LEESBURG -- Lake County commissioners agreed to partner with the city and the University of Central Florida to beef up a business incubator in hopes of attracting more start-up companies.
The partnership includes $85,000 in county funds for the UCF Research Foundation to support the incubator's staffing. The incubator, which was created last year, is at the Leesburg Business & Technology Center on Market Street.
Lyne Bouchard is the president and CEO of TechnoMontréal, a new umbrella organization for the city's information and communications technology cluster.
Rich Cook has joined the West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative as venture center director.
Lyne Bouchard is the president and CEO of TechnoMontréal, a new umbrella organization for the city's information and communications technology cluster.
Rich Cook has joined the West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative as venture center director.
Jeffrey Corcoran has been named director of the new SUNY Fredonia High Technology Incubator in Dunkirk, N.Y.
Anna Ehnmark was appointed executive director of the Technology Alliance Group for Northwest Washington.
John Gee was named president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Wisconsin.
Donna Kent resigned as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council to accept a position with Televerde, a marketing service solutions provider based in Tempe.
Lisa Kuuttila is the first CEO of Michigan State University Technologies, a business organization to train MSU students in the commercialization of science and technology.
Enterprise Florida selected Louis Laubscher to replace Howard Haug as its new senior vice president and COO.
Connecticut Innovations has named John Mengacci interim president while it conducts a broad search to fill the position permanently.
Richard Nelson has been appointed chairman and CEO of the Council of Regional Information Technology Associations.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer has named Avi Schick and David Emil, respectively, as chairman and president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
Gov. Chet Culver has appointed Mike Tramontina as director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
John Wasilisin was named deputy executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation.
Steve Zylstra stepped down as CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Status of some of the major legislation in the 2009 session of the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature as of Feb. 6:
SB 1 by Gumm NICK'S LAW: Would mandate coverage by private health insurers of the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Referred to Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee.
SB 59 by Rice VETERANS INSURANCE: Would make some uninsured veterans eligible for a state premium assistance insurance program. Passed by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, sent to full Senate.
DATELINE: OLYMPIA, Wash.
Gov. Christine Gregoire, D-Wash., issued the following press release:
Gov. Chris Gregoire today praised the state's Economic Development Commission, which just released its strategic plan to help guide Washington as it develops a stronger, 21st century economy.
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.H.
The New Hampshire Business Resource Center issued the following news release:
DATELINE: Washington
The following information was released by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges:
The lack of highly qualified science and mathematics teachers in middle and high school classrooms across America is a crisis that is well-established. If the U.S. is to remain a leader in engineering, technology and innovation in the global market place, the state of science and mathematics education must be reversed.
Spectrum Bridge Inc. has become the first graduate of the University of Central Florida's Incubation Program Seminole County/Winter Springs office.
According to a release, the Lake Mary-based Internet marketplace and mapping technologies company joined the program in February 2008.
The company has begun generating revenue and completed rounds in venture capital funding totaling $8.1 million, said Esther Vargas-Davis, site manager at the Seminole County incubator office, in a release.
As part of the 2010-11 biennial budget unveiled last week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed a package of tax incentives directed toward small, emerging businesses and companies that create green jobs and services. The governor's proposed Minnesota Jobs Recovery Act calls for a sizable investment over the next biennium with even greater costs beginning in 2012.
Facing a $1.6 billion budget deficit, Arizona legislators set their sights on the state's three-year old 21st Century Competitive Initiative Fund. A group of four Republican lawmakers led the effort to remove the program's $22.5 million from the 2009 state budget, which was signed by new Governor Jan Brewer last week. The fund was started under former Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, who recently left office to join the Obama administration as secretary of Homeland Security.
The technology agenda for President Obama includes both advancing biomedical research and improving the efficiency of medical treatment. Coupling this federal strategy with the initiatives of many states to stimulate health and biotechnology-related research may result in a boon of federal R&D spending from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the states.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Daniel O'Connell, resigned for personal reasons and was replaced by Greg Bialecki, an undersecretary who has been responsible for business development