Tech Connect - The Green Issue

A r i z o n a’ s

Technology Magazine

the green issue :

Inside

0 28 The Deciding Factor 0 32 Big Minds on Campus 0 36 Saving Solar 0 39 Alt Energy On Guard 0 48 Invest Southwest

Joining Together Tradition and History

When something closes, it’s not usually a cause for celebration, but on February 1, 2008, one historic event led to another and Avnet

“It was an honor to ring the bell on our turf for the state’s first time, joined by our governor, 14 excellent companies on the Big Board, the Cardinals, and representing Avnet’s employees around the world.”

– Roy Vallee

www.avnet.com Super Bowl® is a trademark of the NFL

was proud to be a significant part of both.

Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee rang the Closing Bell for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from the University of Phoenix Stadium, marking the first time this event has taken place in the state of Arizona, and helping kick off the Super Bowl XLII weekend.

The NYSE and Avnet, two organizations coming together to make history for the State of Arizona.

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What’s Inside

A r i z o n a’ s

Technology Magazine InnerView

020 Ed Wheeler

Honeywell Aerospace Leader’s Career is Out of this World.

022 Todd Davis

Lifelock Ceo’s Life Really is an Open Book.

+ Features 028 Decision Theatre

Technology comes Together for a Glimpse at Future Survival.

032 University Updates 002

Schools take their “Green” Ideas from the Lab into the World.

The Focus

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039 Power on

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Welcome Mat not Always Out for Firms with Sustainable Solutions.

For Profit:

Arizona Innovators Find A Different Kind Of Green.

048 Invest Southwest

Venture Capitalists’ Offer Annual Answers to Entrepreneurs’ Prayers.

On the Cover :: The Green Issue

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pda cnaaj eooqa THE DECIDING FACTOR

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SAVING SOLAR

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ALT ENERGY ON GUARD

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President’s Letter Editor’s Letter Tech Support Events Northern Arizona University University of Arizona Arizona State University Science Foundation Arizona

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limate change, greenhouse gases, renewable energy, sustainability, growing greener—these are the buzz words of our time. While there remains legitimate debate about the amount of impact the warming effect of higher levels of CO2 will have on the climate, the political train has already left the station.

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We have entered the “green” era. We can thank Al Gore for raising the nation’s, and perhaps the world’s, consciousness about the impact that human development is having on our environment. Interestingly, while technology provides solutions to many of the most pressing issues of our time, technology combined with our human habits and public policies have created an interesting dilemma: looming carbon regulation.

Each day we create exponentially more information that needs to be stored and maintained. By the year 2010 it is expected that more data will be produced in a single year than all the data created in the prior history of mankind. Interestingly enough, the government increasingly mandates we maintain this information.

Systems for storing data have gotten smaller and more powerful while the demand for power has exploded. Storage requirements are growing with little end in sight. Applica-

tions for both businesses and consumers need more and more processing power to meet the demands of their markets. Studies show server farms used 1.2 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption in 2005. Incredibly, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study reported the total electricity bill for server operation and associated infrastructure in 2005 was estimated to be $2.7 billion in the United States and $7.3 billion globally.

Due to our lack of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, companies have found Arizona to be a safe and secure place to locate data centers. As a consequence, we have become a mecca for these server farms. Some believe data centers, collectively speaking, represent the largest carbon footprint of literally any other single entity. Not only do they consume huge amounts of power to maintain data, but they require significant power for cooling the hardware.

While policymakers wrestle with creating regulations for controlling carbon output in order to reduce greenhouse gases, they are proposing exponentially higher penalties for the largest consumers of power. Ironically, the industry that is the largest single producer of carbon today is the IT industry.

Some of the proposed regulations would rock the economy due to the unforeseen consequences of taxing the IT industry. Seeing the writing on the wall, major IT companies such as Google and Microsoft are exploring foreign destinations for these data centers where there is cheap geothermal power, cooler temperatures and less regulation.

Never has there been a time when it is more important for the technology industry to be proactive in the public policy arena. The technology industry in many ways has been leading the green movement through its innate early-adapter attitude, its embrace of continual change and its record for providing solutions for the most compelling challenges of our day.

Ironically, most see the IT industry as one of the most efficient users of power, albeit in large quantities due to the incredible demand. Since IT is ubiquitous, any prospective carbon tax would have a consequence for virtually every aspect of our economy.

As the worldwide debate continues to find the best ways to lessen the impact that human dominance has on our planet, the technology industry must be ever wary and diligent to keep a close eye on how the politicians decide to deal with it. But even more importantly, the technology industry should continue to co-opt the green movement to help produce solutions that address the world’s energy and environmental challenges.

In the upcoming election, Arizonans will have an important opportunity to decide who will regulate the state’s utilities and ultimately make key decisions affecting carbon output through energy consumption. Voters will elect three of the five members of the Arizona Corporation Commission who will make important decisions that will affect the state’s future. We all have an obligation to inform ourselves about the candidates and what their positions are on issues that impact the technology industry. Then we can vote for those politicians who will best balance our economic and environmental future. Get involved!

Steven G. Zylstra

President & CEO, Arizona Technology Council

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The Blame Game

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e generate our own environment. We get exactly what we deserve. How can we resent a life we’ve 008 created ourselves? Who’s to blame, who’s to credit but us? Who can change it, anytime we wish, but us?” ­– Author Richard Bach We all know the complainers: the people who see the bad things in life and usually relay a sense of hopelessness to others.

After all, it’s not their fault things turned out the way they are; it’s someone else’s.

In a world filled with sentiment that all is lost, it’s good to find those who give us a sense of hope. In this issue of TechConnect, we turn the spotlight (mercury-free!) on those Arizonans who are working on sustainable solutions to the environmental imbalances that seem to make headlines more often these days.

For two northern Arizona partners, the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. Actually, they created a way to harness the power of the wind. Meet them and other entrepreneurs who have turned problems into opportunities.

There may be some others waiting in the wings for their chance to hit it big and make a difference at the same time.

The annual Invest Southwest conference is close at hand as venture capitalists get a close look at the next big thing. We talk with some past capital winners to learn how the event has changed their lives.

Some of the next great ideas are coming from Arizona’s universities, as you’ll see in these pages. At The University of Arizona, researchers are tackling the challenges that range from the local to the global. At Northern Arizona University, there are ongoing efforts to figure out how to keep a seemingly widespread carbon footprint from stepping on too many toes.

On Arizona State University’s campus, the Decision Theatre gives both leaders and planners front-row seats to explore how their ideas will impact the world—in some cases, before it’s too late. The director of this world-class facility also offers words to consider before companies go “green” only

because they only focus on winning the gold.

With all of this homegrown talent, you would think Arizona has rolled out the red carpet for the creators. Not so, as you’ll find out. For example, solar seemed to hold a great deal of promise for the state and its economy. The sun may be setting on what could be a lost opportunity, as you’ll read.

In addition, learn how some companies may be ready to take their achievements elsewhere unless conditions change.

As you read this edition, know there are some people hard at work so they are not part of the problem, but instead part of the solution.

Don Rodriguez

Editor, TechConnect Magazine

Art Director Jim Nissen, Switch Studio Designers Chaidi Lobato Jaclyn Threadgill Erin Loukili Kris Olmon Contributing Writers George Basile Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell Nikki Capetz Christopher DiVirgilio Donovan Hardenbrook William C. Harris Jimmy Magahern Angela Rabago-Mussi Diane Rechel Ken Reinstein Kara Ritter Michael K. Wilhelm Bruce A. Wright Ty Young Trademark // General Counsel Quinn Williams Distribution Partners The Phoenix Business Journal East Valley Tribune Tucson Chamber of Commerce

E-mail editor@techconnectmag.com advertising@techconnectmag.com For queries or customer service, call 602-343-8324 or go to techconnectmag.com.

For high-quality article reprints, contact The Reprint Dept., 717-481-8500.

TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, One Renaissance Square, 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 750, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Entire contents copyright 2008, Arizona Technology Council. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. TechConnect is a trademark of the Arizona Technology Council. All rights reserved. Publication of TechConnect is supported by privatesector businesses, and is not financed by state-appropriated funds.

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Outsourcing IT operations carries many risks for companies.

Among them, finding a provider that fits your culture, produces results and understands your business.

Tech Support We want to know what’s happening in the Arizona Technology Community. Submit newsworthy stories to techsupport@techconnect.com

New Dean at ASU College of Technology and Innovation

Keith Hjelmstad has been appointed and approved by the Arizona Board of Regents this summer as the new vice president and dean of the College of Technology and Innovation at Polytechnic Campus. Hjelmstad is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and former associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hjelmstad will lead the core college at the Polytechnic campus and work to coordinate its programs with those of the other units. Hjelmstad was the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Young Investigator’s Award and the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Alfred Noble Prize. campus.asu.edu/polytechnic

UofA’s Goodrum Wins Prestigious Pew Award

Virologist Felicia Goodrum with the Department of Immunobiology at The University of Arizona College of Medicine has won a 2008 Pew Scholars Program award for her work on latency in virus infections worth $60,000 a year for four years. The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences supports young investigators of outstanding promise in clinical sciences relevant to the advancement of human health. Goodrum conducts research in collaboration with experts around the world and works at the forefront of research on how a virus persists within the human body. She is studying a member of the herpes virus called cytomegalovirus, or CMV, and how it infects humans and then lays low, shifting into latency. www.medicine.arizona.edu

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iLinc Honored with Green Excellence Award

iLinc, a leader in Web conferencing, has been awarded the 2008 Frost and Sullivan Green Excellence Award for its iLinc Green Meter, which is a unique tool that automatically measures carbon emissions, fuel costs and mileage saved per participant, per meeting and provides metrics for the organization as a whole. The award is given to a company that has demonstrated unique produce design and development initiatives, which is aligned with a sustainable and environmentally conscious objective within its industry sector. iLinc’s Green Meter users have saved more than 2 billion pounds of carbon emissions. www.ilinc.com

ASU’s Biodesign Institute Adds Educators

Outreach educators Kenneth Costenson and Lisa Osinga have been hired by ASU’s Biodesign Institute to develop experiential science-based education for teachers and students in grades K-6. Costenson most recently served as a secondary science specialist for Mesa Public Schools, where he was instrumental in establishing the Mesa Biotech Academy at Mesa High School. Osinga, a former biology teacher at Thunderbird High School, has been part of Promoting Reform through Instructional Materials that Educate (PRIME). The Biodesign Institute at ASU pursues research to create personalized medical treatments, outpace infectious disease, clean the environment, develop alternative energy sources and secure a safer world. www.biodesign.asu.edu

MedApps Gets Top Award from Dell

MedApps, a new system in Mobile Wireless Health Monitoring headquartered in Scottsdale, has been named one of the 10 most innovative companies as part of Dell’s 2008 Global Small Business Excellence Awards. The MedApps Mobile Wireless Health Monitoring System helps collect personal health readings from off-the-shelf medical devices and transmits that data wirelessly to secure server or personal health record for storage and review. This helps people who are afflicted with chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure and other problems, stay connected with their healthcare providers. The award was given for applying technology in innovative way to break new ground and better serve customers. www.medapps.net

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5301 N. Pima Rd., Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Close+up : A Collection of Briefings Focusing on Significant Topics Affecting Technology.

Lumey’s E27-1x10 PAR spot (left) and street lights

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Bright Idea Writing By :: Gremlyn Bradley-Waddell

New Type of Led Bulbs Offer Long Life without Mercury Risk

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As the owner of Lumey’s, the online shop he runs from his Scottsdale home, Leopold has nothing but glowing recommendations for the LED retrofit light bulbs he sells. He says they not only last forever—or about 175,000 hours—but they also don’t contain mercury or have the disconcerting delay that compact fluorescent bulbs do.

They also don’t generate the heat that Edison-style or halogen bulbs do (“which is a little creepy, by the way,” admits Leopold), they use about 20 percent less electricity than other bulbs and they emit pleasing light, which is available in several shades of white. He even offers a “forever warranty,” which means he’ll replace for free any bulb he sells that fails.

The only drawback to the LED bulb, which Leopold says

is essentially a reconfigured computer chip? They’re not cheap. “That’s the fight we fight every day,” says Leopold, an engineer who recently worked in the solar market. “In five years’ or 10 years’ time, the price will come down and people will get better at this. Until then, there’s Lumey’s.”

The price for an LED—or light-emitting diode—bulb that replaces a typical, household light bulb with a screw-in socket retails for around $43.50 plus tax and shipping. So, at this point, Leopold says his residential customers are few.

Nevertheless, he notes, all his LED retrofit bulbs pay for themselves in time; it just may take years for residential users to get a return on their investment versus nine to 12 months for commercial users.

And even with the high prices—sodium vapor retrofits cost from nearly $330 to as much as $815, while accent lamps for boardwalks and ballrooms run from about $44 to nearly $100—commercial customers are taking note of LED bulbs. Leopold says it’s not only the energy savings that are attractive, it’s also the decreased labor involved; these light bulbs simply don’t get changed constantly like regular ones.

He says most any business can benefit from his bulbs: from a hospital with numerous patient rooms to warehouses and art museums or galleries with soaring ceilings.

French Thompson, owner of French Designer Jeweler in Scottsdale, has purchased several bulbs from Lumey’s to get an idea of how they work.

He uses them mostly in display cases, which can get hot when left on all day. He hopes to make a complete switch to LED when the product isn’t so “excessively expensive.” “I’d probably re-do the whole store with them,” he says.

Ghassan Jabbour, a professor and director of Arizona State University’s Advanced Photovoltaics Center, agrees that LED-light bulb technology is teetering on the cusp of greatness. Like Leopold, Jabbour uses LED bulbs at home and backs their use. “I, myself, like the LED bulb from the conscience point of energy savings,” he says. + Get Connected www.lumeys.com

Gilbert Firm Gets Green Light To Create New Alternative Writing by :: t y Young

Gilbert has long been known for its farming and dairy fields. And while the community is growing into a more bustling suburban economic force, one company is drawing attention for its green fuel technology.

Since launching three years ago, Diversified Energy has become one of the state’s most widely-known cleantech firms, creating three products that they—and many in the energy world— say will be the future of clean fuels and renewable energy.

The company recently received a second-phase contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to produce further testing on Diversified’s HydroMax technology. The 24-month contract amounts to nearly $1 million and partners with Diversified’s phase I contract with the DOE. HydroMax is a gasification technology that can turn any hydrocarbon-based fuel product, such as used tires and municipal solid waste, into a synthetic gas. Once produced, the syngas can be used in power generating stations, replacing natural gas. Diversified will focus on industrial power generation sources first, says CEO David Thompson. continued on page 14

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Polytechnic Junior Asu Affiliate Opens First School Offering Innovative Platform

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Polytechnic campus, but will eventually move to a new facility located on about 24 acres in the southwest portion of the Polytechnic campus. The new facility, named the Polytechnic Center of Educational Innovation, will accommodate students from preschool through 12th grade once completed.

Sharing the Best Currently, the school is organized in clusters and is using a multigraded approach that groups and regroups students by ability according to skill. The curriculum is standards-based and delivered in various formats, which includes whole group and directional instruction.

What administrators are excited about is how the research and results from best practices will be shared, says Larry Pieratt, executive director of University Public Schools.

“The purpose of our school is different, our goal is about new innovations and to bring in new practices to share with all schools,” Pieratt says. “We want to share with everyone … all the

schools we create in the network, we’re going to share everything we research. We’re creating an Innovation Exchange Center so that what we learn that works we will share with other schools so they can learn and implement as well.”

Currently, ASU faculty members from nutrition, physical education, fine arts, early childhood, speech and language, science and mathematics have contributed, as well as the community at large by giving input towards handson problems for students to solve as part of problem-solving within the curriculum.

“I totally believe this is the future of education in the state of Arizona,” Bullock says. “As we see what is working well, we will be putting it out there, and let people know that this is what we are doing. With the support of ASU, using researchbased strategy, we’ll show what is working, and that this is the future for the state of Arizona.” + Get Connected Polytechnic Elementary School: universitypublicschools.asu.edu

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

he Polytechnic Elementary School in Mesa has opened its first facility with 230 kindergarten through 6th grade students from Higley, Queen Creek, Chandler, Mesa and Kyrene who are excited about learning in a multi-grade approach focusing on innovation to make a difference.

“They are loving it,” says Donna Bullock, founding principal of the school that is an affiliate of Arizona State University through its University Public Schools. “I’m not sure who is loving it more—the teachers or the kids.

“I’ve had kids come up to me sharing with me what they are learning, and what they’ve done in the past and why they like it here now,” she says. “The teachers are equally as excited.

They feel like it’s more of a community learning. I’ve even had notes already from parents, so excited about the school and what it’s doing for education.”

The tuition-free school is located two miles north of ASU’s

FALL 2008

writing by :: Kara Ritter photography by :: barnaby wasson & University Public Schools

Close+up continued from page 12

The first phase was to build the computer modeling system to prove the technology works. Now in phase II, the company will build a scale model. If the company gets the third phase contract, it will build a pilot plant. “It’s basically another step up the later towards commercialization,” Thompson says of the recent contract.

A Scottsdale Healthcare physician shares results from the scan of a patient's brain.

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Scottsdale Healthcare Earns Unique Teaching Hospital Accreditation edical students caring for patients and saving lives are prime-time television staples. In the real world, Scottsdale Healthcare has entered a different sort of prime time by becoming a fully credentialed academic teaching hospital, a rare acknowledgement by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Council of Teaching Hospitals for a nonuniversity facility.

“Membership in the (council) is a distinguished honor, reserved only for select hospitals meeting strict criteria,” says Tom Sadvary, Scottsdale Healthcare’s president and CEO. Sadvary oversees three campuses, three hospitals, outpatient centers, home health services and a variety of community health education and outreach programs.

Partnerships with the Translational Genomics

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Research Institute and the University of Arizona’s Arizona Cancer Center attract interest in practicing in Scottsdale, added Mike Foley, Scottsdale’s chief academic officer.

“Scottsdale Healthcare’s focus on enhancing quality of care and attracting and retaining the ‘best and the brightest’ physicians through a greater

Scottsdale Healthcare Shea is one of three sister hospitals.

involvement in graduate medical education is beginning to flourish,” Foley says. “There is a tremendous quality increase by having physicians-in-training here. It pushes us as physicians to focus on the most up-to-date methods of care and it puts a lot of eyes on the patient.” + Get Connected www.shc.org

Meanwhile, the company is working with scientists at North Carolina State University to produce a bio jet fuel from triglyceride feed stocks such as animal fat, waste greases and various agricultural waste crops. The patent-pending technology is called Centia and already has been tested in a jet fuel engine at the university.

While HydroMax replaces natural gas with syngas, Centia replaces gasoline with biofuel that has the same properties. Thompson calls Centia the next generation of biofuel, one that does not use food crops used in the human food chain.

“This is not ethanol. This is not biodiesel,” he says.

“The era of corn and soybased blended fuel is slowly transitioning into fuel like this, which looks and burns like petroleum.”

North Carolina State University recently received a $200,000 grant to build a pilot refinery that could produce tens of thousands of gallons of Centia.

Diversified’s third technology, which the company is seeking patent protection for, is called the Symgae Algal Biomass Production system. The system uses algae to produce biofuel, instead of typical feed crops like corn and soy. The company is planning to build a pilot plant in Casa Grande to further test the system.

Presented by the Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Department of Commerce, the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celebration of Innovation (GCOI) is the largest statewide awards gathering of technology companies in Arizona.

The annual black-tie optional gala recognizes companies, individuals and academic organizations that demonstrate excellence in innovative technological advancement and delivers an insider-look at emerging, small, and established companies.

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Close+up

Bird Flu Battle Scottsdale Firm May Have Strong Response To Pandemic Threat

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Writing by :: Michael K. Wilhelm

stockpiled vaccines that might prove effective against H5N1 (avian flu), but the number of available doses is limited. Recent breakthroughs on new vaccines are encouraging. However, the manufacture, stockpiling and distribution of sufficient vaccine for at-risk populations worldwide remain challenging.

This underscores the potentially critical contribution of vaccine adjuvants, which enhance the immune system’s response so a smaller amount of vaccine may provide the necessary protection.

Adjuvants could enable vaccine supplies to be stretched to immunize more people than would otherwise be possible.

ImmuneRegen’s Homspera has shown adjuvant activity by improving the effectiveness of influenza vaccines developed

by GenPhar, Inc. Studies using H5N1 and H1N1 (Spanish flu)

Effective alone Additionally, Homspera alone fights and reduces symptoms of H5N1 infection. Similar results have been obtained with Homspera alone using the common H3N2 influenza virus, which is responsible for nearly 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Further, studies have found Homspera to be effective as a co-therapy with Tamiflu®, an anti-viral drug used to combat influenza infection that is currently stockpiled by governments around the world to treat potential pandemic bird flu outbreaks.

Homspera’s developers believe it strengthens the immune system

+ Get Connected ImmuneRegen BioSciences: www.immuneregen.com

Michael K. Wilhelm is president and CEO of Scottsdale-based ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., a development-stage biotechnology company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc.

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Bird flu gets surprisingly little media attention in the United States as it once did. Its potential to fuel a pandemic, however, remains strong as the virus continues to kill globally.

For example, recent news from Indonesia confirmed three people died from the virus along with several others hospitalized. The number of poultry destroyed due to the outbreak has exceeded 175 million in Southeast Asia alone.

Bird flu is a global threat that is not going away.

The World Health Organization prepared a comprehensive report on this global menace in October 2007 and continues to monitor the virus. Scottsdalebased ImmuneRegen is also closely watching the situation and pursuing studies on Homspera®, its drug candidate that may impact pandemic flu planning.

Some governments have

vaccines, as well as an avian/ Spanish flu combination showed Homspera increased virus-fighting antibodies and improved survival in animals exposed to the deadly H5N1 influenza virus even when vaccinated for the other (H1N1).

This shows Homspera directs the immune system to produce a broader response against the Influenza virus, which may offer significant progress in the race to develop protection from the constantly evolving virus.

by targeting immune cells both directly and indirectly. The previously identified stem cell activity of Homspera accelerates the development of adult hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells into red blood cells, white blood cells (including the immune system’s T and B cells) and platelets. Homspera’s activity on stem and immune system cells may provide individuals fighting infection a much-needed immunity boost.

The ability of H5N1 to cause disease in birds remains unchecked, and, although its transmission into and among humans has been limited and unsustained to date, scientists are concerned that human-tohuman transmission is inevitable.

With little or no natural immune protection among humans, a bird flu pandemic could easily ensue.

Complementing the ongoing efforts to produce pre-pandemic vaccine candidates for humans and accelerate methods of their production is the continuing development of vaccine adjuvants like Homspera, which promise to improve existing as well as future vaccines.

Career Boost Arizona Offers Free Online Training Program In Software Development & Testing Adults interested in pursuing careers in software development, analysis, testing and security now have some help. The Arizona Information Technology Skills Training Initiative (AzIT) offers a series of three self-paced training courses, each consisting of up to 13 modules that focus on the building blocks for engineering

quality into software development.

Business professionals who depend on software integrity to successfully compete in today’s business environment should take note: The online courses are free for their staffs.

“It’s an incredible tool for anyone interested in maintaining software reliability within their own organizations or among their outside customers,” says Pat Gregan, who is holding informational meetings across the state for AzIT. “This training was developed by IBM Corp. through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Through DOL’s partnership with the Arizona Department of Commerce, we can now offer comprehensive, cutting-edge training in

software development, analysis and testing, which are crucial workforce skills that help businesses prevent costly system downtime due to software failures.”

Among the training modules are those that: + Explain techniques for good software design that can improve the quality of software deliverables. + Provide ways to strengthen a trainee’s design skills when creating and inspecting software design elements. + Teach the essentials of coding for many software programs. + Investigate the security issues to consider throughout the software development lifecycle by focusing on security engineering during the requirements,

design and implementation phases. + Execute unit-testing techniques to identify and debug code exceptions using specialized IBM investigative tools. + Get Connected Arizona Information Technology Skills Training Initiative: www.arizonaworkforceconnection. com/AzIT

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Coaching Corner: Helping The Technical Professional Advance with People Skills Writing by :: Nikki Capetz

Organizations usually reward talented technical professionals by promoting them into management positions. Evidence suggests this population encounters unique challenges when moving into and sustaining leadership positions. An article in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations cites challenges such as: • Developing relationship skills to effectively manage others.

• Collaborating cross-functionally.

• Contributing to decision making.

Starting management development programs early in the technical professional’s career is important. The program should include both formal and experience-based learning. If a first-level manager doesn’t shift from technical to people skills, from technology to business, from problem-solver to motivator, she or he may never learn the basic skills needed for success at the next level.

The coaching relationship provides a context in which the technical professional can learn the critical skills for effective communication, listening, questioning, self-awareness, and giving and receiving feedback.

Again, early intervention is an important key to success.

Specific steps Training Supported By Coaching Leadership and management training provides theory and concepts, but successful application requires practice and feedback. Adults learn best when they apply abstract concepts to a real-life situation.

Coaching As Support For Change The supportive nature of a coaching relationship can provide the technical professional with the environment needed to stretch and grow in his/her new management role.

Emotional Intelligence And Coaching Research shows a direct link between emotional intelligence in leaders and their effectiveness is organizations. Coaching is an extremely effective way for individuals to develop and hone self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management skills.

The benefits of good coaching flow in all directions. A positive behavior change in one individual can have an ongoing positive effect throughout his or her sphere of influence and beyond, with a return on investment far exceeding the individual’s performance improvement.

ROI Study In 2001 McGovern, Fisher, et al examined 100 mid-to-senior level

managers who received coaching at large organizations. These executives estimated their coaching to be worth 5.7 times the initial investment, based on a conservative formula for estimating ROI developed by Phillips (1997). The following benefits were identified: Organizational Benefits + Better productivity (reported by 53% of participants) + Improved quality (48%) + Greater organizational strength (48%) + Better customer service (39%) + Improved employee retention (32%) + Greater cost reduction (23%) + Higher profitability (22%) Personal Benefits

+ Improved relationships with direct

reports (77 %)

+ Improved relationships with peers (63%) + Better teamwork (67%) + Increased job satisfaction (61 percent) As an executive coach and business consultant, Nikki Capetz of Catalyst Systems, LLC assists entrepreneurs, executives and management teams in corporations and non-profit organizations to reach their personal and professional goals. She has more than 20 years of experience within the IT industry. She can be reached at 602-647-3220 or nikki@catalystsystems.biz.

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We are pleased to announce that Chambers USA has ranked Osborn Maledon #1 among Arizona law firms for the fourth year in a row. In 2008, three of our practice areas

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Investigations, General Litigation and Corporate/M&A.

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achieved a #1 rating in this prestigious peer-reviewed ranking: White Collar Crime/Government

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Technology Helps Boys & Girls Club Members Partner In Ocean Exploration writing by :: Angela Rabago-Mussi

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t’s a long way from the Arizona desert to the ocean floor, but that distance is shrinking for kids at the Vestar branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. The club, which opened in summer 2007, is only the second site in the nation to boast a cutting-edge command center that allows real-time communication and live broadcasts of expeditions led by renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard.

Ballard is best known for discovering the wreckage of the Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. He and Stephen Coan, president and CEO of the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Connecticut, founded the Immersion Presents education program to bring expeditions to children using telepresence technologies.

While other students across the United States can follow Ballard’s explorations online or through delayed satellite feeds, kids at the Vestar club use technology

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that allows them to be virtual explorers alongside working scientists, controlling multiple cameras and asking questions.

A partnership with Arizona State University allowed the club access to the Internet2 network, which is used mainly by academic and research institutions. “There is no other private organization in the country that has this kind of capability,” says Steve Davidson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.

Real-life Experience Breaking the old “swim and gym” stereotype, the Vestar club was built around the glass-walled command center, which features four plasma screens, three Mac Pros with 24-inch hi-definition monitors and a hi-definition video conferencing unit.

Club members first used the technology in the spring to control cameras at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California. They spent weeks studying underwater life and tracking sunbathing seals.

When club members follow Ballard’s next expedition,

Davidson envisions “12-year-old kids with the capability to operate submersibles” just as scientists around the world do. Bringing the distant world of marine biology to the club means a lot: “For many of our kids, they may never get more than 50 miles from Phoenix.”

The program already has die-hard fans, says Cilla Neri, education coordinator for the Vestar branch, and the kids greeted Ballard like a movie star when he visited the Vestar branch in the spring.

Soilo Felix, director of program technology and of the Center for Telepresence, says the potential to use the Internet2 network to connect with other scientists is limitless and can open up the world of science and engineering to students. “It gives them the opportunity to see what is possible, to see what kind of science is going on in the world,” Felix says.

+ Get Connected Vestar branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale: www.bgcs.org/loc_vestar.aspx

It gives them the opportunity to see what is possible.

- Soilo Felix

Events

Nov. 13

Governor’s Celebration of Innovation

Dodge Theater, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix | 4 to 10 p.m.

Presented by the Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Department of Commerce, the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation is the largest statewide awards gathering of the technology community. The event recognizes companies, individuals and academic institutions that demonstrate excellence in innovative technological advancement and delivers an insider-look at emerging, small and established companies. The annual black-tie optional gala attracts a diverse guest list for a night of networking, food and entertainment. Attendees include technologists, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers.

Oct. 23 | First Arizona Biotech Day & Researcher Appreciation Event Mayo Clinic Collaborative Research Building, 13400 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale | 1 to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by ThirdBiotech, Inc., a biotechnology incubator and lifesciences association, this event will unite entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and others to share trends in the industry, foster new relationships and unveil new opportunities.

The celebration will spotlight sponsor companies and industry leaders to show appreciation to researchers of the Arizona biotech community.

Highlights also will include guest lecturers, scientific presentations, games, entertainment and food.

Innovator of the Year/Small Company Innovator of the Year/Large Company Innovator of the Year/Academia Student Awards: Future Innovators of the Year Registration: Individual Tickets Before Oct. 10: Council members, $125; non-members, $175

Oct. 27-30 | Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St .

Are you interested in fuel cell technology, alternative energy or saving the environment?

Then become part of the premier event of the season: Fuel Cells for a Greener World. More than 2,000 participants and 175 exhibiting companies will join industry leaders from more than 30 countries at one of the largest and most influential conferences of its kind. Exhibits: free but registration necessary.

Technical sessions, $675. more info at fuelcellseminar.com.

After Oct. 10: Council members, $150; non-members, $200 Group of Ten Tickets Before Oct. 10: Council members, $1,125; non-members, $1,575 After Oct. 10: Council members, $1,350; non-members, $1,800 More information at www.aztechcouncil.org.

Nov. 19 | Third Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference Marriott Buttes Hotel, 2000 Westcourt Way, Tempe | 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Entrepreneurs will have the chance to meet each other, connect with resources and gather information. Keynote speakers include Matt Mullenweg, founder of Wordpress; Howard Lindzon, founder of Wallstrip and partner in Knightsbridge Capital; and Justine Ezarik from UStream.tv. Panels, breakout sessions, live streaming and much more. All proceeds benefit the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation. Registration: $125 before Oct. 15.

More info at azentrepreneurship.com.

More info at thirdbiotech.com.

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register at aztechcouncil .org.

Individual Awards: William F. McWhortor Community Service Leader of the Year Ed Denison Business Leader of the Year Teacher of the Year Company Awards: Pioneering Innovation Green Innovator of the Year (NEW) Innovator of the Year/ Start-Up Company

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Oct. 7 | Keynote Speaker Series: Scott McNealy, Chairman and Co-Founder Sun Microsystems Arizona Grand Resort, 8000 S. Arizona Grand Parkway, Phoenix | 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Spending the evening with Sun Microsystems Chairman and Founder Scott McNealy, one of the most influential and widely quoted leaders in the complex, fluid and fast-moving IT industry. Pre-registration: members, $125; non-members, $150.

At the door: members, $150; nonmembers, $175.

Awards This Year will Include:

Ed Wheeler:

Mars Mission The Latest Milestone For Honeywell Aerospace Leader

writing by :: Christopher DiVirgilio

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he climb up Honeywell’s corporate ladder actually began long before Ed Wheeler joined the company and ultimately became president of its defense and space for Honeywell Aerospace division in Phoenix.

Wheeler’s interest in aerospace can be traced to his childhood when he was fortunate to have exceptionally enthusiastic teachers and family members who stoked his interest in science and math. “Aerospace continues to be an extremely interesting and compelling field for me,” Wheeler says.

Things became even more interesting for Wheeler and his Honeywell division as they contributed to the mission of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, which after a 422 million-mile journey landed in the Red Planet’s northern hemisphere on May 25.

Guiding the Lander to a soft touchdown was the job of Honeywell’s miniature inertial measurement units (MIMU).

The nine-pound, cylindrically shaped devices provided inertial data and guidance information that aided the vehicle’s descent through the Martian atmosphere. Observing the mission from orbit were the Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Europe’s Mars Express, which were all moved into position thanks to MIMUs installed on board the satellites and allowed mission controllers to capture imagery of the historic descent of the Lander. This marked the first time a landing spacecraft has ever been

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photographed by an orbiting satellite.

“The units have contributed to the success of several commercial and military satellite and space exploration programs,” Wheeler says. “This mission marked the seventh time Honeywell technologies were on a scientific mission to Mars.”

Wheeler knows there is more to Honeywell’s innovations than a trip to Mars.

“Aerospace is an exciting and dynamic industry that helps society solve many problems, Wheeler says. “At Honeywell our goal is to bring innovative solutions to our customers … And with a product and technology portfolio as broad as ours, there is never a dull moment.”

Paying His Dues

“It’s exciting to be part of a global business that develops technologies and innovations to tackle some of our greatest contemporary challenges like safety and security, fuel efficiency and alternative fuels as Honeywell does,” he says.

Wheeler’s day-to-day duties are not always dedicated to missions in space. There is also the responsibility for leading-edge technology in engine design, demonstration programs for the U.S. Army and Air Force in the latest in lightweight metals, structural coatings, and innovative navigation and flight control systems. “I spend a lot of time with customers: the U.S. Department of Defense, other defense organizations around the world, and the large prime contractors and original equipment manufacturers that contract with DOD,” Wheeler says.

Wheeler’s “can-do” attitude speaks volumes about Honeywell’s commitment to worldwide service and the betterment of humanity through technology and its limitless roll for future generations and perhaps into the far reaches of space.

Aerospace continues to be an extremely interesting and compelling field for me

The 28-year Honeywell veteran has been at the helm of defense and space since 2007 and brings with him an extensive engineering and management background, holding a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in electrical engineering from Auburn University. He has completed the Carnegie Mellon University program for executives, and is published in a number of engineering journals covering topics on avionics, navigation and control systems.

It’s all more than just a job for Wheeler.

+ Get Connected Honeywell Aerospace: www51.honeywell.com/aero

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q&a Which Honeywell systems, equipment and advanced technologies are on the cutting edge?

“Our aircraft flight management and safety systems, the Honeywell engine technologies that offer fuel efficiencies and more power, navigation and guidance systems for aircraft and spacecraft, components that are radiation hardened to protect them from the environments in space, to name but a few.”

How is the Aerospace division structured?

“Honeywell’s Defense and Space business accounts for about 40 percent of Honeywell Aerospace’s $12 billion annual revenues. Defense and Space has six operating units and the business has many operating locations including the states of Arizona, Washington, New Mexico, Minnesota, Florida, Maryland and also in the U.K., Germany, Kuwait and numerous other countries around the globe.”

Honeywell displays light up the Atlantis space shuttle’s cockpit in space.

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property, avoid unnecessary liability, or negotiate clear and innovative agreements

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Some May They Think They Have LifeLock CEO’s Number. Guess Again.

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alk to anybody, and they’ll likely tell you broadcasting your name and Social Security number to millions of people is not the smartest of actions.

But when Todd Davis did it, people called it brilliant—and quickly bought into his service.

Davis is chief executive officer of Tempebased LifeLock, an identity-theft protection firm based in Tempe. Since launching in April 2005, LifeLock has rocketed to the top of the state’s fastest growing companies, with more than 1.3 million customers nationwide.

But he’s more known for his radio and television commercials in which he gives out his Social Security number.

Not bad for a self-proclaimed “simpleminded Texas boy,” as Davis calls himself.

Although he has lived in Arizona for 13 years, the ultra-competitive Davis proves good Southern chivalry and attention to emerging technologies can be combined to positively disrupt some longstanding business practices embedded in the nation’s commerce industry.

And harking back to those small town values, Davis thinks he has a winner in LifeLock. The company places permanent

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fraud alerts on customer credit, thus forcing the credit bureaus to inform them when anybody has tried to use their name and information. “We keep it simple,” he says.

“Everybody is crystal clear on the mission: Do what you should do, not what you can do.”

On the Docket That notion has helped Davis weather quite a storm. The company faces dozens of class-action lawsuits from people claiming identities have been stolen despite using LifeLock’s service. Experian, one of the three U.S. credit bureaus, has filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the company, claiming Davis has manipulated credit laws illegally, putting added stress on the credit reporting system.

And there is that pesky issue with former business partner Robert Maynard, who was skewered in some magazines for his checkered past.

What does Davis think? Bring it on. “Hey, we run a very transparent company here,” he says. “We invite anybody to look under the covers. We don’t have anything to hide.”

Those class-action lawsuits, many of which have been thrown out of court, have been

launched by people looking for money when in fact, they did not even contact LifeLock about any problems. The Experian lawsuit, Davis thinks, is like Goliath taking on David.

Experian is the only credit bureau that sells people’s information to bulk mail advertisers.

Using LifeLock, customers have their names removed from junk mail circulation, this cutting into Experian’s profits.

But despite these issues, Davis says he has never strayed from the path. Moreover, he has never lost those country-boy values. LifeLock employees receive free medical coverage, even in a time when the health insurance industry is raising prices and tightening coverage. Also, Davis has added another floor to the company’s building, located on the picturesque Tempe Town Lake.

He knows that without happy employees, you can’t have happy customers. And with a company that is growing by 100,000 customers per month, Davis must be doing something right—even if it means broadcasting your Social Security number to millions of potential criminals.

q&a Have you seen those CreditReport.com commercials? You know, the one with guy singing the catchy tunes about being victimized by identity theft? It’s owned by Experian, your competitor.

I love them, actually. They’re very funny. But really, they are doing exactly what we’re doing: protecting people’s identities. The difference is that they are also selling people’s information out there. We are completely against that and think it could put people in jeopardy.

People call you a glory hog, with your television, radio and print commercials. Is that really you?

The real answer is that I don’t want to be in the spotlight. Me and the Social Security thing will fade in time. This is bigger than Todd Davis.

Where did this success come from? I mean, you’ve only been around for three years or so.

It’s pretty amazing how fast we’ve grown. Even in my own goal-setting, I never dreamed I’d have this positive impact on society. I don’t have all the answers, but I surround myself with people who are experts in their fields and who follow the same core values that I believe in.

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Alternative energy innovations born in the Arizona boonies are going global.

Get ready for the Revenge of the Hicks.

writing by :: Jimmy M agahern

Back in the early 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, David Calley and Andy Kruse were just two frustrated college kids living off the electrical grid out in the boonies of northern Arizona, about 40 miles north of Flagstaff. While the rest of their generation was busy discovering Nintendo and personal computing, Calley and Kruse were still begging their folks for rations of the scarce electricity produced by the big, noisy diesel generators commonly found on rural homesteads.

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“I was living on a cattle ranch, and David was living about 10 miles away from me, and we were getting electricity from these big diesel generators,” says Kruse, who met his future business partner while both were working at the W.L. Gore plant in Flagstaff. “And we thought, ‘There has to be a better way.’”

Kruse did some research on solar power and tried building a wind-powered generator—without much success. Meanwhile, Calley already had launched a little side business building small wind turbines for his neighbors. He reportedly built his first wind generator at age 12 just to store enough battery power to run his bedroom lamp and play rock tunes on his cassette player.

Kruse immediately seized the genius of Calley’s wind generators, which the Northern Arizona University physics major had fashioned out of cheap car alternators, and together the two wound up dropping out of college to begin mass-producing them in the garage of Calley’s dad.

Today, Southwest Windpower, the company founded by Kruse and Calley from those humble beginnings, is the world leader in the $42 million per year residential windmill market. Production doubled in each of the past two years and sales now stretch to 88 countries.

Catching On

Venture capitalists are looking at such innovations as Southwest’s sleek tri-blade Skystream, which can optimally provide as much as 80 percent of the average household’s electricity in wind speeds as low as 9 mph, as the next hot technology to bank on. For example, Denver-based Altira Group recently sank $6 million into the enterprise.

Former President George H.W. Bush even installed one at the family’s summer home in Kennebunkport in November.

Call it the “Revenge of the Hicks.” After years of devising their own power sources out of necessity in dinky rural communities virtually ignored by the technology boom, business-savvy bumpkins are suddenly on the cutting edge of alternative energy.

“I don’t know if I’d call it revenge,” Kruse says, with a laugh. “I just looked at these small wind turbines David was building for his neighbors, kind of as a hobby, and thought, ‘This might really be a great idea to turn into a business.’”

Kruse and Calley, whose story reads like a backwoods Jobs and Wozniak, typify the unlikely entrepreneurs driving the current thrust in alternative energy innovation.

From new ways to harness wind and solar power to methods of controlling rice-fieldeating rodents without harmful chemicals,

“It’s kind of like the gold rush is on to find

alternative energy solutions,” today’s green goldmines says tom Rainey. “And there are even help power another’s. “With are largely the products a lot of the thin-film of misplaced technology at work here trying to solar cells that geeks working from locrack the code and find we’re producing, cales more Green Acres to a lot of we’re actually than Silicon Valley.

“This whole industry different energy challenges.” enabling the creation of other really developed in products that never could exist before,” the garage shop, science shop mentality,” says Teich. Unlike the old heavy, rigid and says Tim Teich, vice president of sales and breakable solar panels, Global Solar Energy’s marketing for Global Solar Energy. The foldable, flexible thin-film modules will be 12-year-old Tucson company has risen to able to go right into shingles and skyscraper become the leading manufacturer of thinpanels, clearing the way for a potential subfilm photovoltaic Copper Indium Gallium industry or two.

DiSelenide (or CIGS) solar cells, a product that enables builders to put flexible solar wafers into conventional roof tiles and walls.

‘Gold rush is on’ Teich says that over the years, he’s seen Since reaching out to the silos and barns of his share of techie Jed Clampetts sitting on the state’s rural inventors, NACET, ASEA gushers of green innovation, folks who’ve and the Valley’s sustainability programs have figured out a clever way to power their world turned up dozens of fascinating alternative with only Mother Nature’s help and have energy projects. A company out of tiny shared their secret with just a few friends and Overgaard called Algae Biosciences, run by a family. “But they’ve never been enabled into former Arizona Game and Fish manager, has a different fashion of applying it,” Teich says. discovered a salt-water reservoir a thousand feet below the surface and is finding ways to develop alternative fuels from their own Statewide Support lab-produced algae. “Their slogan is, ‘We’re That may now change, thanks to the efforts cutting out the middle fish,” laughs Rainey. of a variety of organizations around the Navajo-owned Keya Earth is developing state charged with turning Arizona into a new sustainable building techniques for leader in alternative energy R&D. Between Native American communities in the the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Southwest. Even Flagstaff’s Mogollon Technology (NACET) in Flagstaff, the Brewery is busy inventing environmentally Arizona Solar Energy Association (ASEA) friendly solutions to beer production and in Tucson and the Phoenix City Council beverage packaging waste.

Sustainability Subcommittee and City of “It’s kind of like the gold rush is on to find Scottsdale Green Building Program in the alternative energy solutions,” says Rainey.

Valley, the hunt is on for the next alternative “And there are a lot of creative minds at energy whiz whittling away on rural work here trying to crack the code and find Arizona’s front porches. the Holy Grail to a lot of different energy “There have been a few entrepreneurs challenges.” here who, by hook or by crook, have The rural outposts of Arizona aren’t managed to get their product off of the just populated by unsophisticated rubes ground,” says Tom Rainey, president of anymore. “We also have a high level of NACET’s Business Incubator Program. “But PhD’s here, who are drawn to northern we’re trying to develop a more systematic Arizona not only for the natural beauty and approach to high-tech businesses. We’ve quality of life, but also for the academic developed an infrastructure here to support and technological focus that’s developed the development of new high-tech start-ups here,” Rainey says. Combine that pool with so that the success of these entrepreneurs is the well-heeled potential investors with not so much left to chance.” second homes throughout the state and the John Grahame, NACET’s project creative locals with their own unique energy coordinator, puts it a bit more simply. “We solutions, and you’ve got an incubator that, basically have a big board of all the movers Rainey says, could easily become the green and shakers in economic development who movement’s next Vermont. are interested in sustainability, and we say, “There you have dairy farmers talking ‘You guys should be talking to you guys, who with scientists, talking with municipalities, should be talking to you guys,’” Grahame and the same thing could happen here,” he says. “The people in this field are very siloed. says. “The innovations in alternative energy They get in their own worlds and chug away, will come from cross-fertilizing a lot of not realizing that there are others who may be interesting people coming at solutions from able to help them or resources they can use.” different angles.”

Sometimes one person’s invention will

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5 Issues Every

product 101

writing by :: Donovan Hardenbrook

take a strategic look at what green means to your company and how you can make sustainability visible internally and externally to all stakeholders. There are many environmental compliance applications in the market that collect and aggregate useful data for various compliance and CSR reporting systems.

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Get your employees involved

Companies across all industries are being accused of “green washing” by anyone with the will and time to blog about it.

Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers to believe that your company is more environmentally friendly than it really is. When these half-truths are leaked to the press—whether it’s through mainstream media or the blogosphere —the negative buzz can damage your brand before you even know who attacked you.

For example, are you touting how energy efficient your product is, but having it manufactured in a third world country where there are no environmental controls? Non-governmental organizations, activists and prosumers will eventually find out and let the whole world know. Take the recent attack on Apple from Greenpeace, which claimed Apple’s Mac, iPods and iBooks contained hazardous substances—despite the fact that many of their products are Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool-certified.

It doesn’t do any good to create sustainability initiatives and implement new systems if your managers and employees aren’t on board. Yet you can’t simply communicate your sustainability vision to your staff and hope they will get it; you will need to develop a training program showing how employees can incorporate sustainability into their daily work practices. It’s particularly important to train on design for sustainability.

Sustainability incentives need to be tied to team and individual goals because people will work on items that are reviewed and rewarded. Executives and managers will need to support sustainability through their decision-making in order to convince employees that it’s not the next “program of the month” that will disappear shortly after it’s introduced. If you are successful, then you will have unleashed the creativity and motivation of your entire organization to find innovative ways to make your products and services more sustainable. Survey your staff periodically on sustainability to make sure it’s becoming part of the company culture.

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You can’t start thinking about making your product sustainable right before the market launch. Understanding the desired lifecycle of your product in the early stages of planning and development allows you to find innovative ways to be sustainable. This is commonly referred to as “design for sustainability” and should be integrated into the development process. Some items to consider: + How will the product be manufactured, packaged, shipped, used and disposed of? + Can the product be recycled? + Is the product designed for easy disassembly? + Does the packaging take advantage of environmentally friendly or renewable resources? + Is the product manufactured locally?

Earlier this year companies around the world learned the valuable lesson of knowing your suppliers. The credibility of Chinese toy manufacturers was destroyed by recurring incidents of harmful lead paint. It was caused by a supplier that provided paint to a contract manufacturer. While most companies take precautions to avoid these types of problems, missteps will tarnish your brand and hurt sales, regardless of who is actually responsible. Ask yourself: + What systems do my suppliers have in place? + What systems do I need to have in place to ensure their compliance? + W hat kinds of records would I need from my suppliers and their suppliers if I was checked?

If suppliers aren’t properly managed, you can drain your product regulatory resources and slow product launches. For key suppliers, discuss how sustainability is affecting your product roadmaps and find out what new technologies are available that your products can leverage. Establish shared risks and rewards for sustainability improvements.

Don’t tout green if you’re a few hues short

Plan your product life at the beginning, not the end

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Integrate your management systems

Trying to approach the alphabet soup of regulatory standards such as RoHS, EPEAT, ISO 14000, IECQ 80000, WEEE on a case-bycase basis will get you into a lot of trouble. It’s too costly and takes too many resources to manage compliance within your company and with your suppliers. It’s more effective to integrate the intent of these requirements and streamline your systems, processes, methods and tools to manage them holistically. In order to do this,

Know your suppliers

Donovan Hardenbrook, principal of Hardenbrook Consulting LLC, helps high-tech companies become green and works with leadership teams to transition from tech-centric products to socially responsible brands that customers demand. Visit www.hardenbrookconsulting.com for more information.

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Many companies are rushing into eco-marketing their products and services without evaluating the implications on their brand and customer loyalty. Improper planning can lead to decreased sales and bad press. So before making the sustainable leap, take the time to understand what it truly means to be “green” in today’s marketplace. Here are five issues every technology company needs to address before making that leap...

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More Than A Dream: Asu’s Theater Gives A Look At The Future So Planners Can Keep Communities Sustainable Before It’s Too Late writing by :: ty young photography provided by :: decision theater

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

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ucked away in a small building within the nexus of Arizona State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tempe campus and the college bars and shops lining Mill Avenue sits a gem few on the outside could ever visualize.

But that is just the purpose of ASUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Decision Theater.

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Within the 8,000-square-foot facility, university researchers combine data sets with visualization software while attempting to give clients a new platform in which to make public policy decisions in an array of areas. The theater, first championed by ASU President Michael Crow in 2002, has given scientists, geologists and politicians alike a new way to prove theories, build city structures and predict climate change.

In essence, the Decision Theater builds more than just three-dimensional models with its dynamic, 260-degree, seven-screen visualization room. It builds futures.

“We’re trying to bring not just more humanity into science, but more purpose into science,” Crow says. “We can use this tool to help us think together, creatively by creating scenarios of worlds that we hope to be able to help facilitate by seeing and playing out how they might actually look.”

More than one year ago, Gilbert council members Don Skousen and Steve Urie entered the Decision Theater, stepping into what is affectionately known as the “drum.”

Sporting thick, black-framed 3-D glasses, they entered a world that was all too similar, yet still unknown. Along with members from the town’s parks and recreation department, redevelopment commission, business community representatives, architects and contractors, the group entered downtown Gilbert—post reconstruction.

The community has long since embarked on the Heritage District Redevelopment Plan, which would change the landscape of downtown by adding a large, multifunctional community park. With hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, town officials and the public knew the process would have to be crystal clear before a single shovel would be thrust into the earth.

Walk in the Park Using three open-source, off-the-shelf visualization software programs, the 16 Decision Theater employees displayed their

months of work. The officials were able to “walk” among others within the town center space, viewing the potential amenities of the new park while in the foreground of the downtown shops, restaurants and its historic water tower. Officials were able to see the planned park it in a way far better than even the best artist could create.

This is both the beauty and role of the Decision Theater, says Rick Shangraw, executive director. The facility was created to bridge the gap between research and community needs. One is just as important as the other, he says. “Here at the Decision Theater, innovation is a lot more than new ideas because if you can’t connect those new ideas with the needs that people have, then it doesn’t have a lot of value,” he says.

Creating buildings such as the Gilbert downtown project only scratches the surface of the Decision Theater’s capabilities. Although it is not the only visualization facility in the country, it is the only one that focuses much of its efforts on sustainability issues. This, officials say, is because of its close relationship with ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability, which oversees the theater’s actions.

The theater was recently an instrumental force used by in the East Valley Water Forum Management Plan. Through the theater’s modeling, the multi-city contingent was able to view three scenarios in which to prepare for future drought conditions along some of the East Valley’s important water recharge areas.

Called Nivue, the software was developed in partnership with East Valley Water Forum.

This collaboration is exactly what the $6 million Decision Theater was intended to enhance, says Chuck Redman, director of the Global Institute for Sustainability. “We’re going to use the Decision Theater to bring together scientists, agency people, citizens and managers to (talk) about what we can do about the future,” he says.

Pandemic Planning The theater has been used for dozens of

their projects, most in the state and centering on sustainability and building standards.

However, its most recent model had little to do with building for the future and everything with stemming panic in the present.

In April, the Decision Theater team keyed in data that represented one of the world’s most recent pandemic fears. Using the Avian influenza as its pandemic subject, the team showed how fast the potentially deadly illness could spread among the ASU population.

Data for the project was delivered through previous and real news reports of outbreaks in other countries. The theater’s drum was used as the school’s incident command center with two other teams serving as Emergency Operations Center and Executive Policy Group. Among ASU representatives present were Crow, Provost Elizabeth Capaldi and Dr. Allan Markus, director of Campus Health Services.

State health, communications, policy, law-enforcement and finance officials also joined the project. Using the data delivered by the pandemic flu model, representatives executed a prepared plan developed to contain and treat a potential outbreak.

The project was considered a success, with more than 70 lives saved on campus.

Extrapolated to the entire Valley, state or country, the visualization technology could save even more.

Because of the multiple data sets, customization of its software and other details based on project size, the Decision Theater staff can only estimate how long a project takes to develop. While most take about three months from start to finish, it often depends on the collaboration between the entities involved.

Projects often are limited because some parties take longer to produce necessary data sets. Without information providers meeting deadlines, projects can be stalled, says Angelo Fernando, Decision Theater’s manager of communications and outreach.

But again, that is part of the disruptive presence the theater has. By increasing collaboration, even at the organizational level, stakeholders in projects can see how their ability to communicate results in more efficient and robust models.

“This Decision Theater is a tool to break down disciplines, to allow one discipline that doesn’t want to look at the code or the algorithm of the other discipline but wants to see the visual product of that algorithm,” Crow says. + Get Connected Decision Theater: www.decisiontheater.org + Get Connected Global Institute of Sustainability: sustainability.asu.edu

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University Updates:

Save the Planet From Lab Bench To Marketing, Arizona Schools Already At Work To Sustain Our Futures

such as petroleum compounds and chlorinated solvents. This research has successfully been applied to an aquifer in Tucson and is underway at an underground water site in Phoenix. “This approach has been shown to provide considerable budgetary savings and is critical to a comprehensive understanding of a site and to the sound planning of its cleanup,” Watwood says.

New Forest Fuel Forest research is in the thick of environmental research, too. One project includes hunting for ways that forest restoration thinning can interact with climate change. Scientists are discovering thinning forests not only reduce the risks for catastrophic fires and the huge quantities of carbon dioxide that they release into the air, but that the process also cools the land and the thinned wood is possible fuel.

“If the thinned the wood can be used for Researchers Work To Green Up The Future a biomass energy plant, this avoids wasteful emissions from burning slash in the forests and W riting by :: Di ane Rechel reduces demand for fossil fuel energy use,” explains forestry professor Pete Fulé, who is { university Update :: NAU } planning for a biomass plant to produce energy for NAU’s growing Flagstaff campus. NAU also absorption and conversion of solar energy,” t’s easy to spot Northern is working on large-scale implementation of Hurst explains. “If we can take advantage of Arizona University’s efforts solar energy and off-campus components to the solar energy that is falling all around to reduce its campus carbon generate wind energy. us, Arizona can be a world leader in footprint. Award-winning, NAU President John Haeger in 2007 sustainable energy.” environmentally friendly became a charter signatory of the American buildings dot the campus. Recycled products College and University’s Presidents Climate and reclaimed water abound as solar panels Coal Clean-Up Commitment, created as an avenue for shimmer and students pedal to classes on a Other NAU research heating up climate university leaders to define and address the shared fleet of yellow bikes. mitigation includes ways to clean up coal challenges of climate change. “Northern But research going on behind the scenes when producing electricity. William Auberle, Arizona University will continue to strengthen is attempting to shrink the carbon footprint a professor of civil its role as a worldwide. and environmental regional steward Known for research resulting in cleaning engineering, says, by expanding up riparian waterways, such as restoring “The United States our efforts to Fossil Creek in Arizona’s rim country, or is the Saudi Arabia understand examining cancerous uranium connections of coal—it’s a cheap complex or operating its experimental wind farm source on which we ecological operation on the Navajo Nation, NAU rely for electricity, issues that will - Stephanie Hurst scientists also are discovering novel ways to but it’s dirty.” profoundly tackle environmental issues.

Auberle is serving on a nationwide taskforce impact generations to come,” Haeger For chemistry professor Stephanie Hurst, working on an advanced coal technology guarantees. “cobalt is king” when it comes to exploring report for Congress that addresses the To strengthen its role as a main point of alternatives for harnessing the sun’s energy. relationship between coal and climate change contact for sustainability issues affecting “Silicon is a key component of current and methods for using coal in environmentally the campus and the world, NAU recently solar cells. However, the highly pure silicon responsible ways. created an Office of Sustainability. It is required is costly due to the demand for it For contaminants wreaking havoc on home to a host of federal partnerships and from the computer industry,” Hurst says. underground water systems, NAU has a NAU’s environmental curricula that includes “If cobalt-based complexes can be made to bioremediation initiative group that is using undergraduate and graduate degree programs perform with similar efficiency to siliconnatural bacteria degradation to play a role in environmental sciences studies and policy. based to produce solar panels, the price in cleaning up contaminated ground water Along with NAU’s commitment to “green up of converting to more sustainable energy systems. “These tools involve gene probes that the earth,” says Richard Baron, director of the sources may be lowered significantly.” detect particular enzymatic capabilities,” says Office of Sustainability, “NAU is committed to Working with a host of undergraduates, Maribeth Watwood, chair of the Department of making campus as carbon-neutral by 2020.”

Hurst is concentrating on creating new Biological Sciences.

Diane Rechel is Public Affairs Coordinator in Northern complexes around the cobalt atom. “These With the help of students, the chemical Arizona University’s Office of Public Affairs organic groups are the key to optimizing the probes are detecting and mitigating pollutants

Keeping It Clean

i

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If we can take advantage of the solar energy that is falling all around us, Arizona can be a world leader in sustainable energy.

to collect solar light and concentrate that energy on small, low-cost solar cells. His chief interest is in utility energy—energy that can be used on a broad scale, rather than individual rooftop collectors.

Angel is excited about moving the project out of the laboratory and into production.

He expects to have functioning prototypes on campus within the next year.

Higher Profile

Meeting The Challenge W riting by :: Bruce a. wright

{ university Update :: uofa }

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Researchers Work To Make Sustainability A Reality

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o a quick Google search for the term “environmental sustainability” and you’ll find close to 7 million references.

Clearly, a great deal of thinking is going on about how to protect our planet, But, while conversation abounds, it’s fair to say that there are few places on Earth where the issue is being tackled with as much passion, creativity and scholarly discipline as in the laboratories and classrooms of The University of Arizona. The University is home to some of the world’s foremost researchers and practitioners who are pursuing the issue of sustainability from a variety of perspectives.

Here are just a few:

Lower-Cost Solar Regents Professor Roger Angel directs the Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory and the Center for Astronomical Adaptive Optics.

He may be best known as one of the driving forces behind the university’s pre-eminence in optical sciences—expertise that helped cement Tucson’s reputation as “Optics Valley.”

More recently, Angel has turned his relentless energies to strategies for using optical technologies to produce affordable solar energy. “The question is not whether we can produce solar energy,” he says, “but whether we can produce energy at a lower cost than from fossil fuel. Then market forces will take over to drive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”

To meet that challenge, Angel and his team are working to produce advanced mechanisms

Jonathan Overpeck, director of UofA’s Institute for the Study of Planet Earth (ISPE), made headlines in 2007 when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. Overpeck was a leader of the IPCC effort in his role as a coordinating lead author of the groundbreaking report linking humandriven increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations to climate change around the globe.

At ISPE, Overpeck leads an interdisciplinary, cross-campus research, education and outreach enterprise aimed at understanding how natural and human systems interact. Its focus is on anticipating and planning for future change, from a statewide to global scale.

He also conducts his own research focused on global climate dynamics. This work has active field programs in Asia, Africa, South America, the Arctic and western North America.

“It’s exciting to be creating a new paradigm of interdisciplinary knowledge creation—and translation for use in society—involving physical, biological and social scientists,” says Overpeck. “What unites us is the commitment to serve the environmental needs of society in a more effective manner.”

Water World As director of the university’s Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), Sharon Megdal focuses primarily on water policy and management issues at the state and regional level. The WRRC is a unit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and one of five UofA centers administering the Technology and Research Initiative Fund’s Water Sustainability Program.

“Water sustainability means that we consider future generations as we make current decisions,” she says. “Our greatest challenge is meeting growing water demands in a waterscarce region.”

One WRRC project that addresses that challenge is the “Conserve to Enhance” initiative, a model for providing incentives for water conservation tied to environmental enhancement. Megdal and colleagues are

currently working with stakeholders to implement a pilot project.

Megdal is especially passionate about the WRRC’s education and community outreach missions. The Center is home to Arizona Project WET, a water education program for K-12 teachers, and Project NEMO, which educates decision makers about protecting natural resources. In addition, Megdal presents widely on water issues and the Center produces the newsletter Arizona Water Resources.

A Fine Balance Gary Pivo looks at the issue of sustainability in an urban context. A professor of urban planning within the Department of Geography and Regional Development and senior fellow in the Office of Economic Development, he is a pioneer in the field of responsible property investing.

As advisor to the Property Working Group of the United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative, Pivo authored its report “Building Responsible Property Portfolios.”

“While properties may earn healthy financial returns for their investors, they can also be associated with social and environmental problems,” says Pivo. “For example, 54 percent of global CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels are produced by residential and commercial buildings and the transportation between them.”

The report urges institutional investors and property fund managers worldwide to embrace six specific guidelines for developing more sustainable real estate.

Locally, Pivo is working to ensure that the next generation of urban planners understands the importance of responsible property investment. “We’re creating a new post-baccalaureate certificate program in Responsible Property Investment and Development in cooperation with the Arizona chapter of the Urban Land Institute,” he says.

“It will be the first real estate program in the world with this focus.”

+ Get Connected Center for Astronomical Adoptive Optics: caao.as.arizona.edu + Get Connected Institute for the Study of Planet Earth: www.ispe.arizona.edu + Get Connected Department of Geography and Regional Development: geog.arizona.edu + Get Connected Water Resources Research Center: www.cals.arizona.edu/azwater

W riting by :: George basile

{ university Update :: ASU } hy is it that every business seems to suddenly have a “green story” to tell? As little as two years ago, there was significant debate whether sustainability and green practices were relevant to what a company communicates, but it’s now front and center of corporate communications. Sustainability is turning out to be the “media virus” that’s infecting corporate communications.

Given the public and media attention to environment, rising energy costs, and climate change, there is convincing evidence that sustainability is a significant business driver for corporations worldwide. Global communications has finally caught up with global warming.

Many organizations are starting to understand the business and social value of sustainability, and they know that communication is a key to their sustainable practices. What they wrestle with is how to put a business strategy and a communications strategy in place to tell their story in an authentic, effective way.

The fundamental shift in media attention is away from corporations’ harmful ecological effects to their deceptive “green” marketing practices. Global corporations have begun to redirect marketing resources to sustainability at an accelerated pace. It may seem like déjà vu, since green messaging has been practiced since the 1970s.

w

But there is a difference. It’s not just the messaging but the business practice itself. Entire product offerings and internal processes are being changed accordingly.

Large global entities such as Wal-Mart and General Electric, as well as technological giants such as Sun Microsystems and Advanced Micro Devices have adopted green communications platforms.

The question increasingly being asked is if all this amounts to “greenwashing” on a large scale. Greenwashing, a term that implies using disinformation and being dishonest, entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1999. It is conceivable that green stories are being put out as a way of polishing a tarnished image. Others are framing sustainability issues within their discrete marketing efforts. The former risks a business’ very integrity; the latter is insufficient.

To avoid greenwashing when green becomes a major communications platform, companies must ensure that sustainability assumes a more central role in a company’s business strategy. It must be a major corporate social responsibility effort.

Reputations At Stake With regard to a business’ environmental actions and goals, adopting sustainability as the core of corporate communications, however, has potential for far more than PR gain. A company’s reputation is being driven by its sustainable business practice. The reality: Green leadership can maximize its return on investment.

George Basile is executive director of ASU’s Decision Theater and associate professor of the School of Sustainability. He has helped develop “Green MBA” programs in the United States and Sweden, serves on the boards of non-profit organizations and new ventures, and advises Fortune 500 clients. + Get Connected Decision Theater: www.decisiontheater.com + Get Connected Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability: schoolofsustainability.asu.edu + Get Connected Greenwashing Index: www.greenwashingindex.com

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Clarity A Must For Better Decision-Making In Marketing

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

Communicating Sustainability

So how does a corporation ‘go green’ without indulging in greenwashing? There are new realities in media and consumer behavior that dictate how corporations need to communicate.

The public is increasingly aware of the connections between the global economy, local economies and the local eco-system.

Companies that get sustainability right will not only avoid risks, but enjoy broad-based brand benefits, high employee retention, company evaluation and smoother entry into emerging markets.

A study of consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom found that most don’t trust information from businesses with regard to climate change. Citizen journalism and social media are putting pressure on corporations to be more transparent, and to walk the talk on green marketing. Regulatory scrutiny with regard to packaging, emissions and environmental performance is on the increase.

Green marketing skepticism is rising. The only feasible communications strategy is to base it on complete transparency. To do so, corporate executives need to have a corporate transparency platform that focuses on the strategic mix of business, communications and global sustainability.

and assets in California, New Mexico and Colorado. This effort requires assembling first-rate management and technical teams with diverse skill sets, engaging private industry and public sector partners who can move discoveries from Arizona laboratories to the global marketplace, and actively involving national and international investors. To meet these objectives, AzSI will aid Arizona researchers in working together to cultivate synergistic research projects that drive solar innovation and commercialization opportunities. A primary goal is to accelerate scaling up existing solar technologies while developing a new generation of more efficient and cost-effective products, processes and services.

Emergence Of A Determined Solar Energy Focus In Arizona W riting By :: W illi a m C. H a rris

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or decades, business executives and research and development professionals around the world have assumed hot spots such as Arizona would be natural incubation laboratories giving rise to solar energy innovation. Growth in solar energy could then easily complement other traditional energy sources including hydroelectric, nuclear, coal, natural gas and oil, and provide a significant boost to Arizona’s long-term economic competitiveness.

Surprisingly, our state’s portfolio in solar and other alternative energies has been stagnant due primarily to oil and fossil fuel prices remaining relatively inexpensive and stable over the last 20 years. In 2008, we witnessed that pricing stability disappear as electricity rates and prices for oil, natural gas, and coal edged toward unprecedented highs.

Now there is an opportunity for Arizona to take the lead as a major player in securing national, sustainable energy diversification. Toward this end, Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) is building upon the state’s capacity to drive a determined and focused solar strategy through an important and significant new initiative for our state, the Arizona Solar Institute (AzSI).

SFAz’s goal in establishing AzSI is to support research and collaboration within the universities and the private sector with the highest potential for advancing competitive, commercially viable solar innovation technology. The new institute will be the necessary entity to inspire a strategic and focused initiative that will enhance the state’s competitiveness for years to come.

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Support Underway Capitalizing upon the existing research base in Arizona, SFAz began investing in promising alternative energy research initiatives with the highest potential to commercialize these research outcomes in 2007. For example, SFAz has been supporting cutting-edge research in developing low-cost alternative fuels derived from solar-fed bacteria, aiding in the manufacture of super efficient solar panels that employ nanotechnology, and fostering advances in silicon wafer technology that significantly decrease solar component manufacturing costs.

This research alone has catalyzed the spin-off of three new companies and collaborations with British Petroleum and Arizona Public Service, among others. These early successes clearly demonstrate the crucial need for a coordinating organization like AzSI to further cultivate the state’s tremendous opportunities in this abundant and renewable natural resource.

The support necessary to fund the start-up phase of the AzSI initiative will come from both the private and public sectors. SFAz intends to invest up to $10 million in AzSI over a fouryear period; the private sector must match these monies for a total of $20 million. This partnership will be enhanced by a $4 million investment by the Tucson-based Research Corp., a private foundation established in 1912 that has supported ground-breaking work in rocketry, laser technology and subatomic physics and sponsored the early career work of 35 Nobel Laureates.

As a first priority, AzSI will need to aggressively assist Arizona in leveraging new relationships

Leadership Team Two prominent leaders have been identified to initially direct AzSI. Richard Powell, former vice president of research at the University of Arizona and former dean of its world-class College of Optics, will co-lead the institute. v Powell’s extensive capabilities have enabled the College of Optics and the greater Tucson area to be dubbed “The Optics Valley.”

Robert “Bud” Annan will provide leadership as a co-director. Annan oversaw the U.S. Department of Energy’s solar energy program for more than 20 years. His breadth of national and international experience will help Arizona’s solar innovations to be both nationally and globally competitive. In addition to Powell and Annan, Professor Roger Angel of the University of Arizona will serve as the chief scientist for AzSI and Professor Yong-Hang Zhang of Arizona State University as the chief engineer.

The potential is here, but we have an ever-shortening window of opportunity for Arizona to become a serious player in the competitive solar arena; we must act decisively and strategically. The investment payback has the potential to provide economic advantages for the state and nation as we eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels, and environmental benefits resulting from a diversified energy economy employing renewable resources.

The next 20 years will bring rapid changes to the alternative energy sector and Arizona needs to become highly competitive.

We have all the necessary components for success in front of us, and what is required of us now is strong leadership to drive a cohesive and focused solar initiative. AzSI will work in partnership with government, industry and university communities to create the foundation for a sustainable and successful Arizona. + Get Connected Science Foundation Arizona: www.sfaz.org

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For Cities Today, The Message Is Go Green— Or Lose Vital Tech Industry

Global Solar Energy’s thin-film solar foil offers the advantage of flexibility.

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

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writing by :: Jimmy Magahern

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Lennar and KB homes built with solar shingles on them,” he says.

But getting to that point can be costly, and renewable energy companies depend on state policy makers to cut them the breaks that’ll spot them until profitability as well as offer incentives to the rest of us to buy into renewable energy, which can at the outset seem an expensive proposition. With states such as Michigan—smarting from economic blows to its auto industry—now offering sweeter incentives to solar start-ups than Arizona, the global demand for renewable energy can leave a promising green tech business feeling like a free agent “We’re an Arizona company,” Teich says.

“But if somebody else in another state is saying, ‘Hey, put your next 300 megawatt plant up here. We’ll negotiate a deal with the power company, we’ll grant you the land, you won’t get taxed for five years,’ that’s something you have to look at. And that kind of thing is happening very rapidly now.”

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040 im Teich believes his Tucson company’s thin-film solar foil could be the hottest thing to come out of the state since American Idol winner Jordin Sparks — but he’s not necessarily waiting on Arizona to vote on it.

“Right now, there are huge incentives being offered by other states to companies in renewable energies, to attract them to that area for production and manufacturing,” says Teich, vice president of sales and marketing for Global Solar Energy. “And that can be a huge draw for a company like ours to put plants in places other than Arizona.”

Don’t get him wrong, he clarifies: Teich

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loves Arizona, particularly its near yearround sunlight, which Global Solar Energy has found a way to vacuum-deposit onto flexible stainless steel solar cells and sell by the wattage. In the 12 years since its start, the company has grown into one of the biggest players in the young field of thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells.

Teich says the company, which recently moved into its new 100,000 square foot factory in Tucson, is talking now with heavies in the building materials industry about slipping their wafer-thin cells into shingles, rolled roofing and even the curtain-wall siding on skyscrapers. “There’s no doubt in my mind that in less than 10 years, you’ll see new Pulte,

At A Disadvantage Councilman Greg Stanton, who chairs the Phoenix City Council’s sustainable subcommittee, is aware of the danger of Arizona losing some of its renewable energy companies to the highest bidder, and admits the state is still playing catch-up with the clean energy policies of states such as Vermont, Maryland and Massachusetts.

“The reality of life in Arizona is that we don’t have as many economic tools in our toolbox as other states, and we need the Legislature to help provide those tools—investment credits and so on—to keep companies here,” Stanton says. “Of course, in solar, the one competitive advantage we have over everybody is access to the sun. But ultimately, these industries will go where they can be the most profitable. And now is the time.”

The Arizona Corporation Commission’s mandate that utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 already has set a few positive steps in motion.

In August, Arizona Public Service announced a new loan and rebate program that will allow customers to install solar panels or wind turbines on their houses with virtually no upfront charge, which should boost demand for renewable energy products. And simply to meet that 15 percent goal, Stanton says the city itself will be purchasing more renewable energy from the private sector.

“We have to create the marketplace for renewable energy,” he says. “And if we don’t step up to the plate as a large governmental entity that can take advantage of some economies of scale, then we’re not doing our part for the so-called green-collar economy.”

Some energy leaders in Flagstaff and

+ Get Connected Global Solar Energy: www.globalsolar.com + Get Connected Phoenix City Council’s Sustainable Subcommittee: phoenix.gov/sustainability + Get Connected Arizona Solar Energy Association: www.azsolarcenter.com/solarorg/asea1.html

There’s no doubt in my mind that in less than 10 years, you’ll see new Pulte, Lennar and KB homes built with solar shingles on them - Tim Teich

FALL 2008

Cautious Moves Stanton says such caution is necessary in the renewable energy field. “Cities have to make incredibly difficult decisions on what technologies we invest in,” he explains.

“We don’t know what technologies are coming, and we don’t want to overinvest in technologies that won’t be the right ones 10 years from now.

“But at the same time, we can’t be so cautious that we do nothing,” Stanton adds.

“We can’t overanalyze what technology we should look at to the point that we don’t create the marketplace for renewable energy.”

In many ways, that marketplace is already being created on a global scale. In August, Shea Homes, a national builder with a strong decades-long presence in Arizona, won applause from the Valley’s green community

for being the first builder to offer solar power systems on its new Trilogy homes in Peoria and Queen Creek—free, even, for the first month of the promotion. Only the builder chose to stick with traditional silicon wafer panels, not the thin film of a homegrown firm such Global Solar Energy, and the supplier it went with was not local but BP Solar, with production facilities stretching from the United States to India.

Even Global Solar Energy owes its expansion from a 4 to 40 megawatt factory to a 2006 buy-out by a European investor. “I would hope that the state pay attention to companies that are already here, and assist them in their growth so that they don’t go out of state,” says Teich. “That’s a core issue: to make sure Arizona’s legislators understand that they need to hold on to these industries that are vital for the future.”

As for the company, it recently completed a 35-megawatt capacity factory— in Berlin, Germany.

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Tucson think the state’s capital city is still not supporting renewable energy enough.

“Phoenix is the place that stops things,” says Vivian Harte, chair of the Tucson-based Arizona Solar Energy Association. “We’re the liberal bastion of the state, and Phoenix is more conservative, on the legislative level.

“It’s more a mindset (in Tucson) that people more or less go along with progressive energy policies. Same with Flagstaff and Sedona,” she says “But in Phoenix, there are so many people going in the opposite direction that good ideas are often stopped.”

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Taking the Lead to Protect Our Climate

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lobal climate change is one of the most serious issues facing our state and the world, and it’s a threat we’re taking strong steps to combat in Arizona.

Our state has been a leader in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a group of American states, Canadian provinces and Mexican states that is taking a regional approach to doing our part to prevent climate change.

While climate change is truly a global issue, the Southwest stands to be among the regions in the world that is most adversely affected by climate change, which could bring increased drought and more severe wildfires. Clearly, as long as we continue to see no real action from the federal government on this important issue, it’s critical that states take the lead and act.

The WCI is in the middle of taking its biggest strides yet toward developing a design for a regional cap-and-trade system that will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases our region is releasing into the atmosphere. In this type of system, corporations or governments can trade emissions allowances under an overall cap, or limit, on those emissions in an effort to control pollution.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard from stakeholders and members of the public about how to make a system that works to reduce our region’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

Even apart from WCI, Arizona already has led in reducing our energy use. The state’s Climate Action Plan will lower energy use, reduce waste, and save money in the process. State buildings now adhere to energy-wise LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) conservation standards, and we are already making the transition to a fleet of low-emissions state vehicles. Each of these steps will have an impact on energy savings—and also on climate change.

I’m proud Arizona has taken the lead in an area as important as climate change.

I’m proud Arizona has taken the lead in an area as important as climate change.

+ Get Connected www.westernclimateinitiative.org

Capitol Watch oters looking for a way to make informed selections of legislators at the polls in November while demonstrating their support for the technology community now have help.

The Arizona Technology Council has released its 2008 Vote TechSmart guide, designed to offer a better understanding of the Arizona legislative candidates who are running for political office. The report also grades and rates legislators on how they voted on initiatives critical to the Council and its members in the 2007-08 legislative session.

"We hope this resource is useful to voters as they make their choices on Election Day," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. "Casting a vote in the upcoming election is critical to protecting and advancing Arizona as a toptier technology state.

“It is crucial that we come together as one voice to elect candidates who have a strong and supportive view of the industry and understand the role technology plays in Arizona's economy," Zylstra says.

The report includes incumbents’ past voting records on technology issues and the results of a survey and interviews of incum-

v

Vote TechSmart Guide Names Legislators Who Made The Grade As Technology Supporters

bents and non-incumbents. The guide was assembled by Council member volunteers who scrutinized voting records, evaluated questionnaires and interviewed candidates.

Every candidate had the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire and some candidates were invited for an interview.

The Council believes the issues that are important to moving Arizona towards a top-tier technology state are: access to venture capital, research and development investment, tech-based economic development, support for technology infrastructure and improved education. A candidate's understanding of these issues and the position they took on them were primary in the Council's support of a candidate.

After four years of educating legislators about the research and development tax credit, the Council and its members were able to move the bill through the Legislature in the recent session and get it signed by Gov. Janet Napolitano. The council also was able to preserve funding in the job training program and preserve $32 million for Science Foundation Arizona. + Get Connected Learn more about the 2008 Vote TechSmart Guide: www.aztechcouncil.org

Innovative Electronic and Wireless Design ◊ MMIC development and testing ◊ RF front-end design and integration ◊ Advanced embedded systems design ◊ Applied research exploration ◊ New product development

www.perValidus.com

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Our team of global engineers is dedicated to providing clients the most innovative design and development solutions possible. Validus’ engineering experience with integration and wireless applications has given our firm the tools necessary to meet your requirements. A partnership Contact: with our team will give your firm leverage into the innovate@perValidus.com competitive market and bring you to the future faster.

FALL 2008

Value Through Emerging Technologies

Sponsors: We Proudly Present

Arizona Technology Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sponsors Thanks to them, we can serve our members better.

VisionarySponsors ::

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SW!TCH studio For more information about sponsorship, call the Arizona Technology Council at 602.343.8324.

: Members

BARC is an independent global central laboratory with subsidiaries in the United States Europe, South Africa, Australia and China, as well as a network of laboratories Asia and South America. BARC supports the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in the development and approval of new therapeutic agents by managing the laboratory component of clinical trials.

It is committed to providing central laboratory services, including bio-banking, that meet the highest quality standards, with rapid delivery of laboratory data. www.barclab.com Barrett Consulting Group provides expert human resources services to small and midsized companies in the Valley, including HR department “start-up”, interim HR management or project consulting. Services include HR audits to reduce costly risks-knowing and addressing the areas of most risk to your company, retention programs to keep your best and brightest by acknowledging their contributions and providing a challenging and rewarding work environment, and employee handbooks. www.barrettgroup.biz Boundless Network is a national promotional products marketing company that assists in executing effective and creative promotional marketing campaigns. Its patented technology can provide state-of-the-art solutions for online purchasing of promotional products for multiple locations and buyers. By consolidating and streamlining purchasing with Boundless Network’s advanced technology, companies can realize tremendous cost savings of their promotional product spend. In addition to our technology, we offer expert consultation with our promotional marketing professionals. www.boundlessnetwork.com The mission of the Career and Technical Education division at the Arizona Department of Education is to “Prepare Arizona students for workforce success and continuous learning.” CTE serves more than 135,000

Coalition for a Connected West is a five-state Western region advocacy organization whose mission is to educate consumers and policy makers about emerging communications issues; promote policies that foster competition and innovation, and result in more consumer choice, access to technology, lower prices and better service; and serve as a voice for consumers on communications issues at the state and local level. www.connectedwest.org.

DPSciences Corp. delivers solutions that help simplify and manage technology for its clients. As one the nation’s oldest, most experienced technology integrators, DPSciences has earned the trust of major corporations through five decades of service. It helps clients make sound business decisions, build reliable voice and data infrastructures, and adhere to best practices to gain revenue and reputation while reducing risks. DPSciences is recognized as a true expert in the areas of unified communications, security, network architecture, carrier services, advanced server infrastructure and application hosting. www.dpsciences.com Excaliber Precision Machining is an AS9100 certified machine shop serving the aerospace and defense industries. Excaliber machines all types of materials but provides exceptional value in stainless, titanium and high-temp alloys. It supplies several OEMs and Tier Ones, including Boeing (Silver Supplier), Alliant Techsystems, Barnes Aerospace and Tactair, as well as the federal government. Excaliber plans to diversify its customer base into medical, nuclear, alternative/sustainable energy and other emerging markets. www.excalpm.com Face to Face Live was founded on the idea of offering affordable high-performance, high-definition videoconferencing. When you can have face-to-face high definition communication available 24/7/365 at a fraction of the costs without having to physically “be there,” it’s an easy business decision. In today’s highly competitive business world, there is no time to lose through ineffective communication. You must be Face to Face. The company is a Tier One reseller for LifeSize Communications. www.f2fl.com GLOBALArizona was founded with the mission of Growing a GLOBAL Arizona. The top priorities of the organization are to enhance the global awareness of Arizona residents and investors, including sharing knowledge of foreign direct investment, import, export, outsourcing, international distributorships, and building bridges of global understanding between the public sectors, private sectors, expatriates and international visitors in Arizona.

Its services include international lead recruitment and business connections of people, products and services as well as culture and customs workshops for American companies that wish to do business in Asia. www.globalarizona.com

Graphique Communications Design is an awardwinning, full-service marketing and design firm with services ranging from brand design and development to advertising, collateral, packaging and digital marketing campaigns (Web site, search engine marketing and search engine optimization). It specializes in strong dynamic concepts, proven strategies and individualized creative services in order to effectively communicate your message to your target audience. www.graphique-us.com Intellectual Energy LLC has nearly 30 years of experience in helping start-up and early-stage companies commercialize technology and intellectual property.

It assists in valuation, intellectual property strategy, licensing and joint ventures. The firm’s primary focus is in renewable energy and clean technology, but its also has experience across a wide range of industries, including aerospace and defense, medical devices, biotechnology, high tech and software. ronepperson@esedona.net Infincom, Inc., a privately held company specializes in providing Arizona-based companies unique office automation solutions based on Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Kyocera and Panasonic multifunction printers, scanners and facsimile equipment. A full-service dealer with over 100 years combined office product sales and service experience, Infincom, Inc. has announced the opening of its new 4,000 square foot print services outsourcing division that features state of the art high volume copier equipment with post insert, fold, stitch and punch capabilities. www.infincomaz.com InMage was founded to improve previous business continuity measures that relied on old approaches. Its mission is to ensure data is always available—locally or at remote sites—in a cost-effective, scalable, non-disruptive and future-proof manner. InMage’s solutions provide cost-effective local replication of data, automated failover, continuous data protection, secondary site replication and more. It pioneered the concept and the implementation of event-based recovery. While traditional approaches to backup and recovery focus on restoring the system to a known point, we understand that recovery operations require restoration to a business event, account close, software upgrades or any transaction. www.inmage.net Chandler-based IntraEdge, Inc. is fast-growing and leading information technology services and consulting company. IntraEdge is a premier provider of software development and staff augmentation services in areas of ERP, database design and development, custom application development, networking, business analysis, software testing and project management. It also provides corporate training in various technology areas. IntraEdge has formed strategic partnership for providing technology services to Fortune 500 companies and various small and mid size businesses. www.intraedge.com The team at Leadership Excellence by Design believes the foundation for creating and building a new workplace begins with leadership. The workforce of the future brings a new set of values, beliefs and a distinct view on how they

FALL 2008

A/V Tronics, Inc. provides digital audio/video recording services for courts, hearing rooms and city councils. It is the largest provider of verbatim transcripts produced from electronic courtroom recordings in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico as well as summary minutes for city council and commission meetings. AVT helps lawyers throughout the Southwest receive accurate copies of their court records quickly and efficiently. AVT is building an increasingly efficient set of online, rich media content management solutions to better serve courts, government agencies and the broader legal community. www.avtronics.com

secondary students and tens of thousands postsecondary students throughout Arizona. Using Arizona Labor Market data, CTE prepares students and adults for high skill, high wage and high demand occupations in 37 program and 81 sub-program areas involving the 16 national Career Clusters to meet the needs of business and industry.

Academically, CTE students excel scoring in the 90 to 94 percent level on Arizona’s AIMS test. www.ade.az.gov/CT

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A.M. Fadida Consulting specializes in strategic management, business development and organizational effectiveness, and advising business owners and senior management teams how to make winning decisions in a rapidly changing marketplace. Services include organizational assessments and recommendations for improved performance, guidance on how to anticipate and direct change, developing growth strategies and tactics to win today while positioning for the future, strategic marketing, proposal development, contract negotiations, administration and management, and building strategic partnerships and alliances. amfadida@att.net

MEMBERS: contribute to getting work done. The workplace that fits one generation needs now to reflect the unique characteristics of the new workforce and the firm’s Leadership Edge Workshop provides a process to do just that. Your leaders will discover the value of a positive and energized workplace and learn how to build a working environment were people enjoy coming to work every day and consider your company a great place to work. www.leadershipexcellence.us

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Maricopa Small Business Development Center is the technical assistance arm of the Small Business Administration and provides business assistance to businesses in Maricopa County. It is part of the Arizona SBDC Network and together with 10 other community colleges helps sustain Arizona commerce. Maricopa SBDC’s business counseling is comprehensive and supports clients from pre-venture to fast-growth entities in all areas of business including IP commercialization. It s funded by the Maricopa Community College system and the Small Business Administration. www.MaricopaSBDC.com

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Navigator Management Partners, LLC provides world-class business consulting services through its project management, business process reengineering, packaged software solutions and organizational change management. It works within public and private sectors to help clients successfully navigate the course of change by providing services to identify and implement beneficial business process design changes, including those involving moderate to major information system changes. The firm’s clients represent the higher education, healthcare, software, retail, financial services, government and utility industries. www.navmp.com.

Oasis Outsourcing is the nation’s largest privately-held Professional Employer Organization. We provide Human Resources administration, benefits, payroll services, tax filings, workers’ compensation and much more. Our human resources-related products and services allow small and medium-sized businesses to compete with those offered by Fortune 500 companies. www.OasisAdvantage.com Poskanzer & Associates provides expertise in licensing, deal-making, and intellectual asset management.

Company resources include legal counsel for IP protection, market research and technology assessment expertise, investment capital, and extensive search capability for available technologies from both academic and industry sectors as well as patents for sale. Al Poskanzer is the former technology transfer director at ASU. www.poskanzer.com The Project Management Institute Phoenix Chapter is your Valley of the Sun link to the largest and most diverse international organization in the world dedicated to the profession of project management. The chapter has grown to about 2,000 members, representing project management in industry, consulting, government and academia. More than a third of its members have earned the PMP certification. Its activities include professional development, breakfast and dinner meetings, professional development, PMI publications and e-library access, conferences and seminars, and specific interest groups. www.phx-pmi.org

QCM Technologies is an Arizona-based systems integrator and a supplier of information technology solutions for business. As an IBM Premier Business Partner, QCM is certified to provide system servers, system storage solutions and an array of IT services. Additionally, it leverages its strategic relationships with such companies as VMware, Symantec, Oracle, Vision Solutions, and Microsoft to help deliver complete, end-to-end technology solutions in such areas as high availability, virtualization, system security, enterprise resource planning (ERP), business intelligence, e-Business, and Internet hosting. www.qcmtech.com Safari Books Online is an on-demand digital library containing more than 7,400 expert reference and learning materials from leading publishers, including exclusive access to the collections of O’Reilly Media, Cisco Press and Addison-Wesley. Safari provides access to a broad and constantly expanding range of more than 100 collections including digital curricula for certification, Java, expert technology, creative and design, and business and management resources in video and text formats. Safari Books Online has partners with organizations to provide these resources to employees to support productivity, professional development and performance. www.safaribooksonline.com Seoul Semiconductor is the sixth-largest LED (light-emitting diode) manufacturer in the world. Its product portfolio includes the Acriche, the world’s first semiconductor light source, running directly from AC power, 110V or 220V; the P7, a 10-watt LED that produces more light than a 60-watt incandescent bulb; and the P5-II, a red, green, blue LED that produces 105 lumens.

SSC’s high-brightness LEDs are an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly lighting solution poised to replace compact fluorescent lamps and incandescent light bulbs. www.seoulsemicon.com Learn why hundreds of customers use Silverado Technologies’ computer support services. In 2002, Inside Tucson Business named it Small Business of the Year.

This year Silverado was a finalist in the Better Business Bureau’s Ethics in Business award program. Microsoft also has given Silverado one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings. www.silveradotech.com Sustaining Edge Solutions, Inc. delivers systems that enhance operational and customer satisfaction through process improvement, cost savings, and waste elimination. It provides assessment, development, implementation, and training services to management systems ISO 9001 Quality, AS9100 Aerospace, ISO/TS Automotive, 14001 Environmental, and other industry standards. Sustaining Edge Solutions offers Six Sigma and lean performance improvement services. Clients include Intel, Freescale Semiconductor, Triad Electronic Technologies, and HVVI Semiconductors. www.sustainingedge.com the bagnall company is a strategic human resources and employee benefits consulting firm. Even the most successful companies can fall into the trap of managing their workforce and their benefits programs as a budget item instead of as a strategic effort. the

bagnall company consultatively offers benefit program strategies and solutions to address long and short term: cost containment, compliance, communication, efficiency, education and advocacy. the bagnall company is proud to be a member of United Benefit Advisors, an alliance of the nation’s premier independent benefit advisory firms. thebagnallcompany.com/index.htm TechDyne LLC organizes proven management, Arizona’s finest professional service providers and a spectrum of global alliances providing materials supply, scientific/ engineering services, manufacturing, and go-to-market resources. As a green technology incubator, its objective during these complicated times of “globalization” is to increase global recognition of the leadership and technical innovation offered by the United States and Arizonabased business and industry. The firm focuses on diverse technologies including biomedical and alternative energy.

Tucson Embedded Systems, Inc. is an experienced engineering firm for the aerospace, defense, automotive and medical industries. It specializes in creating safety critical software and electronic systems, rapid integration into vehicle platforms, automated testing, and requirements verification to the demanding standards of the FAA-DO178B. TES is a certified Aerospace Quality Standard AS9100 as well as the International Quality Standard ISO 9001:2000 facility with DCAA audited accounting system for government work. As a qualified minority owned, 8(a) certified, small disadvantaged business, TES offers superior technical expertise and beneficial contract advantages. www.tucsonembedded.com/home.html Students in Tucson Unified School District’s Career and Technical Education Department choose from 40 distinct career and technical programs at 16 sites located throughout metropolitan Tucson. Recent program additions include bioscience, engineering science, diagnostic and intervention technologies, and industrial manufacturing-metals. Many programs offer industryendorsements or certified curriculum such as Cisco Computer Networking Academies. Twenty programs offer dual and/or articulated college credit from Pima Community College and the Agriscience programs offer University of Arizona biological science credit.

University of Arizona Science and Technology Park is home to 30 companies and organizations, including four Fortune 500 companies, IBM, Raytheon, Citigroup and General Dynamics as well as several emerging high tech companies such as Dilas, Modavox and NP Photonics. The park has almost 2 million square feet of developed space located on 1,345 acres of land. www.uatechpark.org.

Other members in the Park include: • All Optronics, Inc. is a start-up company in business to develop innovative products of fiber-optic components and systems for communications and sensing applications. The current market focus is in the defense and aerospace industries. www.alloptronics.com • Arizona Aquaculture Solutions LLC is an aquaculture research and service laboratory. Besides providing advanced water-chemistry laboratory services and

: Members

• The long term goal of GAAS Corp. is to isolate and characterize novel anti-inflammatory components from turmeric, the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa and ultimately develop an effective and safe anti-inflammatory agent. It also specializes in developing robust analytical methods and providing analytical services that are guaranteed to comply with current dietary supplement regulatory mandates and scientific standards.

• Medipacs has designed a programmable electronically controlled disposable infusion pump. Major applications of the Medipacs pump are for drug delivery for pain control, IV infusion and diabetic care. The pump is intended to improve upon the affordability, accuracy, ease of handling and reliability of what is currently in the market place. www.medipacs.com

sclerosis by offering the first definitive, simple and costeffective blood test to healthcare professionals around the world. The MSDx blood test is targeted to be used as a part of the diagnosis of the 50,000-plus new patients that are confirmed each year, as well as to monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis in the 3 million MS patients. www.msdx.org • Tech Projects LLC is a high-technology and science research and development company supporting federal government efforts. Its specialty is combining capabilities to create unique solutions to challenging problems. Capabilities include, but are not limited to, information technology, information assurance, robotics, hardware and software engineering, biosciences, and systems design and engineering. Tech Projects’s motto: “If it were easy, anyone could do it.”™ www.techprojectsllc.com Founded in 1983, Vision Enterprises, Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in business advisory, IT consulting and talent acquisition services. Our emphasis is on honesty, integrity, ethics and commitment to our clients, partners, candidates and associates. Our vision is not to be the biggest, but one of the best in our industry. Vision’s delivery groups are highly specialized, focused teams that understand business from our client’s perspective. It is the collaboration among those teams and our clients, to provide the right solutions within their time frames that set Vision apart.

WealthNet Business Coaching is a business development consulting firm. Our consultants, coaches and advisors work with CEO’s and entrepreneurs growing small businesses in a wide variety of industries. We enhance marketing and branding to generate more leads, we improve sales effectiveness and accountability to attract more clients, and we implement new technology and systems to drive cash flow and profits. As a trustworthy resource to our clients, WealthNet continues to attract and outsource qualified experts for strategic planning, communication, leadership development, team building, finance, banking, recruiting, accounting, capital structure, HR, tax, and legal. www.wealthnetcoaching.com

For more information about membership, call the Arizona Technology Council at

602.343.8324

www.aztechcouncil.org

FALL 2008

• Arizona Center for Innovation is a non-profit, high-tech business incubator that promotes the development of high-technology companies in Southern Arizona through a disciplined program of business development. www.azinnovation.com

• MSD x’s mission is to improve the diagnosis of multiple

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pathogen detection and control systems, Arizona Aquaculture Solutions also develops novel technologies for the culture and genetic characterization of marine invertebrates as well as vaccine design for use in recirculating aquaculture facilities. www.azaquaculture.com

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aron Bare says being part of the 2007 Invest Southwest capital conference gave his company many advantages—about a 048 million of them.

“It definitely opened the door for capital,” says the CEO of Career Tours, adding that since the venture capitalist conference his online recruiting company has become acquainted with several investors and raised over $1 million dollars.

“I definitely see Invest Southwest was a launching pad for Career Tours to get on the right path,” he says. “It’s the No. 1 VCrelated conference. Period.”

Valley-based entrepreneur Adam

Studnicki feels the same. Although he can’t reveal too many details, he is close to selling the company he helped found.

And the move, says the CEO of Nuvo Technologies, will allow him to stay on in a different role and see his firm get the resources it needs to rise to the next level.

“I think it helped on a lot of levels,” says Studnicki, whose main product is BarVision, a wireless liquor-management system aimed at the bar, hotel and restaurant industries. “It was a very valuable experience.”

Both Bare and Studnicki say working with the conference’s mentoring team helped them think more strategically about their product. And, perhaps even more importantly, the conference put their companies in front of plenty of accredited venture capitalists and “angels,” or independent investors.

“There’s a myth that venture capitalists and angels like risk,” says Terree Parlett Wasley, the director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ASU SkySong in Scottsdale, the administrative host of the conference. “They really don’t. They’re risk adverse.”

solution, naturally, was the founding of the Arizona Venture Capital Conference in 1992. Now known as Invest Southwest, the next conference is slated for Dec. 10-11 at the Four Seasons Resort at Troon North in Scottsdale. About 300 attendees are expected and about 10 to 15 companies will be carefully screened to present.

Mixing carefully chosen companies— particularly those with unique ideas, that fill a niche in the market, or even those that already have a patented product or feature proprietary technology—with carefully chosen investors can lead to great things.

Wasley says presenting companies have garnered “well over $275 million in capital” since the conference began.

She also notes that it’s rewarding to watch past presenters such as Ventana Medical, which has since gone public, or Regenesis Biomedical do so well in the business world. “It’s like watching a little kid grow up,” she says.

Of course, even if a company isn’t chosen to participate, that doesn’t mean all is lost.

Word gets around and good news about good ventures travels fast. “We’ve had companies that were not selected to present receive funding,” she says.

Making the Match Add to that the difficulty that early-stage companies have of getting out in front of investors and you have a problem. The

+ Get Connected Invest Southwest: www.investsouthwest.org

KEYNOTE

DINNER

Keynote Speaker: Scott NcNealy Chairman and Co-Founder Sun Microsystems Scott McNealy will speak at the Arizona Technology Council’s Keynote Dinner, Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

McNealy is chairman of the board of directors of Sun Microsystems, a company he co-founded in 1982 and chairman of Sun Federal Inc. From 1984 to 2006, McNealy served as chief executive officer and chairman at Sun, steering the Company to constant innovation in open, network computing. In his 22 years at the helm, McNealy grew Sun from a Silicon Valley start-up to a leading provider of network computing infrastructure with 37,900 employees worldwide, all while positioning the Company as the model of corporate integrity. In 1986, he took Sun public, creating one of the most notable publicly traded technology companies. This is an opportunity to hear one of the most prominent leaders in technology discuss Sun Microsystems’ growth as a company with four employees to one of America’s largest and most profitable corporations.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Arizona Grand Resort

(formerly Pointe South Mountain Resort)

8000 S. Arizona Grand Parkway Phoenix, AZ 85044 Premier Conference Sponsor

Member Cost: $125 Non-Member Cost: $150 At Door Member Cost: $150 Non-Member Cost: $175 Dinner Sponsor

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