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.

Tino Breithaupt, formerly vice president of Technology Tri-Corridor with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), is the new senior vice president of economic development for the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce. Vince Nystrom has been named Director, Technology Business Development of MEDC.

Although technology sector employment is down slightly from previous years, Washington firms received twice the aggregate amount of venture capital (VC) funding compared to last year, and the state remains above the national average in educational attainment, according to the sixth annual Washington State Index of Innovation and Technology.

Automation Alley, which promotes economic growth in Southeast Michigan, has hired Noel Nevshehir to direct its international business center.

Automation Alley has named Thomas Anderson as president of the Automation Alley Education & Research Institute. Mr. Anderson also is director of the consortium's Technology Center.

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.

Former University of Washington President Lee Huntsman is the first director of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund.

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.

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.

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire last week signed a bill creating the Life Sciences Discovery Fund (see the Feb. 7 issue of the Digest).

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."

Gov. Jennifer Granholm unveiled her fiscal year 2009 budget last week, proposing to refinance a portion of the state’s general obligation and taxable tobacco bonds and reduce spending across nearly all state departments in order to finance new proposals without raising taxes.

 

More information on these opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

The latest semi-annual state fiscal survey, released jointly this week by the National Association of State Budget Officers and the National Governors' Association, reconfirms the increasing pressure on state coffers found six months ago. Slowing revenues and increasing Medicare and health care costs have resulted in 16 states reducing expenditures in the current fiscal year by $1.6 billion. Eleven states also are reducing their FY 2002 revenue projections.

John Maxson, former president of the Illinois Coalition, was named CEO of The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association.