Michigan Lawmakers Approve Budget: 21st Century Jobs Fund Spared, Three Universities Receive Special Status
For the better part of the year, lawmakers in Michigan have faced the daunting task of balancing both a budget shortfall for fiscal year 2007 and a nearly $1.6 billion deficit for FY 2008. An agreement between Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers was reached in the early morning hours of Oct. 31, following a one-month extension of the deadline and a brief government shutdown.
SSTI Job Corner
A complete description of this opportunity and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
People
Sally Bilancia was selected to replace Sally Bates as the development director in the City of Bangor, Maine.
People
Catherine Renault is the new director for the Maine Office of Innovation within the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
Tech Talkin' Govs 2005, Part Six
The latest in SSTI's annual "Tech Talkin' Govs" series. Five earlier installments of this 2005 review of governors' legislative priorities concerning tech-based economic development are available through the Digest online: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm
Michigan
Will Michigan S&T Emerge Winner in Political Battle?
As the only state to have a net job loss in 2004, Michigan's political leadership recognizes something must change. The state's shifting economy, from one defined principally by its manufacturing sector to one that derives growth equally from knowledge-based industries, is at the center of the matter. Michigan policymakers are challenged to create innovative proposals that preserve one facet of the economy while broadening the other.
People
James Epolito, the former president and CEO of Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America, will become president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) effective Sept. 1. The current MEDC president and CEO, Donald Jakeway, will lead MEDC's international economic development efforts.
Regional Partnership to Boost University Tech Commercialization in Michigan
Catering to high-tech companies built on innovation, the nonprofit regional collaboration dubbed SPARK, hopes to transform Ann Arbor, Mich., into more of an entrepreneurial hub and triple the number of technology jobs within five years.
Parents' Attitudes Toward Higher Ed May Present Barrier to TBED
Sometimes when people are surrounded by others who share backgrounds, beliefs or opinions, they assume everyone thinks that way -- or should. It is one of the negative side effects or symptoms of the phenomenon known as "group think."
People
The new head of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City is Jeffrey Kaczmarek, effective Sept. 6. Kaczmarek currently is senior vice president for community development with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
TBED People & Orgs
Gov. Lincoln Chafee has nominated Deputy Director William Parsons to lead the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. as president and chairman of the Texas Economic Development Corp.
Gov.-elect Steve Bullock tapped Meg O'Leary to be the Montana Commerce Department director.
Tech Talkin' Govs: Part III
Details Emerge in $1.5B Plan to Create Connecticut's Next Generation Workforce
Revolutionizing STEM facilities, hiring new faculty, increasing undergraduate enrollment and even planning new dorms to house the anticipated influx of new students are part of Gov. Dan Malloy's proposed $1.5 billion expansion and investment in the University of Connecticut (UConn).
MI Program to Provide Experience in Advanced Manufacturing for High School Seniors
In partnership with local manufacturing firms, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that it is accepting applications for the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2) program — a pilot program for high school seniors that will combine paid work experience with an associate's degree in the field of mechatronics.