Marina Technology Cluster and Project 17 Director Susan Barich to Speak at MBITA Green Ag Tech Summit
Santa Cruz, Calif. November 15, 2010 -- TradePort.org, the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA) and GlobalCalifornia.com today announced that Marina Technology Cluster (MTC) and Project 17 Director Susan Barich will be the lunchtime keynote speaker at the third annual Green Trade Network Summit -- Agriculture and the Green Revolution -- (http://www.mbita.org/greentradenetwork/summit2010.html) -- on December 1 at the Fox Theatre in Salinas. Barich's company, Barich Business Services (www.BarichBiz.com), which operates the MTC under contract to the City of Marina, has been awarded a contract with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the growth of an advanced-agricultural-technology industry in the tri-county region of the Monterey Bay Area that will help producers increase profits. "MBITA and Project 17 have partnered to help entrepreneurs commercialize and bring to market technological solutions to the pressing needs of growers and shippers regionally, nationally and internationally," said Barich. "Emerging companies like Watch Technologies with smart 'splitgates' for irrigation, ACSII-Inc. with enterprise software for the entire agriculture business and RTI with agronomy that draws nitrogen out of the air and fixes it in the soil, bring money-saving, productivity tools to the many agricultural enterprises. Environmental and business goals dovetail when reducing the use of chemicals and of water drives dollars to the producer's bottom line." The conference will facilitate interaction and information exchange among research scientists, agro-technology providers, trade promotion service providers, agronomic consultants, educators and public sector agencies, all addressing the 'greening' of agriculture, one of American's top industries. Panelists will address how we can create U.S. jobs by exporting these products, services and technologies to the global marketplace. Representatives from the SBA, Export-Import Bank and the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) will discuss how to finance green technology exports and where the best global markets now exist for American green technologies, services and technologies for the agriculture industry. "The Greening of Agriculture is the new way of looking at agriculture and humanity," said presenter William Butler of GTIT-Green Innovational Technologies who has offices in Wuxi, China. "By thinking green technology and philosophy then we can fine tune agriculture to gain much more then what we have now, 1+1=3." "It's only appropriate that the agriculture sector should benefit from 'green' technologies," stated Robert Guthrie who will present the export loan guarantee program and credit insurance programs that the U.S. EximBank provides U.S. exporters of green technology, services and products. "Ex-Im Bank is prepared to finance the export of such environmentally friendly products and services at very attractive rates." Barich Business Services lands $600,000 federal contract to champion high-tech solutions for agriculture By Jondi Gumz Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.
Sept. 22--SANTA CRUZ -- A pair of Santa Cruz-based small business advocates has won a $600,000 federal contract to champion companies that develop technology solutions for the Monterey Bay area's $10 billion agriculture industry. The one-year contract includes an option for a second year. Karen Mills, who heads the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Monday that Barich Business Services is one of the 10 winners in the agency's "Innovative Economies" initiative to create jobs. More than 170 groups nationwide applied. Barich Business Services, based on Grey Seal Road in Live Oak, consists of Susan Barich, who has run the business incubator at the Marina Technology Center for eight years, and her husband Alan, a business turnaround and startup specialist. "We're pretty happy," said Barich, who named the proposal "Project 17" for Highway 17, the 17th Congressional District and 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. "We're the perfect region for this convergence of agriculture and high-tech." She envisions entrepreneurs developing solutions for growers and creating jobs. Some 200 technology companies are located in Santa Cruz County alone, according to Tony Livoti of the Monterey Bay International Trade Association, one of 30 partners supporting the Barich proposal. Barish said one of the first next steps will be to organize a think-tank session to bring together representatives of agriculture and high-tech to see what problems can be addressed by technology. One example of the challenges she cited: Walmart, the largest retailer of produce in the world, expected all its suppliers use radio frequency identification tags to track inventory but the designated frequency would not work well for vegetables with high water content. Other partners endorsing the proposal include Jim Bogart, president of the Grower Shipper Association of Central California; Jeremy Neuner of NextSpace in Santa Cruz; Patrick Reilly, a Santa Cruz-based intellectual property attorney; Ben Lomond consultant Susan Duggan; Capitola marketing specialist Denise Ryan; and Teresa Thomae of the Small Business Development Center in Aptos. When Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, spoke at the Marina Technology Center three weeks ago, he predicted that research into food and health would be "huge." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue new produce safety regulations, perhaps as soon as October, in response to a deadly outbreak of bacterial contamination traced to spinach. "Growers are trying to beat government to the regulatory table," said Barich, who contends the investment in technology will not only track produce but also pay off in higher profits. Case in point: Antonio Sabarez developed enterprise software tat integrates a geographic information system with a Global Positioning System to monitor what's happening in the fields. He has two clients in Oxnard, one growing strawberries, the other leafy greens. Sabarez's company, ACSII, is one of five ag technology companies getting a start at the Marina Technology Center. -end- Barich Business Services Awarded $600,000 Federal Contract to Assist Businesses in a Regional Innovation Cluster Santa Cruz, Calif., September 20, 2010 -- Barich Business Services (BBS) today announced that it has been awarded a one-year contract of $600,000 with an option for a second year from the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Innovative Economies initiative to provide business mentoring, commercialization, market development and other start-up services to businesses within the Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito tri-county area's agricultural industry cluster. This pilot program from SBA aims to grow small businesses, create jobs and strengthen America's competitiveness by supporting the development of small businesses and the jobs they provide around an existing regional industry cluster. BBS's effort, dubbed "Project 17" for Highway 17, Congressional District 17 and the 17 Mile Drive, will support the region's $10 billion annual agricultural industry by assisting with the development of companies that bring technology solutions to solve increasing demands on the ag industry. BBS's response to the SBA's request for proposal was one of 10 selected from 173 responses submitted by economic development groups nation wide. “Maximizing a region’s economic assets is one of the best ways to create long term job growth, and that’s what SBA’s new Innovative Economies pilot initiative is doing,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “Today we are announcing funding support for 10 regional economic clusters. SBA’s support will help expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations, which are enhancing the ability to create jobs locally and compete on a national and global scale. I’m thrilled to announce the Agriculture Innovation Center’s participation. They’re creating jobs in the community and making the Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito tri-county area an industry leader. ” BBS contracts with the City of Marina to operate the Marina Technology Cluster, the region's first technology incubator, and also produces the Monterey Bay Regional Business Plan Competition (www.mbrcompetion.com). "The confluence of agriculture and technology happens here," said BBS Partner Susan Barich of Santa Cruz. "Our proximity to Silicon Valley, combined with the technology research from institutions like the Naval Postgraduate School and UCSC, and an intelligent, educable workforce from south of our boarders make this the perfect project for the Monterey Bay Area." Thirty regional small-business service providers, cities, colleges, counties and universities joined Project 17 with letters of support and memoranda of understanding. -end-
News Release PRESS OFFICE Release Date: September 20, 2010 Contact: Hayley Matz (202) 205-6948 Release Number: 10-50 Internet Address: <http://www.sba.gov/news>http://www.sba.gov/news SBA Announces Support for 10 Regional 'Innovative Economies' Clusters, Local Job Creation WASHIINGTON - SBA Administrator Karen Mills announced today the U.S. Small Business Administration's support for 10 regional economic development and job creation efforts through a new pilot program, "Innovative Economies." The pilot program supports small businesses participation in regional economic "clusters" - collaborations between small businesses, the public sector, economic development and other organizations. "Maximizing a region's economic assets is one of the best ways to create long term job growth, and that's what SBA's new Innovative Economies pilot initiative is doing," Mills said. "Today we are announcing funding support for 10 regional economic clusters. SBA's support will help expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations, which are enhancing the ability to create jobs locally and compete on a national and global scale." The 10 "Innovative Economies" awardees selected from among 173 applicants to participate in the pilot program represent a wide range of diverse geographic areas and industries. From urban to rural and clean energy to robotics, the applicants focused on leading research and commercializing new products. SBA's funding will be provided to each cluster's organizing entity to strengthen opportunities for small businesses within the cluster. The funds can be used to provide services, including mentoring and counseling small businesses, as well as to attract more small business participation. SBA is supporting two types of innovative economies: Regional Innovation Clusters and Advanced Defense Technologies. The seven Regional Innovation Clusters focus on providing business training, commercialization and technology transfer services, counseling, mentoring and other services that support the growth and development of small businesses in the cluster region. The SBA also worked with the U.S. Department of Defense to identify areas around the country where regional innovation clusters can help meet critical defense technology needs. Three Advanced Defense Technology awardees will focus on providing business training, counseling, mentoring, matchmaking and other services to small businesses that focus on critical DoD technologies. The 10 Innovative Economies Include: Agriculture Innovation Cluster (Monterey - Santa Cruz - San Benito, Calif.) The AIC focus is on agricultural innovation, including production, related physical and human capital infrastructure, and leading-edge agriculture research. Carolinas' Nuclear Cluster (N.C., S.C.) The Carolinas' Nuclear Cluster provides strategy, structure, and on-the-ground execution to grow the North and South Carolina businesses that serve the nuclear energy industry locally, regionally, and multi-nationally. Connecticut Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Coalition (Conn., N.Y., Mass., Maine, Vt., N.H., R.I.) The Connecticut Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Coalition/Cluster, administered by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, works to enhance economic growth by developing, manufacturing, and deploying fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and associated fueling systems. Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (Miss., La.) EIGS organizes complimentary geospatial businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions in Mississippi and the Louisiana Gulf Coast to help create a trained workforce, transfer geospatial technology from public institutions into the market, and foster new business growth. Geospatial technology is the combination of GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and satellite or aerial image-based remote sensing.
Illinois Smart Grid Regional Innovation Cluster (Ill.) The ISG-RIC is a collaboration of more than 100 entities (including 70 businesses) in the Chicago region, focused on the acceleration of Smart Grid innovation, deployments, and new market development. The Smart Grid is a convergence of technological and investment interests across multiple sectors, focused on using advanced technology to improve inefficient and outdated electric transmission infrastructure. NorTech (Ohio) NorTech focuses on technology-based economic development in 21 counties of Northeast Ohio. Funds will help small business development within NorTech's FlexMatters initiative, which focuses on advanced energy and flexible electronics. Flexible electronics, which are electronic devices printed on flexible substrates, are emerging as a newly commercializable science, and a growing manufacturing opportunity. Upper Michigan Green Aviation Coalition (UMi-GAC) (Mich.) The Upper Michigan Green Aviation Coalition is a public-private partnership with 41 active members, focused on expanding the green aviation industry. Defense Alliance of Minnesota (Minn., N.D., S.D., Wis.) The Defense Alliance of Minnesota connects high technology innovation to defense industry opportunities and accelerating technology transfer of R&D and into commercial markets. San Diego Advanced Defense Cluster (San Diego, Calif.) The San Diego Advanced Defense Cluster focuses on autonomous systems and cyber security, as well as other technologies applicable to defense needs. Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation (Huntsville, Ala.) VCSI's primary focus is Aero-Space technology with applications for NASA, DoD, and NOAA. Its projects have included robotics for the detection of Improvised Explosive Devices, supporting spacecraft launches and building new micro satellites. # # #
Publication: Santa Cruz Sentinel (California)
Date: Wednesday, September 22 2010