People & TBED Organizations
Publisher's Note: SSTI notes with much sadness the March 5 passing of Indiana State Sen. David Ford, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. David was a good friend not only of SSTI's, but also of the tech-based economic development community across the nation. In addition to being a tireless and cheerful advocate for investing in science and technology, he was also a gentleman in the true sense of the word, and we miss him greatly.
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.
People
John Austin is the newly appointed executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.
Tom Cech announced he will return to the University of Colorado at Boulder next year to pursue laboratory research and teaching after eight years as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Colorado Legislative Success for Bioscience, Energy Projects
Early-stage Colorado bioscience companies and researchers in clean and alternative energy working to commercialize new technologies are among the victors of Colorado’s legislative session that ended last week.
Incubator RoundUp: Growing and Sustaining High Technology Companies
Offering customized workspace such as wet laboratories and specialized research equipment is one of the many benefits provided by technology-focused incubators. Access to university research, business mentoring and administrative support services often accompany the reduced rent facilities with the goal of growing technology companies into successful, self-sustaining enterprises. Following are select announcements of recently launched incubators and partnerships from across the nation.
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
People
Bill Bradley is the new executive director of the Jay County Development Corp. Bradley fills the vacancy left by the late Bob Quadrozzi.
Tech Talkin’ Govs, Part II
The second installment of the Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes highlights from state-of-the-state, budget and inaugural addresses from Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.
People & TBED Organizations
The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA) this week promoted John Noel to become ITDA's permanent president. Noel had been serving as interim president over the past 15 months.
Places, Please: Local Entrepreneurship Facilities Take Center Stage for Most TBED Strategies
Whether you call it an incubator, accelerator, technology center or innovation zone, most communities actively engaged in promoting tech entrepreneurship can point to a building or group of buildings that houses some of those efforts. These facilities increase the success of budding tech firms by providing some combination of low-cost space, shared resources, business assistance, intellectual property assistance, and access to capital.
Regional TBED Strategies: New Announcements, Past Experiences and Some Thoughts
Over the last few months, three states have announced new strategies to encourage regional tech-based economic development. Several states have experimented with how best to support or encourage regional TBED in the past, resulting in both successes and failures. In some cases, state sought partnerships at the local level in the creation of new programs while other states took a more hands off approach, such as providing seed funding to create regional technology councils.
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Indiana Initiative Targets Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics
A new initiative to target and promote Indiana's manufacturing and logistics sector will do so in a similar manner to the 2002 BioCrossroads initiative that aided in transforming the region’s life sciences industry, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) recently announced.
People & TBED Organizations
Conexus Indiana, a new initiative focused on the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, will be led by President and CEO Carol D’Amico, former executive vice president and chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College.
People & TBED Organizations
Charles Sparks was named business development director of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
People & TBED Organizations
Indiana University announced that William Stephan will be the university's new vice president of engagement, a newly created position that becomes effective in September.
People & TBED Organizations
David Boncosky will become the director of Indiana Economic Development Corporation's life sciences initiative Aug. 6.
Budget Outcomes Unveiled in Several Western States
Bills have been passed and budgets approved with the close of several 2007 legislative sessions in the western states. The below article is part of the Digest's continuing coverage of the legislative outcomes of some of what governors proposed in their State of the State and budget addresses (see SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs Series in the Jan. 8, Jan.
Indiana TBED Investments to Surpass $100M: 2008-09 Budget Includes New $20M Life Sciences Fund
Indiana's General Assembly adjourned for the year last week, after passing a $29 billion budget that included more than $100 million for TBED-related programs.
Community Colleges Growing Providers of TBED Programs and Services
Announced last week, Ivy Tech Community College will receive a $3.18 million grant for training individuals from a 14-county region in North Central Indiana in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The grant, a component of the $15 million Indiana Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, will establish the New Pathways to STEM-based Careers program. The New Pathways program will be concentrated into three distinct areas:
People & TBED Organizations
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.
People & TBED Organizations
Ryne Johnson was named the new director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Chico State University.
People
Frank Sabatine has been appointed to the newly created position of associate vice president of economic development and community engagement at Ball State University.
Colorado Governor Unveils Climate Action Plan
In support of his New Energy Economy Initiative, Gov. Bill Ritter introduced last week a statewide action plan to expand renewable energy opportunities and reduce the impact of climate change.
Incubator RoundUp: New Incubators Help Grow Specialized High-Tech Companies
Over the past several months, universities, city and state governments, and private companies alike have announced the creation of high-tech incubators that will serve as springboards for developing specialized companies to help grow the regional economy. Following is a sampling of recent incubator news from across the nation.