Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

May 2013 Issue

• SIGN Fracture Care Wins International Patents for Humanity Award
  SIGN Fracture Care received the International Patents for Humanity Award at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. more...
• WSU Expands Online Outreach with 10 New Offerings
  Washington State University's Faculty Senate has approved 10 new online degrees and certificates, including a professional writing certificate with a science and technology option. more...
• Tri-City Aerial Photographer Chosen in Blue Sky's Photography Program
  Former Richland Rotary Entrepreneur Award Winner and professional aerial photographer David Wyatt of Kennewick was selected by jurors in the Blue Sky Gallery's Pacific Northwest Viewing Drawers. more...
• Three Metrics That Really Matter for Your Startup
  On tech news blogs, it's common to see companies boasting about how many millions of users they have. more...
• Washington Ranks 2nd in Startup Jobs
  According to a report from Startup Outlook, Washington is ranked second for number of startup jobs. more...
• Innovation Center Apartments Under Construction
  Construction is underway on the first phase of an 80-unit "urban chic" apartment complex located on Innovation Blvd. more...

• Startup Weekend Coming to Tri-Cities
  Startup Weekend is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas; it's a 54-hour event where developers, designers, marketers, investors, product managers, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups. more...
• Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards
  Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards. more...
• Affordable Care Act: Tools for Washington Businesses
  On October 1, open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins. The Marketplace is designed to help individuals and businesses find health insurance that fits their budgets. more...
• Tri-Cities Launches New Student Academic Achievement Award
  New students applying to Washington State University Tri-Cities for fall 2013 could qualify for a new award of up to $4,000 off the annual tuition. more...

• Yakima Government Contracting Workshop
  May 8. Learn the basics of marketing and selling your products and services to federal, state and local government agencies. more...
• Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards Dinner
  May 9. The 18th Annual Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards banquet will recognize small businesses of Benton & Franklin Counties for their exceptional customer service, outstanding commitment to employees, and superior community relations. more...
• Life Science Innovation Northwest Poster Session
  May 17. Poster Session applications are now being accepted for Life Science Innovation Northwest. The Emerging Company & Technology Poster Session is an opportunity to share your cutting-edge innovation with the "who's who" of life sciences in the Pacific Northwest and across the globe. more...
• Introduction to Government Contracting 101
  May 21. The government can be a good customer for your business. The seminar is designed to give you the tools to begin the process. more...
• Pacific Northwest's 2013 Powerful Business Energy Conference
  May 23. Sustainability expert Judith Heerwagen from the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings at the U.S. more...
• Power Networking: Strategies to Build Your Business and Your Career
  May 30. Networking develops relationships, and relationships drive business. Networking can have unlimited benefits - new partnerships, career progress, or increased company profit. more...
• Life Science Innovation Northwest Meeting
  July 10 - 11. The Pacific Northwest is home to an expanding and collaborative consortium of biotechnology and biomedical firms, healthcare services, world-class research, innovative startups and established industry leaders. more...

• In Search of the Long-Distance Natural Gas Automobile
  The DOE's Advance Research Projects Agency recently doled out $30M in grants to various organizations to figure out how to make natural gas storage more car-friendly. more...
• Biodetection Technologies for First Responders
  The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate and PNNL recently released a report summarizing an extensive list of commercially available, hand-portable detection technologies for biological threats. more...
• DOE Renews Joint BioEnergy Institute for Another Five Years
  Reaffirming the Obama administration's commitment to the development of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel energy, the U.S. more...
• A Solar Boost for Natural Gas
  Researchers at PNNL are working to use solar power to increase the energy content of natural gas. As the New York Times explains, "The new system captures solar energy in a chemical form, using the sun's heat to break open the molecules of natural gas and water, and reshuffle them into something that burns better: carbon monoxide and pure hydrogen." Read more... more...
• PNNL in Competition for Unmanned Aircraft Test Center
  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland is competing to operate one of the nation's six new centers for developing and testing unmanned aircraft. more...

We invite your contributions! We will consider items that fit the mission of this publication, including your tech-related news, awards, and notices of upcoming events. Please send text and photos to Diane Kahler or call (509) 372-4133.

Tri-Cities Tech Business Update is published by the Economic Development Office at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Each month, we send you an e-mail message, giving you the link of news, tips, awards, upcoming events, and other information about local technology-based businesses and organizations that support them. With business and community partners, our goal is to build and diversify the Tri-Cities economy—adding skilled jobs in primary-sector industries that bring in outside dollars. Currently, more than 1,100 tech-related businesses, investors, and economic development stakeholders subscribe to the newsletter, mostly in the Mid-Columbia area and the rest of the Pacific Northwest. This newsletter (RL-P00-009) supports PNSO's vision for the future of the Hanford Site and surrounding area through the creation of research opportunities, new industries, and new business clusters.