Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced the first round of awards from the states new 21st Century Jobs Fund initiative. Totaling more than $100 million, these awards will support applied research and later-stage commercialization of promising new technologies developed at Michigan's public and private research centers.

David Hollister announced he will leave his position as director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth on Feb. 3, to head Prima Civitas, a newly formed nonprofit agency promoting economic development.

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.

In its third special session of the year, Mississippi legislators passed House Bill 3, an economic development package of grants and loans for high-tech and existing industry, including Gov. Barbour’s Momentum Mississippi Initiative.

Angie Dvorak is leaving her position as CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance to become vice president of research for the University of Southern Mississippi. The University saw a 25 percent increase in research funds last fiscal year, climbing to a record $62.6 million.

The Mississippi Technology Alliance has released a second annual index focusing on the process of innovation, the links between innovation and technology-based economic development, and activities that government, academia and the private sector provide to support innovation and economic development.

William Rosenberg has resigned from his position as CEO of the Michigan Broadband Authority. which approved its first loan at the end of March for wireless broadband service in several small towns.

Michael Witt has been appointed Executive Director of MichBio, the state's bioscience industry association.

Donald Jakeway will be the new president and CEO for the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has vowed to enlist her fellow governors in the fight to maintain the nation’s vital manufacturing industry. At a recent meeting of automotive industry executives and experts in Traverse City, Mich., Granholm used her keynote speech to call for actions that will stave off the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Q. Donaldson, V has been appointed Director of the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), effective Jan. 5, 2004.

Tony Jeff has been selected to serve as executive director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.

The Modernization Forum seeks qualified candidates to serve as a project manager for a one-year position. The manager will plan, staff and facilitate research involving focus groups, phone and mail surveys, and secondary resources related to small manufacturing and the economy. The manager will work in collaboration with contracting organization as part of a highly qualified research team.

Tony Jeff is the new executive director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.

Federal research facilities can be a bit intimidating for a small- or medium-sized technology firm. But if a business is looking for solutions to technical problems, new technologies to commercialize or adopt, a research partner, or funding to perfect some technology, the vast resources of the nation's 700+ federal research laboratories could hold the key to commercial success.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a nationwide network of not-for-profit centers in more than 400 locations nationwide. Their sole purpose is to provide the 357,000 small and mid-sized manufacturers in the U.S. help to succeed in a global economy.

Michael Finney, vice president for Emerging Business with the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC), is leaving MEDC to become the first president and CEO for the Greater Rochester Enterprise in New York.

Doug Rothwell, President and CEO of MEDC, has announced his resignation with the end of Governor John Engler's term in December.

A public entity setting up a satellite office for promotion and business recruitment is not new. Many state economic development departments have done it for years in foreign countries to encourage international trade. State film promotion boards do it in Hollywood to attract movie projects to their home states.

The amount of time a technology-based economic development (TBED) professional can spend out of the office for professional development is limited. So are travel funds. That's why SSTI packs so much into its annual conference — already the largest event in the country dedicated to improving state, local and regional TBED efforts.

Gary Woodbury, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan for the past 15 years, has announced he will retire in June 2003.

Recognizing the potential economic impact of biotech, nearly every state, most colleges and dozens of communities are developing programs to build bio-based economies. Everyone wants a piece of what may be the guiding field for industrial transformation over the next several decades. Is there enough bio for everyone? What strategies work for building bio-based economies? What approaches are states and localities taking, and what's working?

Former Lansing Community College president Paula Cunningham is the new director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

A review of recent grant announcements from across the country reveals the growing importance the Economic Development Administration (EDA) places on supporting technology-based economic development projects. EDA's emphasis on technology-led economic development is expected to be the focus of  a keynote address delivered by Dr. David Sampson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and EDA head, at SSTI's Sixth Annual Conference this October 2-3.

With more than 30 sessions and keynote addresses by Michigan Governor John Engler and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development David Sampson, SSTI's Sixth Annual Conference promises to be the year's best and most comprehensive conference on tech-based economic development. Building Tech-Based Economies: From Policy to Practice will be held October 2-3, 2002 in Dearborn, Michigan, with pre-conference activities on October 1.