SBA Selects 10 Regional Efforts for Cluster
The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the selection of 10 regional economic development and job creation efforts through a new pilot program, Innovative Economies, that supports small business participation in regional economic clusters. SBA's funding is designed to expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations. The awardees were selected from among 173 applicants. Awards went to organizations in: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina.
TBED People
Neal Wade will resign his position as director of the Alabama Development Office in November and has been named senior vice president of economic development for St. Joe, one of Florida's largest real estate development companies.
Research Parks RoundUp
Often credited with contributing significant revenue to states' economies, research parks also house facilities for workforce training and provide resources for tech-based industries, which is especially important as the nation's employment begins to pick up steam. In West Virginia, officials are building a $15 million advanced technology-training center at the state-owned research and technology park, and in Utah, officials recently broke ground on a building that will house engineers and analysts working on the nation's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program.
TBED People
The Tennessee Biotechnology Association has changed their name to Life Science Tennessee.
Ann Arbor SPARK recently added Bill Mayer as director of their business accelerator team.
Funding for Economic Clusters Among Utah Governor's Proposals
Building on the state's seven economic clusters identified to grow the economy through targeted investments in emerging industries, Gov. Gary Herbert is asking lawmakers to provide $500,000 in FY12 to plan and identify for additional projects. The Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership (UCAP) is a collaboration of leaders from industry, state government, higher education, and workforce charged with developing strategies to develop industry-driven education and training services, leverage resources from higher education to accelerate industry clusters, and identify best practices.
People
Envision Utah appointed Alan Matheson as executive director of the Coalition for Utah's Future, the sponsor of Envision Utah.
People & TBED Organizations
The Beaver County (Pa.) CO-OP announced it will change its name to StartingGate. The incubator will continue to assist entrepreneurs and new business start-ups and help expand existing businesses.
Joe Dedman was chosen as the first executive director of the Southeast Indiana WIRED.
Brian DuBoff was named the director of Maryland's southern region Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the College of Southern Maryland.
Southern States Advance Several TBED Initiatives into 2009
Legislators in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee recently approved spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year. Highlights of appropriations supporting TBED are included below.
Alabama
SSTI Welcomes Newest Members; Alaska Brings State Tally to 47
It's no wonder SSTI's Annual Conference presents such a broad range of perspectives and approaches to TBED each year, when our organization draws in active membership from organizations from all across the continent! For example, with the involvement of the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership, SSTI now has active members in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.
People & TBED Organizations
The Aerospace, Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Cluster of Southern Arizona has consolidated its operations with the Arizona Technology Council.
NIH Changes Peer Review, Commits $1B for Transformative Research
As annual appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) flattened – at the same time more and more states and universities are increasing their investments in academic bioscience research capacity – competition for NIH grants has heightened. Reports indicate investigators in the early stages of their careers and transformative research have been the victims of the squeeze.
People
Chris Roybal announced he is stepping down as senior economic development advisor of the Utah Governor's Office to become president and chief operating officer of the Northwest Research Corp., effective Feb. 2.
People
Richard Nelson has been appointed chairman and CEO of the Council of Regional Information Technology Associations.
Alabama Directs $35.8M to STEM Initiative
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and lawmakers recently gave the state's Department of Education a substantial boost by increasing the budget for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) by two-thirds for fiscal year 2008 – a leading example in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
People & TBED Organizations
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has named Dr. Ragula Bhaskar chairman of the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) Board. In addition, GOED has appointed Tamara Goetz as the state's new science advisor.
People & TBED Organizations
Dr. Russ Lea has been named vice president for research at the University of South Alabama.
People & TBED Organizations
John Weete, president and executive director of the West Virginia University Research Corp., was named executive director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. Weete starts his new position Sept. 1.
People & TBED Organizations
Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh tapped Bomani Howze to help run its two-person Innovation Economy program.
People
Hamid Ghandehari and Marc Porter, two prominent scientists in the field of nanotechnology, recently were hired by the University of Utah as part of the state's new Utah Science Technology and Research initiative. Ghandehari comes from the University of Maryland, while Porter comes from Arizona State University.
People
Ladd Christensen and Martin Frey are the new co-directors of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development.
Three for Rural America
Encouraging economic growth in rural America is the topic of a recent report, a new $500 million economic development investment program, and an upcoming conference worth further investigation.
People
John Shields, president of the Alabama Technology Network since 1996, stepped down June 30. Mike Bailey is the new president.
Utah Governor Unveils Industry Cluster Initiative to Fuel Economic Development
Within days of taking office in January, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. dismantled the Department of Community and Economic Development and promised to make significant changes to how Utah approaches wealth generation and economic growth.
Tech Talkin' Govs: Part V
Utah Lawmakers Prioritize STEM Education; Other States May Follow Suit
A technically skilled workforce is one the key elements found in thriving, tech-based economies, and nurturing a pipeline of individuals that match employers' high-tech needs has become a priority for several states focused on competitiveness. Lawmakers in Utah recently threw their support behind an ambitious statewide educational attainment goal and dedicated new funds for targeted investments in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).