Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

June 2011 Issue

• WSU, PNNL, Clean-Vantage, and Port of Benton research project to turn nearly any organic waste into biofuels
  An innovative idea for making advanced biofuels such as jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline from regional resources is moving forward with a grant from the U.S. more...
• Richland-based SIGN wins Non-Profit Manufacturer of the Year Award
  Seattle Business Magazine has bestowed the highest honor on Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN), recognizing them as 2011 Manufacturer of the Year in the non-profit category. more...
• USS Triton Memorial Park update
  Development continues on the USS Triton Memorial Park overlooking the Columbia River in the Port of Benton's Technology & Business Campus within the Research District. more...
• Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest
  Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest (SAFN) is the nation's first regional stakeholder effort to explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding the production of sustainable aviation fuels. more...
• InnovaTek Funded for Airport Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
  Innovative technology to reduce the cost and environmental impact of air travel is getting support from the federal government. more...
• Hydrovolts wins Imagine H2O prize, latest in industry recognitions
  Hydrovolts Inc., producer of innovative hydrokinetic turbines for renewable energy generation, won first place in the Imagine H2O Water-Energy Nexus Prize, adding one more industry accolade for its solid business model and marketable technology. more...
• Port of Benton executive director earns professional certification
  Scott D. Keller, Executive Director of the Port of Benton, will receive the Professional Port Manager certification awarded by the American Association of Port Authorities in Seattle this September. more...
• Infinia names Mike Ward to serve as CEO
  Mike Ward has been named Chief Executive Office of Infinia Corporation. Ward, 54, most recently served as President of Autoliv Americas, with 13,000 employees and $2.1 billion in revenue, one of the largest operating divisions of Autoliv Corp. more...
• Kennewick/Pasco/Richland ranked 35th in country for economic strength
  An independent economic research firm, POLICOM Corporation, which specializes in analyzing local and state economies, has recognized the vigor of the Tri-Cities economy and ranked it number 35 in the country for economic strength. more...
• Kennewick-based Electronic Systems Technology, Inc. wins Small Business Manufacturer of the Year Award
  more...

• MBA students available to help local businesses
  The MBA program at WSU Tri-Cities occasionally has students who are looking for an opportunity to provide analysis and recommendations to a business as a part of the student's culminating project. more...
• Tri-City Regional Chamber's Small Business Resource Center kiosk unveiled
  The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the official launch of its Small Business Resource Center. more...

• 4th Symposium on Energy Storage: Beyond Lithium Ion
  June 7 - 9  |  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory  |  Battelle Auditorium: Widespread adoption of electric vehicles could greatly reduce dependence on finite petroleum resources, reduce CO2 emissions, and provide new scenarios for grid operation. more...
• Young Professionals in Energy kick-off social
  June 9  |  6:00 pm to 8:00 pm  |  Bookwalter Winery: Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) is a non-profit energy industry networking organization with over 20,000 members worldwide, and now the Pacific Northwest is part of this growing network. more...
• Journal of Business accepting applications for Annual Young Professionals Award
  June 10. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is seeking the bright young stars of the area's business and professional arena to highlight in the Fourth Annual Mid-Columbia Young Professionals Awards. more...
• 8th Annual NH3 Fuel Conference call for papers
  June 10. Participants at the NH3 Fuel Conference, Portland, OR, can expect an excellent technical agenda covering all areas of NH3 as a solution to energy independence. more...
• Economic Development conference focuses on workforce issues
  June 14 - 15. The Washington Economic Development Association Summer Conference will focus on the topic of Economic Development/Workforce Development Collaborations. more...
• WBBA's Fourth Annual Life Science Leadership Summit
  June 15  | 11:30 am - 6:00 pm  |  Washington State University, Riverpoint Campus, Spokane: Join the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) and its partners to meet and discuss strategies to help continue Washington's life science growth and competitiveness. more...
• Upcoming events and June classes from WA PTAC
  The Procurement Technology Assistance Center's (PTAC) mission is to maximize the number of capable U.S. more...
• The Innovation Showcase
  July 13. The Innovation Showcase, a program of the Technology Alliance, helps bridge the gap between research and commercialization by highlighting the most promising discoveries and new technologies ready for commercialization in Washington. more...

• PNNL hires world-renowned chemist to lead integrated catalysis unit
  Already the largest non-industrial catalysis research and development effort in the U.S. working on clean energy solutions, an existing PNNL research program is being revamped and renamed the Institute for Integrated Catalysis (IIC) and a leading German chemist has joined PNNL to lead the effort. more...
• Students win big at business plan competitions
  Coaching from PNNL's Economic Development Office contributed to a big payoff when a student team from WSU Tri-Cities-EyeDot-won third place overall ($7,000) at the WSU Business Plan Competition in Pullman in late April. 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 to Andrea McMakin or call (509) 372-6013.

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.