Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

November 2008 Issue

News

Benton Public Utility District purchases energy from White Creek Wind Project

To meet renewable energy requirements, the Benton Public Utility District has purchased a three-percent share of the Klickitat Public Utility District's portion of the White Creek Wind Project, which is expected to provide enough energy for nearly 1,100 homes. Benton PUD invested $11 million to comply with legislation passed in 2006 that requires at least three percent of the utility's power to come from renewable resources by 2012. The White Creek Project in the Columbia River Gorge has 89 wind turbines that generate nearly 600,000 megawatt hours per year. Contact Karen Miller at (509) 582-1228.

*Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shines at awards ceremony

PNNL, in Richland, Wash., took home three of 15 technology transfer-related awards presented at the Federal Laboratory Consortium Far West regional meeting held in September. The FLC is the nationwide network of federal laboratories focused on developing strategies and opportunities to link laboratory technologies and expertise with the marketplace. PNNL was honored with an award for outstanding commercialization success for its partnership with Perpetua Power Source Technologies, Inc., based in Portland, Ore., and two awards for technologies related to energy and titanium manufacturing. 

Contact Brittney Kluse at (509) 375-2334.

Infinia Corporation expands leadership team

Infinia Corporation, of Kennewick, Wash., announced the addition of three executives to the senior management team. Patrick Rooney is the Chief Accounting Officer; Gabriel (Gaby) Tashjian is Vice President of Commercial Operations and Managing Director, Asia, Africa and the Middle East; and Howard Monk is Vice President of Operations. The Infinia Solar System is a solar power generation product that converts concentrated solar energy into electricity. Contact J.D. Sitton at (509) 735-4700.

*Department of Energy extends Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's contract

The Department of Energy has extended the maintenance and operations contract for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory by four years. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced in October that Battelle Memorial Institute will continue running the Laboratory until September 30, 2012. The contract extension includes the use permit, which allows use of Laboratory resources for industry and commercial business. Read DOE's news release.

Lori Mattson named Tri-City Chamber president and CEO

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors announced that Lori Mattson has been named President and CEO of the organization. Mattson joined the Chamber in 2004 as the membership director and was promoted to vice-president of membership and marketing in 2007. She has been serving as the Interim Executive Director since April 2008. Contact Lori Mattson at (509) 736-0510.

Tri-City Development Council opens new offices

The Tri-City Development Council opened its offices in the new Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center in Kennewick. The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-City Visitor and Convention Bureau also moved into the building. The new space is next to the Three Rivers Convention Center. The new mailing address is 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick, Wash., 99336. The office telephone number remains (509) 735-1000 and the fax number remains (509) 735-6609. Contact Deanna Smith at (509) 735-1000.

Columbia Basin College names building after former college president

Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash. unveiled the newly re-named Lee R. Thornton Center for Science, Diversity and Technology in October. Dr. Thornton retired in June after 13 years as president of Columbia Basin College. The $20 million facility opened in 2005 and was part of Thornton's vision to meet the community's need to increase opportunities in math, science, and technology. The 155,800-square-foot facility provides space for 1,000 students and is the largest single-story building in Washington's community college system.

Tri-Cities Research District

Energy Northwest board members visit

The Energy Northwest board of directors visited the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory during its recent meeting in Richland, Wash.  The facility is a high-tech business incubator. The board received briefings about the facility and the Research District, and took tours of several of the tenants.  Contact Suzanne Mitchell at (509) 372-5146.

 

Research District master plan briefings given

With the master plan for the core of the Research District nearly complete, District leadership gave several presentations to bring stakeholder groups up to date.  Briefings were provided to the Washington State Energy and Water Committee, the Kennewick City Council, the Richland City Council, and the Energy Northwest board of directors.  Contact Diahann Howard at (509) 375-3060.

Opportunities and Tools

Industry Achievement Awards applications

Applications are being accepted by the Washington Technology Industry Association for the 14th Annual Industry Achievement Awards. This year's event features online videos for finalist companies as well as an online voting system for the local technology community. Awards will be presented in several categories, including Commercial Product or Service of the Year, Service Provider of the Year, and Breakthrough Technology of the Year. The Washington Technology Industry Association is the largest statewide association of technology companies and executives in the world, with more than 1,000 member companies representing more than 80,000 technology sector employees in Washington State. Applications are due November 14. Entry fees are $90 for members and $180 for non-members. Download the application form.

Your opinion needed: Washington's Innovation Summit

The organizers of Washington Innovation Summit 2009, to be held April 9, want to hear from you. People are invited to answer four questions and provide the organizers with information about what you'd like to see, hear, and learn at this upcoming event. Take the survey.

Washington Technology Center annual report available

The Washington Technology Center has released its 2008 Annual Report. The report highlights the achievements of the Center in advancing technology-based economic development in Washington State. Highlights include awarding more than $1 million in research and development funding, hosting the Washington State Technology Summit, and co-hosting the Micro Nano Breakthrough conference that drew more than 700 participants from business, science, and economic development fields. The Center is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year.

Resources online

The following resources are now available online.  1) The article "Using, investing in strengths is key" was published in the Tri-City Herald on October 26. The article describes how the Tri-Cities and Washington State are using their entrepreneurial assets to advance their high-tech future. 2) The poster "Companies with roots in PNNL" was updated. These 144 companies received foundational technology and/or executives from PNNL since 1965. 3) The executive summary of the book Economic Development Marketing: Present and Future is available now from GIS Planning, an online economic development site. The book is based on a national survey of economic development professionals and examines how economic developers are using strategies to market their communities and services, and investigates changes in marketing over time and the effectiveness of the strategies used. Download the free executive summary.

Coming Up

Entrepreneur University all-day seminar

NOVEMBER 6. REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 4. The Northwest Entrepreneur Network's "Entrepreneur University 2008: Raise Your eIQ" seminar is scheduled for November 6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. The seminar will offer two tracks for the distinct stages of creating and growing an entrepreneurial venture. The first track is for early-stage entrepreneurs starting their businesses and preparing for take-off. The second track is for entrepreneurs ready to accelerate their businesses' growth and reach altitude. Each track covers marketing, sales, finance, and operations. The cost is $225 for members and $325 for non-members. Register online or call (425) 564-5701.

MEIER Enterprises open house

NOVEMBER 6. MEIER Enterprises, Inc. will host an open house to celebrate its growth over the past year and introduce new employees. MEIER is an employee-owned, full-service architectural and engineering firm. The open house will be held at the company's Kennewick, Wash., office, located at 8697 Gage Blvd., on November 6 from 4 to 7 pm. Contact Lindsy Self at (509) 735-1589.

Learn About Web conference

NOVEMBER 7. The first annual "Learn About Web" conference is scheduled for November 7 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Wash. The conference will focus on teaching small- and medium-sized businesses how to best use websites as sales and marketing tools. Industry experts, both from the local area and around the United States, will speak on topics such as social networking, search engine marketing, web design, and security. Contact Craig Sutton at (509) 783-9558 or visit the website.

Engineering and technology management classes

NOVEMBER 15. An information session about a distance education program for engineering and business professionals is scheduled for November 15 from 9 am to noon. The information session will be held in rooms 120 and 120A in the Consolidated Information Center, located at 2710 University Drive in Richland, Wash., on the Washington State University-Tri-Cities campus. The session will provide information about courses toward "Engineering and Technology Management" certificates and master's degrees that will be offered in the evenings and on the Internet by Washington State University's College of Engineering and Architecture. Contact Patti Elshafei at (509) 335-0125.

Hispanic chamber co-sponsoring business seminars

NOVEMBER 17. The Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is coordinating with Columbia Basin College to hold seminars for small business owners in English and Spanish. Classes are held in room 123 of the CBAC Building located at 1620 North 20th Ave in Pasco, Wash. Courses include Business 101, Business 201, Basic Marketing Principles, Basic Accounting Principles, and Customer and Competitor Analysis. The six-week Business 201 course begins on November 17. Contact Sylvia Alvarez at (509) 542-0933.

Small business workshops

The Columbia Basin College Institute for Professional Development offers the following workshops in November, from 6 to 9 pm. Fees range from $25 to $55 per class. Classes are held at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at 1600 North 20th Avenue and the Columbia Basin Access Center (CBAC) at 1620 North 20th Avenue in Pasco, Wash. To register, or to learn about these and other courses in the series, contact Donna Campbell at (509) 542-4806. More information.

• November 10: Introduction to Payroll Basics (CBAC Room 115)
• November 12: Payroll Using Quick Books I (CBAC Room 115)
• November 17: Payroll Using Quick Books II (CBAC Room 115)
• November 19: Financial Management/Cash Flow (CBAC Room 124)

Three Rivers Entrepreneur Network seminar

NOVEMBER 18. REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 21. The Three River's Entrepreneur Network presents its November seminar: "Intellectual Property from the Start-Up's Perspective." Speaker Sean Grygiel will discuss strategies and best practices for building intellectual property from both a start-up and an early-stage company's perspective. Additional topics will include planning for and protecting patentable subject matter early in the development cycle, aligning intellectual property with business plans, development plans, resources and markets, using intellectual property to bolster valuation, and common intellectual property pitfalls experienced in early stage ventures.  There is no charge but advance registration is required. To register, contact Alice Ettesvold at (509) 375-2068 with the name, company/organization affiliation, phone number, and e-mail of each attendee.

Mark Your Calendar

Industry Achievement Awards ceremony

MARCH 25, 2009. The Washington Technology Industry Association will hold its annual Industry Achievement Awards at the Paramount Theater in Seattle on March 25, 2009. The event recognizes the accomplishments of Washington's technology industry. This year marks the WTIA's 25th Anniversary; the catered event will feature interactive gaming lounges and a retrospective look back over 25 years of "Technology at Play." More information.

Got News?

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 DOE-Richland's vision for the future of the Hanford Site and surrounding area through the creation of research opportunities, new industries, and new business clusters