SSTI Digest

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development announced the following three staff appointments: Leigh McIntosh was named special projects director, Katherine Needham is a new senior vice president, and Roger Cranville will serve as senior vice president of business investment for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance.

Shortly after a General Assembly vote last week, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced the bipartisan approval of the remaining components to the state’s economic stimulus package. The governor's plan is intended to fuel major new investment in communities across the state. Eight final programs were approved by the General Assembly, adding to the previous five that were passed in December 2003 and February 2004. The passage of all components of Pennsylvania's stimulus package calls for more than $2 billion in investment to attract at least another $5 billion in private investments for community revitalization, site preparation, infrastructure improvement and construction, and businesses. The investments will focus on high-growth companies and provide resources to allow traditional industries such as manufacturing access to new technologies in order to enhance productivity, according to the Department of Community and Economic Development. Tech-based economic development initiatives include: $250 million for the New Pennsylvania Venture Guarantee Program. The program will provide guarantees…

A significant reduction in employment among southwestern Pennsylvania's technology industries in 2002 was not enough to offset signs of a turnaround, according to new data released by the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC). Over the second half of the year, a turnaround began to emerge and technology companies accounted for nearly 17.5 percent of the region’s workforce, PTC's annual State of the Industry Report shows. The region's technology industries also experienced an average 4 percent increase in annual wages. Released last month, the PTC report attempts to take a deeper look at the emerging technology clusters found in southwestern Pennsylvania. The updated report considers the contributions of technology companies to the 13 counties comprising the region, drawing on growth numbers from 2002. In all, thirteen key industry clusters are identified by PTC. Covered in this year's edition of the State of the Industry Report are eight new clusters, including: system-on-a-chip, data storage, nanotechnology and micro-electro mechanical systems, cyber security, tissue engineering and regenerative…

Looking to jumpstart the federal policy process regarding broadband Internet access, the Alliance for Public Technology (APT) has released A Nation of Laboratories, Broadband Experiments in The States, a report examining various broadband policies and programs nationwide. In its report, APT recognizes that some states have productive programs in place, while others have none at all. APT contends that only a national policy can ensure full and equitable access to advanced telecommunications services. Upon release of the report, Matthew Bennett, APT’s public policy director, said the fact that such programs are limited to single states undermines the goal of universal service envisioned by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which according to the Federal Communications Commission, is intended to allow anyone to enter the communications business and any communications business to compete in any market against another business. Chicago-area businesses seem to be feeling the effects of limited access, even though it is the center of more Internet traffic than any city worldwide, according to…

With contributions of nearly $64 billion annually to the gross state product, manufacturing remains the largest of all industry sectors in Pennsylvania, according to a new report sponsored by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation. Data released by the nonprofit public-private partnership documents the role of manufacturing in Pennsylvania and analyzes the forces shaping the future of the industry. Manufacturing Pennsylvania’s Future: Regional Strategies that Build from Current Strengths and Address Competitive Challenges shows Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector remains the primary economic driver in the state. Sixteen industries that collectively produce nearly half of the state's manufacturing output have grown and concentrated in Pennsylvania over the past 10 years, the report states. Small and medium-sized manufacturing firms are identified as providing the broad foundation for manufacturing in Pennsylvania. Despite some high rankings, manufacturing employment in Pennsylvania has declined by 133,000 jobs since 1998, the report finds. Recessionary issues, foreign competition, offshore…

Doros Platika is the new chief executive officer for the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Teri Ooms is the first director of the new Joint Urban Studies Center in Wilkes Barre, Penn.

Pennsylvania's Tobacco Settlement Investment Board (TSIB) recently approved a commitment of up to $20 million to Birchmere Ventures III LP to invest in life sciences companies based in Pennsylvania. Birchmere Ventures III, a new fund jointly formed by Pittsburgh-based Birchmere Ventures and San Francisco-based Bay City Capital, will raise up to $150 million. The commitment to Birchmere Ventures/Bay City Capital will leverage the Tobacco Settlement money three-to-one by raising $30 million from other sources to match an initial $10 million made available by the TSIB. The TSIB stipulated that the total $40 million must close by March 31, 2004. Birchmere Ventures/Bay City Capital must raise an additional $30 million from other sources to leverage the total available $20 million in TSIB funds. The $30 million must be raised one year from the date of the first close. Following the $20 million TSIB contribution, Birchmere Ventures/Bay City Capital would then be expected to invest a minimum of 70 percent of $80 million, or $56 million, in Pennsylvania life sciences companies, raising another $70…

Dr. Doros Platika is the new chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Breaking new technologies into traditional markets can be challenging, particularly in the energy field it seems. To help overcome that hurdle, the State of Pennsylvania has undertaken a $5 million initiative to help finance the implementation of clean and renewable energy technologies such as biomass and wind power. The initiative, Pennsylvania Energy Harvest, will help improve air quality, preserve land and protect local watersheds while providing economic opportunities for the state’s agricultural community. Pennsylvania Energy Harvest mixes money from the state's Clean Air Fund, Growing Greener Program, and U.S. Department of Energy grant funding. The initiative is designed to encourage clean and renewable energy demonstration projects that will have real and measurable impacts on pollution reduction, environmental quality and energy generation, rather than projects that focus solely on public outreach and communication. Among some of the projects that could qualify for funding: Using biomass, which includes any organic and renewable material such as agricultural byproducts,…

Innovation Philadelphia, a public-private partnership, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the city of Philadelphia have developed a road map that identifies the future drivers of the Greater Philadelphia economy and provides a framework for developing these drivers. A Road Map for Regional Growth: Connecting the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Economy represents the broader interests and perspectives of the 11-county regional business community, nonprofit community, higher education, and local agencies and governments. It articulates regional competitive advantages and identifies target opportunities that, if developed in a focused and determined manner, will allow Greater Philadelphia to reclaim a role as a leading global innovator. The target areas include opportunities in evidence-based medicine; information technology and software; digital media and the arts; cancer research; chemicals, including polymers, coatings and advanced fibers; propellers, propulsion and rotorcraft; and advanced materials or nanotechnology. Identification of the targets involved data…

The Pittsburgh Technology Council recently issued its annual State of the Industry Report, which reveals that in spite of an extended national recession that began in 2000, the region’s technology industries have held their own, at least through the mid-point of the current economic downturn. The report covers the 13-county southwestern Pennsylvania region and presents industry statistics for 2001, the last year for which complete data is available from government and other sources. Commissioned by the Council and conducted by Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Economic Development, the report examines the economic role that the technology industry clusters play in southwestern Pennsylvania. These clusters include information technology, advanced materials, biomedical and biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and environmental technology. In addition, the report reveals progress on other key indicators of economic health, such as venture capital investment and research and development (R&D). The number of technology and technology-related businesses rose 8.9 percent to 10,200…