SSTI Digest

Ralph Schultz was named president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, effective Nov. 1. Schultz replaces Mike Neal, who resigned in July to assume the top job at the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce in Tulsa, Okla.

Early registration has ended and the conference hotel is full, but you still have the opportunity to join representatives from more than 40 states, provinces and three continents at the nations premier gathering of the technology-based economic development field. This is one conference you do not want to miss! Transforming Regional Economies, SSTI's 10th Annual Conference is only three weeks away. The event, built around 22 timely breakout sessions, engaging plenary sessions, and a gala opening reception, will be held in Oklahoma City on Nov. 1-2, 2006. Four intensive pre-conference options, including a hands-on look at the transformation of Oklahoma City, are offered on Oct. 31. The Renaissance Hotel graciously expanded SSTI's room block several times before the place was sold out. Don't despair! Rooms are available in two nearby hotels. Both had rooms available as of Oct. 11: Courtyard Oklahoma City Downtown 2 West Reno Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 Phone: (405) 232-2290 Fax: (405) 232-2202 $189/night on http://marriott.com/…

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology has announced a trio of new programs. Last month, the OCAST governing board approved a business plan for 2007 that committed $10 million of recently appropriated revenue for high-tech development. OCAST is devoting much of this funding to a new seed capital program, awards for plant science research, and a program to encourage the use of nanotechnology in manufacturing. The OCAST Seed Capital Fund is a $5 million program to provide an accessible source of seed capital to technology entrepreneurs. Firms may apply for equity and other investments, with the stipulation that they receive additional co-investment from private or other non-state capital sources. OCAST's board and an appointed Investment Committee will oversee the program's operations. The Fund will issue its first RFPs in January 2007. Funding for basic and applied research in the plant sciences will be available through the Oklahoma Plant Science Research (OPSR) program. OPSR will improve the competitiveness of Oklahoma plant researchers for federal grants by co-investing in research, and providing data on the state's…

How Should TBED Adjust to the Changing Face of U.S. Industry? Join your peers and colleagues from around the country at SSTI's annual conference to discuss the trends described in "Whither U.S. Industry" (see story above) and other critical issues. More information is available at http://www.ssti.org/conference06.htm.

If there is ever an example of a city-region that can demonstrate the benefits of working as a team to transform its economy through all aspects of tech-based economic development, it would have to be the Oklahoma City area. And fortunately, the vibrant community is based in a state that both understands what is needed for transforming an economy from being natural resource-based to knowledge-driven and is matching talk with real money. Whether they realize it or not, several state and regional TBED programs around the country owe their structure and existence to the pioneering TBED work done in Oklahoma since the 1980s. Much of the portfolio of programs offered through OCAST, its private sector partner I2E, the Oklahoma Alliance for Excellence in Manufacturing, and the "Oklahoma model" for increasing equity capital availability has been replicated around the country. The Sooner State may have developed successful comprehensive TBED strategies sooner than the rest of the country, but its residents aren't afraid to share their successes, their lessons learned and their current challenges with their peers from around…

SSTI is pleased to give regular Digest readers the first peek at the four intensive pre-conference workshops, which will precede SSTI's 10th annual conference on Nov. 1-2. Registration may be completed online at: https://www.ssti.org/Conf06/registration.htm.   Turning Innovations into Enterprises: A Practitioner's Guide to Technology Commercialization A name and face familiar to many SSTI members, Dr. Randy Goldsmith, president of the Mississippi Technology Alliance, brings his internationally popular technology commercialization workshop to this years SSTI pre-conference in a half-day format especially designed for TBED professionals. The Goldsmith Technology Commercialization Model has been adopted by NASA and by economic development organizations in the United Kingdom, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and elsewhere. Through this interactive workshop, Dr. Goldsmith will introduce you to assessment tools, a step-by-step process and financing resources that can help your clients achieve their business objectives. You will identify key milestones, ask critical questions, estimate costs, and determine an…

Nearly $300 Million Tagged for TBED It took moving into a special session and negotiating a late deal between lawmakers and Gov. Brad Henry last week for the Oklahoma legislature to pass several bills related to the state's budget for fiscal year 2007, which begins this weekend. The final product includes several of the governor's top priorities for the state's portfolio of technology-based economic development initiatives, including $150 million for the new EDGE Research Endowment to support research, $95 million for research infrastructure improvements at the state's universities, and a 75 percent increase for the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). The budget also cuts the state's top marginal income tax from 6.25 percent to 5.25 percent by 2010. Three years in the making, EDGE (which stands for Economic Development Generating Excellence) was originally proposed as a $1 billion endowment to support strategically targeted research projects across the state. Legislation passed creates two oversight boards for EDGE. One that will oversee investment decisions is comprised solely of appointees of the…

With preparations for SSTI's 10th Annual Conference in Oklahoma City on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 well underway, we have received many questions from local, regional and state organizations wanting to host the premier event for the tech-based economic development (TBED) profession in 2007. Because of the increased interest, SSTI has bumped up its schedule for selecting the 2007 site. We are accepting nominations of host organizations and locations for SSTI's 11th Annual Conference until July 30, 2006. Held in October to early November each year, SSTI’s annual two-and-a-half day event attracts approximately 300-400 participants from more than 40 states and several countries. The conference is especially designed for those engaged in TBED on the local, regional, state or national level. Over the past 10 years, SSTI’s annual conference has grown to become the nation’s largest and most diverse gathering of the TBED community. To be the host organization or location for SSTI's conference is to showcase nationally and internationally the success of your state, region or community TBED efforts. Specific…

One of the latest examples of the important role a foundation can play in tech-based economic development strategies comes from a recent $15 million donation to Tulsa University. The Chapman Trust, established after the deaths of Oklahoma oilman James Chapman and his wife Leta Chapman, made the donation to perpetually endow nine new junior faculty positions at the university. University President Steadman Upham announced the creation of the nine Wellspring Professorships in his Spring 2006 letter to the campus, saying the positions were all related closely to "the goals of the strategic plans of the collegiate deans." All nine tenure-track positions also mirror the globalization, entrepreneurship and diversity issues raised by many in the tech-based economic development community and popular business press of late: Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, and Business in the College of Law Assistant Professor of International Business with a specialization in China in the College of Business Administration Assistant Professor of Biochemical Engineering in…

It only seems natural that SSTI celebrate a decade of convening the premiere professional development event for the nation's tech-based economic development community in a state that, for nearly 20 years, has been a pioneer for innovative approaches to transform regional economies — Oklahoma. SSTI's 10th annual conference and pre-conference intensive workshops will be held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City on Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Many Digest readers may be familiar with elements of Oklahoma's tech-based economic development portfolio - or should be familiar - as several initiatives within the Sooner State's strategy have served as models for launching similar efforts around the country. References to organizations like the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology (OCAST), i2E and the Oklahoma Capital Investment Board can be found as examples in the strategic plans, budget justifications and performance reports of many state and regional TBED roadmaps. What is perhaps less well known is the success Oklahoma City civic leaders and residents have had over the…

The first three installments of SSTI's four-part look at how TBED will play in the 2006 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, State-of-the-State Address, Feb. 6, 2006 "While the energy and agriculture industries will always be vital to Oklahoma and its economy, we must be prepared for the demands and innovations of the marketplace of the future. "This session I am sending you a comprehensive package to meet the challenges ahead. Our 'Invest in the Future' initiative will build on the research endowment we created last year. We will fund cutting-edge research and projects that promise the greatest potential for economic opportunity and job creation. "Establishing an Opportunity Fund will help close the economic development gap, making Oklahoma more competitive and better able to attract and retain good jobs. ... "... Leveraged by a $180 million bond issue, we will stimulate cutting-edge research. We will invest in sensor technology at Oklahoma State…

Upon ruling in favor of a $50 million bonds issue last month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court cleared the way for an endowed chairs program at colleges and universities throughout the state . Gov. Brad Henry signed HB 1904 in April 2004 to eliminate the backlog of endowed chair programs at Oklahoma colleges and universities, which is a priority of his Economic Development Generating Excellence initiative (see the May 3, 2004 issue of the Digest). According to budget figures, $52 million in private donations was available for matching states funds for the program. However, the program was put on hold following a constitutional challenge by former head of Common Cause of Oklahoma Edwin Kessler and Oklahoma City attorney Jerry Fent, the Daily Oklahoman reports. According to the challengers, the bonds created an unconstitutional debt, the article states. The Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that the bonds are payable only by the state regents and cannot become debts of the state. Bonds will be issued by the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority and may be sold as early as this month, providing…