SSTI Digest

Nathan Feltman was named Secretary of Commerce and president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC). Feltman, the organization's executive vice president and general counsel, replaces outgoing IEDC President Mickey Maurer.

Indiana Economic Development Corp. President Mickey Maurer will resign at the end of 2006, fulfilling his pledge to Gov. Mitch Daniels to serve two years.

Griffin Analytical Technologies, LLC, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a director of laboratory operations and applications development. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The director will manage the workflow of Griffins labs, manage a staff of five, support research programs, and support sales and marketing efforts. A Ph.D. degree is preferred. Applicants also should have experience in mass spectrometry, seven or more years of related laboratory work, and at least three years of laboratory management experience. More information on this opportunity is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Purdue University has hired Mark Smith as its new Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development project administrator.

Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a proposal coordinator to generate research proposals in response to federal and state funding solicitations. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The proposal coordinator will work with Griffin's R&D and management teams and will report directly to the companys vice president of research and development. Applicants should have a Master of Science or Ph.D. degree in a scientific discipline, or a bachelor's degree with five or more years of applicable proposal writing experience. More information on this opportunity is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

With assets totalling more than $15 billion, the Indiana Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERF) has decided to place $100 million into higher-risk equity placements through its first Indiana Investment Fund. The fund will exclusively target venture capital deals within Indiana, according to the PERF news release. Like pension funds in many states, PERF has a requirement to place a certain percentage of its assets in private equity. The PERF goal is 5 percent and includes real estate deals as well. The new fund will help, as only one-half percent of PERF assets presently are invested in a manner to meet the requirement. The Indiana Investment Fund I will be managed by Credit Suisse, which is chipping in $5 million to raise the total available for placement to $100 million. Indiana business investment opportunities in the $1 million to $15 million range will be targeted. PERF's traditional investment decisions, for comparison, are typically in the $50 million to $100 million range.

The Purdue Center for Regional Development has appointed Ed Morrison to the position of economic policy advisor.

Just over a year since its creation, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has released a strategic plan calling for the state to potentially increase its support for several new tech-based economic development initiatives. IEDC's Accelerating Growth: Indiana's Strategic Development Plan outlines nearly two dozen action items along three themes: innovation, talent and investment.

The 82nd Annual Congress of Cities in Charlotte, N.C., elected Jim Hunt, a councilmember of Clarksburg, W.Va., as the new president of the National League of Cities. Hunt follows Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels named Mitch Maurer, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), as the new state secretary of commerce. Maurer replaces Pat Miller, who stepped down to resume her role as president and CEO of her company, Vera Bradley Designs, Inc.

While Indiana has demonstrated strong competitiveness in industry and university R&D and performed well in entrepreneurial programs, the state lags most of its regional competitors and many of the 50 states in terms of production of new innovation workers and educational attainment, says a new report from Techpoint and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

The report, Indiana Technology Profile, benchmarks the state's progress against five peer states and all 50 states using 23 metrics in four broad categories, which include education and workforce, dynamism, digital infrastructure, and research and creativity. Results indicate that despite good effort and thoughtful initiatives, Indiana's progress has been disappointing, and there are clear challenges ahead, the report states.

Bruce Kidd is the first director of entrepreneurship for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.