Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

February 2013 Issue

Tech News and Notes

Ag Waste to Create Biofuel Becoming Commercially Viable

Dr. Birgitte Ahring, director of the WSU Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy, unveiled the equipment for the BioChemCat project.

A pilot project to produce biofuel using agricultural and organic municipal waste has reached levels that make the process commercially viable. The project, being paid for by the DOE, is within six months of being able to demonstrate the capacity of the BioChemCat process to create biofuel. Read more...

Mid-Columbia Small Business Awards

The Mid-Columbia Small Business of the Year Awards recognize small businesses in Benton & Franklin Counties for their exceptional customer service, outstanding commitment to employees, and superior community relations. The Small Business Awards Committee is accepting nominations from any citizen of Benton or Franklin Counties who is an employee, customer, supplier, or regulator of the nominated business. Businesses are encouraged to self-nominate. Intent to nominate is due by March 22; full nominations due April 4. Sponsorships are available. Read more...

Ben Franklin Transit Goes Electric to Help Reduce Carbon Footprint

Ben Franklin Transit is part of an alternative energy demonstration project that includes development of a battery-powered, all-electric remanufactured transit bus that has the capability of going over 100 miles. The bus, when completed, will have all electrical components, auxiliary wiring, seats, air conditioning systems, and flooring replaced with high quality new parts. The all-electric drive system, motor, controller and advanced Li-ion battery packs will be installed, as will a new, energy efficient air conditioning system. As many USA parts and components as possible were sourced, resulting in the bus being "Buy America" compliant. Read more...

TRIDEC's 50th Anniversary

TRIDEC is celebrating 50 years! It was formed by community leaders Bob Philip, Joe Stickler, Glenn Lee, and Sam Volpentest, as the Tri-City Nuclear Industrial Council (TCNIC) to diversify the local economy by bringing in new jobs and business to the Tri-Cities area. In 1985 TCNIC became known as the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, continuing the great efforts of diversification and job creation for the Tri-Cities region. Read more...

Tech Opportunities and Resources

NWEN First Look Forum Call for Applications

By applying to NWEN's First Look Forum you will have the chance to gain access to expert coaches, advisors, investors, and more -- all dedicating their time and talents to help businesses gain momentum and achieve success. This is an exclusive, bi-annual, invitation-only investor showcase. Every applicant will receive feedback on their executive summary... multiple rounds if you submit early. The Top 20 applicants will receive expert coaching on their business plan. Feb. 4 is the deadline for early-bird applications; Feb. 25 for final applications. Read more...

Tour EMSL - Virtually

Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory on the campus of PNNL

PNNL has collaboratively launched a virtual tour showcasing four state-of-the-art laboratories and 12 instruments that are within DOE's Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL), a Department of Energy user facility located on the PNNL campus. It features EMSL surface science instruments, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, ion mobility mass spectrometers, and cell isolation and surface analysis tools. EMSL offers more than 150 instruments and a high performance computer, and now some of those instruments can be viewed online. These instruments allow scientists to address some of the nation's greatest energy challenges such as improving biofuels, carbon cycling and its role in climate change and renewable approaches. Read more...

DOE Tech Transfer Site Features First-of-its-Kind Search Capability

The Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Transfer website has a new search tool. For the first time users can search tech transfer information across the DOE national laboratories with a single search box. This new tool enables users to search all DOE technology transfer information, including inventions, patents and other applied research, available from DOE national laboratories in real time. Read more...

Small Business Administration Launches Online Contracting System

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in conjunction with the White House's Presidential Innovation Fellows, recently launched a beta version of RFP-EZ, a new online marketplace that streamlines the government contracting process, making it simpler for small businesses to find and bid on low-dollar contracts from federal agencies. The new program allows the government to source low-cost, high-impact solutions from innovative tech companies. A limited number of low-dollar contracts through RFP-EZ are now available. Read more...

How to Successfully Explain Your Start-Up

Meet Alex, he's a start-up founder with a technical background. For the past year, he and his team have been refining their product and recently decided to start talking about it publicly. But something was wrong. Each time Alex explained it, people seemed to tune out. How would this ever be successful if he couldn't get people interested in his product? Alex's problem was not design, engineering, funding, or marketing - it was explanation. In order to help pitch your start-up idea, try these tips, like focusing on empathy, building context, or telling a simple story. Read more...

Tech Dates and Deadlines

Funding Quest Workshop

February 5. Raising angel funding is literally a quest - an often challenging search to find angel investors who will believe in you and your business. Attendees at the "Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Angel Investors to Finance Your Business" workshop will learn how to improve the fundability of their business, gain confidence in negotiating investment deals, develop a strategy for finding and courting angel investors, learn how to give investors the kind of pitch they're looking for, and discover insider secrets on how to close the deal. The day-long workshop offers a money-back guarantee, and will be led by Startup Funding Expert Brian Brewer. Read more...

Science & Technology Discovery Series

February 8. Technology Alliance's Science & Technology Discovery Series offers an opportunity to learn about new discoveries and cutting-edge technologies directly from Washington State's leading scientists and innovators. The Discovery Series is designed for business and community leaders who want to stay on top of important advancements being made in our state, nationally and internationally. Speakers are experts in their fields and have included Nobel laureates and National Academy of Sciences members. Presentations are held the second Friday of each month, September through May, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Rainier Club in downtown Seattle. Read more...

Start Smart Workshop: How to Start a Business

February 11. The three-hour practical workshop will cover how much money you will need to start and run the business until it is profitable, options for getting money for your business, what you need to do to legally launch your business-licenses, taxes, and other issues, and marketing your business. The workshop starts at 6 p.m. and will be held at the TRIDEC office. Read more...

Introduction to Government Contracting 101

February 12. A general overview of how federal, state, and local governments buy goods and services, and the seven phases of government procurement will be discussed. Additional topics include governmental registrations, market research on what the government buys, how government agencies advertise their procurements, how to locate subcontracting opportunities with government prime contractors, and much more. The session is hosted by the Procurement Technology Assistance Center, and is from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. at the Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center. Read more...

Entrepreneurial Awards Luncheon

February 26. The Entrepreneurial Awards luncheon will be held at the Richland Red Lion starting at 11:30 a.m. Being recognized for their exemplary spirit of entrepreneurial success are:  Earmark Construction, Teknologize, Power Focus Engineering, Efficiency Solutions, Rippedsheets.com, Ethos Baker, and Blue Flame Spirits.  At the end of the awards program, this year's winner of the Sam Volpentest Entrepreneurial Leadership Award (Sammy) will be revealed and presented to an individual who has shown true entrepreneurial leadership in our community and who has significantly contributed to the success of this region. 

SBIR/STTR Proposal Writing Boot Camp

March 2, 16, and 30. The three-day intensive boot camp helps prepare companies for Phase I SBIR/STTR proposal development. Hosted by MIPO, it will feature presentations from Mark Henry, Grow Emerging Companies, and Kedma Ough, 2012 National SBIR/STTR Conference Chair, drawing from their extensive knowledge and experience in the SBIR/STTR realm. The boot camp will be held in Portland, OR, and provide critical proposal writing information to small businesses competing for SBIR/STTR grants and contracts amounting to approximately $2.5 billion in funding annually. Read more...

Alliance Northwest Conference

March 14. The 2013 Alliance Northwest Conference is the largest business-to-government conference in the Pacific Northwest. This event features keynote speakers, high quality workshops, and matchmaking sessions with government agencies and prime contractors. Read more...

PNNL This Month

Supercomputer Coming to EMSL this Summer

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory on the campus of PNNL

A new supercomputer expected to rank among the world's fastest machines will be ready to run computationally intense climate and biological simulations, along with other scientific programs this summer. This computational work will aid research in climate and environmental science, chemical processes, biology-based fuels that can replace fossil fuels, new materials for energy applications and more. The computer will be hosted in EMSL, the Department of Energy's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. EMSL is a national user facility on the PNNL campus. Read more...

Governor's Employer Awards Honors PNNL

PNNL is one of nine winners of the 20th Annual Governor's Employer Awards Program in Washington. The State Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment selected PNNL for recognition in the program that honors employers who have demonstrated exemplary practices to recruit, hire, retain, and promote individuals with disabilities. Read more...

PNNL, Infinia Awarded DoD Grants to Keep Troops Cool While Using Less Fuel

A new, energy-efficient air chilling system could keep troops on the front lines cool while using about half as much diesel as current systems. The Department of Defense awarded almost $2.8 million to PNNL, and in a separate grant, almost $1.8 million to Kennewick-based Infinia Technology Corp. for research on systems that would more efficiently heat or cool buildings. The system's decreased fuel consumption could also save lives by reducing attacks on American soldiers who deliver fuel to field operations. PNNL's project was among five awarded a total of $8.5 million to improve the efficiency of battlefield heating and air conditioning systems by 20 to 50 percent. 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 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