Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

March 2012 Issue

Tech News and Notes

FIRST Robotics is seeking volunteers!

As part of its continuing commitment to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, Eastern Washington University will for the first time host one of 55 national FIRST Robotics Competitions April 5-7. To stage this incredible event, 80-100 volunteers will be needed to act as judges, referees, competition staff, and coordinators. Some positions require specific technical expertise, whereas other positions require no other qualifications than good work ethics and the desire to make a difference. Teams from WA, ID, OR, MT, and CA have already signed up to compete! Read more...

Cleantech Open opportunities

The Cleantech Open  brings together a panel of experienced investors and entrepreneurs to share the challenges and opportunities derived from building clean tech ventures, what's unique about clean tech funding, and what the outlook is for the clean tech space. Today, the need to support clean tech entrepreneurs has never been greater. Volunteers and mentors are needed for the 2012 Cleantech Open. In addition, applications are being accepted now through May 8 for the Cleantech Open Business Competition. Read more...

Angel group sees record activity in 2011

Members of the Keiretsu Forum Northwest, made up of angel investors in Seattle, Bellevue, Portland, and Boise, invested $24M in 36 companies last year. That was the highest total since the group was formed in Seattle in 2005. Twenty nine of the 36 companies were based in the Pacific Northwest. Thirty eight percent of the funds went to real estate firms, followed by technology (30 percent) and consumer/retail (16 percent). The angel group also added 78 new members in the Pacific Northwest last year. Read more...

Geekwire: Ten steps to building a brand that triples sales and grows customer loyalty

If the past five years have taught us anything, it is that branding is more than just a web presence. A brand is a relationship between customers and a business...between customers and a product. And it's not a simple relationship. It's actually pretty complex with lots of moving parts. Here are ten that you must understand and employ when you are creating a brand. Read more...

Tech Opportunities and Resources

One-stop portal for business information

The Tri-CitiesBusinessBuilder.com is live! It's a web portal for businesses to get information about business plans, permits, incubator space, funding, classes, and more. The portal is easy to use and designed for all businesses regardless of size, maturity, or industry. A business owner, employee, or someone thinking about starting a business can go to a one-stop portal to direct them to the people and organizations that are best suited to help with the specific question or issue. Tri-CitiesBusinessBuilder.com is linking businesses to the right resources at the right time. Read more...

NIH SBIR and STTR Notices

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently added a pair of Notices that may be of interest to SBIR participants on the 'Special Announcements for Small Business Research Opportunities' page on the SBIR website (grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm). The page lists NIH SBIR/STTR-Relevant Program Announcements, Request for Applications, and Notices that are taken from the NIH Guide Electronic Repository of Special Announcements for Small Business Research Opportunities (grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html).

SBDC helps small businesses succeed

Business advisors from the Washington Small Business Development Centers provided one-on-one advising to more than 2,800 small business owners across Washington in 2011, helping them secure more than $31M in capital and to create or save more than 720 jobs. From 2008 to 2010, SBDC clients saw sales increase an average of 3.7 percent while other Washington businesses declined an average of 1 percent. In addition, SBDC clients increased staffing by 13.5 percent, while other Washington businesses cut staff by an average of 2.3 percent. Read more...

Northwest Entrepreneur Network launches new website

At Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN) the goal is to teach you everything you need to know and connect you with everyone you need to know so that your first startup feels like your second. This new website will help facilitate that goal. NWEN provides educational offerings geared towards the specialized needs of the entrepreneur. Read more...

Impact Washington's Small Business Consulting Program

Impact Washington announces its new Small Business Consulting Program, an initiative aimed at bringing assistance to the state's smallest manufacturers to help them grow their businesses. Manufacturers with under 10 employees comprise over half of the manufacturers statewide. Often, these companies are providing great manufacturing jobs in their local communities but don't have access to the resources to help them improve and grow. This new program is designed to provide that needed assistance with no out of pocket cost to the manufacturer. Read more...

Tech Dates and Deadlines

Innovation Showcase call for applications

March 2. Applications are being accepted through March 2 for the next Innovation Showcase. This quarterly event, sponsored by Technology Alliance and attended by a cross-section of the state's startup leaders, promotes the idea sharing and networking that helps turn research into results. Apply for an opportunity to showcase your promising technology to investors, service providers, serial entrepreneurs, and others in the commercialization field. Read more...

Life Sciences Discovery Fund PreCede grant competition

March 7. New for 2012, the Life Science Discovery Fund (LSDF) PreCede grant competition is designed to help position early-stage Washington state life sciences companies for near-term equity investment. PreCede grants will support research and development activities focused on validating the commercial merit of promising health-related technologies, such as proof-of-concept studies or prototype construction and testing. LSDF has allocated up to $300K for the 2012 PreCede grant competition. Individual requests are not to exceed $150K, with work expected to be completed within one year. Pre-proposals are required, and due by March 7. Only a subset of pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal. Read more...

2012 TRIDEC Annual Meeting

March 7. TRIDEC President and CEO Carl Adrian will share the accomplishments of TRIDEC and the Mid-Columbia Energy Initiative, and recognize successful member businesses at TRIDEC's annual meeting. The meeting is being held March 7 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm at the Pasco Red Lion. Jesse Berst, a Tri-Cities native and Managing Director of Global SmartEnergy of Redmond, WA, will be the keynote speaker. Read more...

Opportunities for small business conference and trade show

March 15. Alliance NW's Conference is a great event to meet and network with multiple government agencies and primes in one place - and it's coming to Puyallup. This is your chance to meet the "right" people, attend valuable breakout sessions, and hear from an impressive keynote speaker-all in one day! Alliance NW Conference is led by the Washington Procurement Technology Assistance Center with the support of federal agencies and state offices. It is a partnership to provide businesses with a single day of networking and procurement training opportunities. Read more...

Three Rivers Community Roundtable's 2012 Spring Workshop

March 16. The Three Rivers Community Roundtable will have its 2012 Spring Workshop March 16 at the Country Gentleman restaurant in Kennewick. In addition to status updates and interactions with the Roundtable's Focus Groups, the workshop will feature a presentation by Kim Zentz, executive director for Innovate Washington. Registration and breakfast begins at 7:30 am. The workshop will be from 8 to 10 am. Cost is $15 per person, which includes a breakfast buffet. RSVP to community.roundtable@pnnl.gov. For questions, contact Karen Blasdal at 375-5901 or Megan Neer at 375-6871.

Call for nominations for Mid-Columbia Small Business Awards

March 30. Nominations are being accepted now through March 30 for the Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards. Businesses are recognized for their exceptional customer service, outstanding commitment to employees, and superior community relations. Nominate your own business or a business you appreciate. Read more...

EMSL 2012 annual call for user proposals is now open

April 2. EMSL, PNNL's Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, is known for its cross-cutting diversity of instruments and expertise available under one roof. Scientists and scientific teams can accelerate new discoveries through a no-cost collaboration with EMSL. EMSL's 2012 Call for User Proposals is now open for high-impact user research proposals focused on selected topics in environmental molecular science. Proposals may be submitted now through 11 pm PDT April 2 via the User Portal (http://listserve.pnnl.gov/t/596760/48716/82/0/). Details regarding the focused topics and proposal guidance are available on EMSL's website. Read more...

Exporting assistance in the Tri-Cities

April 2.  The International Marketing Program within the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will be offering an exciting opportunity for Washington's small food and agricultural (including aquaculture) companies. WSDA will be conducting a two-part program. The first part will provide in-depth export training to participating companies, helping them to develop their export business plans specific to one of four markets (China, Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan). The second part of the program will introduce the participating companies to buyers from their targeted market. This is a unique opportunity for new-to-export and new-to-market companies that want to take their first step into an overseas market. Read more...

Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium

April 18 - 19. In its ninth year, the Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium is a business expo with a focus on government contracting and doing business at Hanford, with exciting networking opportunities and educational breakout sessions. The Symposium brings small business owners and DOE small business advocates together to talk about the best ways to partner. Attendees will have direct access to Department of Energy procurement experts and small business liaisons at a local level, and upcoming business opportunities. Read more...

PNNL This Month

PNNL technology and licensee finish in top three

The results are in for America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge. Vorbeck Materials, a Jessup, Maryland-based startup using a PNNL-developed method for building tiny chemical structures to greatly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, finished among the top three in the competition. The winners were determined based on public vote and expert review. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries that are widely used in portable devices such as laptops and power electric vehicles. The new material in Vorbeck's batteries stores twice as much electricity at high charge and discharge rates as current lithium-ion batteries, and creates increased battery capacity and a longer cycle life. Read more...

PNNL leader recognized by FLC for technology commercialization efforts

Mike Kluse, director of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been named 2012 Laboratory Director of the Year by the Federal Laboratory Consortium. The annual award honors directors of federal laboratories who have made significant contributions that support technology transfer both inside and outside their organizations. Kluse has served as laboratory director since 2007, and the accomplishments PNNL has achieved since that time are numerous, including having been awarded 217 U.S. patents, more than any other DOE national laboratory. Read more...

Technology Assistance Program for technology-based businesses

The Economic Development Office at PNNL offers the Technology Assistance Program (TAP) to small technology-based businesses looking to solve a specific challenge-at no cost. Each year dozens of TAP projects help technology-based firms answer specific technology questions or solve specific challenges using PNNL's experts and resources. TAP technical specialists can assist your company by providing technical advice and information, and connections to other expertise, resources, or programs. Read more...

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 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 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