Gov. Linda Lingle announced 18 appointments to the Hawaii Innovation Council, which will work with groups statewide to increase the economic impact of Hawaii's innovation resources. Co-chairmen include Mark Benioff, Ron Higgins and Jay Shidler.
George Burrell resigned as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Kelly Lee, the organization's executive vice president, is running day-to-day operations until Burrell's successor is named.
Jim Cookinham, founder of the Northeast Ohio Software Association and vice president of networks and education for COSE (Council for Smaller Enterprises), said he will retire at the end of 2007.
Eric Cromwell is the new president of Tennessee Technology Development Corp., an organization designed to leverage state, federal and private sector investments in science and technology infrastructure for economic value.
Michael Dailey was elected president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association.
Martin Donnelly has been named the regional director of the South Central Indiana Small Business Development Corp. Former Region Director Brian Kleber resigned earlier this year to take a job in the private sector.
Christopher Hansen will succeed William Archey as AeA's next president and CEO. Hansen will start on Nov. 15, overlapping with Archey until February 2008 to ensure a smooth transition.
The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory selected David Hiller as its first executive director.
Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh tapped Bomani Howze to help run its two-person Innovation Economy program.
Dr. Daryush Ila was chosen to serve as executive director of the Alabama EPSCoR Steering Committee. Ila heads the Alabama A&M University Research Institute.
Ryne Johnson was named the new director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Chico State University.
The Colorado Governor's Energy Office added to its staff three regional representatives: Bob Mailander, Joani Matranga and Mona Newton.
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Bill Morrow as the new chairman of the Texas Emerging Technology Advisory Committee. Morrow replaces David Spencer, who remains a member on the committee.
Thomas Rainey was named the new president and CEO of the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies.
The Rhode Island Manufacturers Association and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Summit have joined forces to serve as one voice for manufacturing in the state.
The Pittsburgh Technology Council appointed Audrey Russo as president and CEO.
The Idaho communities of Greenleaf, Homedale, Grand View, Marsing, Melba, Parma and Wilder have formed the Western Alliance for Economic Development.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center selected Rick Williams to lead its Business Acceleration and Technology Out-licensing Network, a new technology transfer program.
Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
According to the first-ever release of gross domestic product (GDP) estimates by metro area, 327 of the nation's 363 metro areas enjoyed growth in real GDP in 2005. Only 133 of the areas accelerated faster than inflation, however. The one-year percent change in 2005 GDP for metro areas ranged from 19.4 percent in Palm Coast, Fla., to -5.4 percent in New Orleans. Real GDP declined in 36 metro areas.
On June 18, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will markup S. 1233, a bill to reauthorize and expand the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Both programs are within weeks of expiring on July 30.
A new Pew Charitable Trusts report finds far-reaching national benefits to the growth of the clean energy sector. Between 1998 and 2007, clean energy jobs grew by 9.1 percent, while total jobs grew by only 3.7 percent according to data collected by Pew. While the industry is still in infancy, its growth rate over the past decade has outpaced other emerging technology sectors that have been the focus of TBED efforts, including biotechnology.
Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill last month extending tax credits and incentives to knowledge-based industries and green employers to encourage growth and expansion in these fields throughout the state.
On Monday, legislation was introduced in a special session of the Kentucky Legislature to amend several of Kentucky's economic development incentive programs.
Competing priorities, lack of funding, and inflexible negotiation strategies are among the challenges the Government Accountability Office found for the Department of Energy's efforts to transfer technology out of the DOE labs.