Gov. Brad Henry unveiled the details of his fiscal year 2009 budget recommendation earlier this week, providing a substantial increase in funding to the state’s lead TBED agency and proposing a permanent funding mechanism for cutting-edge research through the EDGE Endowment.

 

This is the second installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. With a heavy emphasis on alternative energy, TBED priorities continue to receive significant time in the speeches delivered by the nation’s governors at the start of the 2007 legislative season. Selected excerpts of new initiatives are provided below:



Arkansas

Measured over a three-year period, minority women-owned businesses had similar survival rates and employment growth compared to all women-owned firms, according to a recent series of federal reports. However, when measured against other minority women-owned firms, African American women-owned businesses showed greater job loss and lower survival rates.

The nonprofit Challenger Learning Center of Alaska Board of Directors recently announced the hiring of Sharon Gherman as its new Executive Director. Gherman was the former K-12 program executive for the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation.

The director of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development has announced his retirement. Jim Pickens will remain in the position until his replacement is named, according to local news reports.

Correction: In last week's People column, Tom Walker's new title was incorrect. Mr Walker is executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

Tom Walker has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

Greg Main, Oklahoma's former secretary of commerce, has been named president and CEO of the Oklahoma Technology Development Corp., which runs the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has named Tulsa businesswoman Kathryn Taylor to serve as Secretary of Commerce. The position oversees the state's economic development, commerce, and  tourism activities. David Lopez, a retired officer of SBC Communications, will serve in the voluntary, unpaid position as the Governor's economic development advisor.

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) has provided the state an 8:1 return on its $78 million investment since 1993, according to From Concept to Commercialization, a new OCAST impact report, and accompanying press release. The state's leading organization for building a tech-based economy finds its client companies also have enjoyed a 90 percent survival rate.

Oklahoma's Higher Education Day, when students and faculty are given the chance to discuss their concerns with the state legislature, recently provided a golden opportunity of sorts for Gov. Brad Henry. Held March 9 at the State House, the event enabled the governor to advocate support for a bond issue that would fund endowed chairs at Oklahoma's colleges and universities.

Kay Wade is the new president of the Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Council. Ms. Wade retains her position as director of the Center for Business Development at the Meridian Technology Center.

The satisfying flavor of success in tech-based economic development is whetting Oklahoma's appetite for more. Lots more.

Alaska Technology Councils To Merge

Sonya Buckner has resigned her position as director of the small business incubator for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce to become vice president of special projects for the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. Douglas Jones will assume leadership of the Montgomery Incubator.