SSTI Digest

President and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, Todd Bankofier, is resigning his position on Aug. 26 to become vice president and general manager for Ensynch Inc., a Tempe-based information technology services and solutions consulting company.

ACCRA, a national nonprofit research organization, has named Jeffrey Blodgett of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) as president of the Board of Directors for 2005-06, beginning July 1.

Terry Blum, dean of Georgia Tech's College of Management, will resign her position on June 30, 2006.

The Indiana Health Industry Forum announced James "Mike" Brooks accepted the position of president and CEO effective July 11.

Randy Goldsmith resigned his position as president and CEO of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI) Network to become assistant vice president of tech transfer and economic development at the University of Texas at San Antonio. SATAI is currently accepting applications to fill the vacancy (see item below).

Jeff Moseley will replace Jim Kollaer as president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership.

Purdue University professor Jerry Woodall was chosen to lead the university's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

The San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI) Network, a nonprofit organization, is accepting applications from qualified candidates to fill the position of President and CEO. The SATAI Network seeks someone with strong leadership and team-building skills, as well as experience in linking venture capital to venture creation and cultivating an environment and resources for start-up enterprises. A bachelor's degree and at least five years of experience in business/economic development within a private or public sector technology-based industry or organization are required. An MBA is desired. Applicants are due July 11, 2005. A complete job description is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

SSTI's annual conference is already considered by many to be the nation's premier educational and networking experience for the tech-based economic development community. However, the ninth annual conference to be held October 20-21, 2005 - keeping with years past - gives certified economic development professionals even more reason to attend. Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies will be recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as a professional development event that counts as one credit toward recertification of Certified Economic Developers (CEcD). In addition, this year for the first time certified economic developers can earn a second recertification credit by participating in SSTI's preconference workshop examining the success of the renowned Technology Square complex at Georgia Tech. Technology Square: Proving the Power of TBED Five years ago, Midtown Atlanta's Fifth Street Corridor - adjacent to the Georgia Institute of Technology campus - was a wasteland of used car lots, run-down warehouses and parking lots.…

After being struck down by the Iowa Supreme Court in 2004, the state legislature recently passed legislation re-creating a $500 million version of its Grow Iowa Values Fund. The bills commit $500 million over 10 years to support tech-based economic development and other economic development initiatives. Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the measures on June 10. Passed late last month, House Files 809 and HF 868 authorize and allocate $50 million per year over the next 10 years to the newly resurrected Grow Iowa Values Fund, which was first proposed by Gov. Vilsack in 2003 (see the Jan. 17, 2003 issue of the Digest). The legislation allocates $35 million per year to the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) for business start-ups, expansions, attraction and retention. Universities will receive $5 million per year for capacity-building infrastructure in areas related to technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and business growth, and $7 million will support community college training and retraining programs. In addition, HF 868 expands the state's…

The Texas Legislature recently approved $100 million of the original $300 million requested by Gov. Rick Perry for the Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF). Another $100 million is expected to be available from the state's rainy day fund if revenues exceed forecasts. The ETF aims to foster emerging technologies, enhance university-industry collaboration, and promote technology commercialization (see the Dec. 20, 2004 issue of the Digest). Much of the fund activity will be distributed through regional economic development efforts. In addition to the $100 million for ETF, the legislature also approved $180 million to replenish the governor's Enterprise Fund, which has been criticized for its lack of accountability and structure. In 2003, the legislature appropriated an initial $295 million for the fund to be used at the governor's discretion in luring jobs to the state. Opponents voiced concern that it was not feasible to project specific numbers of jobs created because grants can be used for employee bonuses and equipment not related directly to job creation…

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. University, business, government and community leaders are partnering to provide services to new and emerging high-tech businesses and organizations within biotechnology, information technology, energy, advanced manufacturing, and security. Five primary services to be offered include business acceleration, business outreach, talent development, early-stage funding, and regional marketing and events. The idea for SPARK grew out of a discussion last year with University of Michigan (UM) president Mary Sue Coleman. The university's Tech Transfer National Advisory Board maintained that, in order for the university's tech transfer efforts to reach full potential, the region needed to be a more fertile ground for innovation and business creation with the ability to attract talent and resources. SPARK already has raised $2 million…