State & Local TBED RoundUp

Alabama 

To help rural Alabama communities work with existing industries toward job training and creation, Governor Don Sielgelman is creating a Center for Economic Growth within the Alabama Department Office. The new initiative is intended to help businesses in the rural communities cope with pressures to keep and retain qualified workers once the recently announced $1 billion Hyundai automotive plant begins hiring up to 2,000 employees. The center also will help the areas develop industrial recruitment strategies, according to the Associated Press. 



Arlington, Texas 

The Arlington Technology Incubator opened April 1 at the University of Texas at Arlington in cooperation with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, according to stories in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The center, to be housed in a building to be constructed in downtown Arlington, will help spin off research from the school's nanotechnology program. Former Mayor Richard Greene will serve as the first director, and the chamber's foundation will help secure grants to fund operations. 



Loudoun, Virginia 

The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development has named an official science adviser, the first such county-level position that SSTI knows of. The March 28 Washington Post reported that Terry Sharrer was named to the volunteer position in January, along with a 10-person advisory cabinet that includes several prominent science and technology leaders. The team is tasked with helping cultivate science and tech-based economic development in the largely rural county. The county has made innovation, research and tech business recruitment an integral part of its strategic plan and promotional activities. 



Massachusetts 

Acting Governor Jane Swift introduced legislation this week to create a Massachusetts advanced materials and biotechnology tax benefit certificate pilot program. An April 5 Boston Globe article reported the program would allow biotech and selected other tech firms to sell tax credits earned by increasing their R&D expenditures. The credits, applicable to corporate income taxes, would be equal to 10 percent of the increased R&D investment and could carry over for up to 15 years. The state's exposure from the pilot would be limited to $5 million annually. House Bill No. 5005 has been referred to the House Committee on Taxation. The Boston Globe points out supporters predict passage is unlikely this session since the state is facing a $2 billion deficit for the next fiscal year. 



Pennsylvania 

Governor Mark Schweiker has announced the creation of a new Ben Franklin Technology Center to serve northwest Pennsylvania from the campus of Penn State Erie. The initial focus of the fifth Ben Franklin Technology Center will be on expanding the application and development of electronic supply-chain management. The center — in cooperation with Penn State Erie, Gannon University, Allegheny College, Edinboro University and Carnegie Mellon University — also will work to establish a Center of Excellence, focusing on the development of next generation information technologies, such as remote diagnostics. The state will invest $3 million annually in the center. 



Organizational Name Changes 

The information technology council of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in North Carolina has been renamed Information Technology Charlotte. The press release says "the new council name was created to inextricably link the Charlotte region and the words information technology, helping to brand the region as a hotbed of IT activity, both to potentially relocating technology workers and to customers looking for IT services."



The Southwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, which provides advisory services to the region's small and medium-sized manufacturers, has changed its name to Catalyst Connection. According to the press release, the "brand-building campaign focuses on organization’s manufacturing expertise and leadership; strives to raise awareness of vitality of regional industry." 



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