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SSTI Digest
People
Joseph Hammang is leaving his position as director of science and technology at the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council to join the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, Inc.
People
John S. Maxson has been named as the new president of The Illinois Coalition. Mr. Maxson fills the position vacated by Shaye Mandle earlier this spring.
People
The Illinois Innovation Initiative has named Jerry Mitchell to serve as commercialization manager. Mr. Mitchell is also president of the Midwest Entrepreneurs Forum.
People
Sacramento's economic development director, Andy Plescia, is moving on to become a private development consultant.
People
Marguerite Wilbur has been named president and CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley.
People
David Winder, currently executive director of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development, has been appointed to a newly created post as Governor Mike Leavitt's special assistant for post-Olympic projects. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Mr. Winder will serve both positions until a replacement is named for the DCED position.
Organizational Updates
The State of Colorado is creating an office to recruit and assist space technology businesses, the Associated Press reported. Approximately $240,000 has been raised for the office, which will be led by a yet-to-be-named "Colorado space advocate." One fourth of the funds are provided by the state, with the balance received from the private sector.
Organizational Updates
The Lehigh Valley Technology Network was launched mid-April in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Organizing efforts were led by the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. One of the Network's potential roles, according to The Morning Call, may be to serve as a liaison between high-tech entrepreneurs and a new angel capital group, the Northeast Pennsylvania Angel Network.
Organizational Updates
The New York New Media Association has been acquired by the Washington D.C.-based Software and Information Industry Association. At this time, the groups plan to maintain separate offices, staffs, boards, and memberships.
NBIA Teams with LocalFund to Help Match Start-ups with Angels
To help business incubator managers match start-up businesses with private investors through an Internet-based network, the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has partnered with LocalFund, Inc., a network service provider based in Billings, Mont.
The program allows incubator managers to establish their own entrepreneur-investor networks where potential investors can learn more about local start-up companies ready for investment. Entrepreneurs submit business plan summaries through a secure website, and potential investors search the site for companies that match their interests. Investors then contact entrepreneurs directly.
Under the partnership agreement, NBIA members receive discounted rates on all LocalFund software. By creating a local entrepreneur-investor network, incubator managers provide new businesses with access to capital and give angel investors opportunities to develop their portfolios.
Michigan Governor Unveils NextEnergy Blueprint
Michigan Governor John Engler on Thursday unveiled NextEnergy— a comprehensive economic development plan to make Michigan a leader in the research, development, commercialization and manufacture of alternative energy technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells.
Gov. Engler's energy blueprint proposes the creation of a 700-acre, tax-free NextEnergyZone in York Township near Ann Arbor, building the NextEnergy Center there and attracting alternative energy companies from around the world to the zone, making it a cluster of energy innovation.
Surrounded by fuel cell vehicles at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Gov. Engler announced his plan would help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, improve the environment and strengthen the economy. He said he would work with the Michigan Legislature and Congress to fund the plan and would establish a Michigan NextEnergy Development Fund to leverage additional capital for industry expansion.
New National and Local Indices Help Focus Policy Priorities
Preparing an index or report card is often a useful tool for tech-based economic development efforts to assess a geographic area's relative performance across selected statistics or indicators. The outcomes measured, if considered temporally, can help decision makers identify and shift policy and investment priorities for their community, region or state.
Two recent reports apply indices in very different ways, providing examples of how they can be used to promote varied strategies or objectives. The first looks at the Washington D.C. metro region from the perspective of five broad categories of indicators. No recommendations are suggested; the authors hope the report encourages broader awareness of and public engagement toward those areas showing improvement or greater need since the previous year's report was completed.