Wake Forest considers renewable-energy plant that could create up to 200 jobs

A startup company wants to shine a brighter light on renewable energy with a potential $25 million manufacturing plant that could produce up to 200 jobs. Camel City Solar, formed in September, is the latest version of an entrepreneurial spinoff from Wake Forest University's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Most of Camel City's research is being contracted through the center.

The company, based in Villanova, Pa., is trying to commercialize an optical fiber-based design for solar cells for uses ranging from solar farms and heat pumps to rooftop tiles.

CEO Bob Summers said he plans to request local and state incentives during the first quarter to help Camel City obtain a plant with manufacturing space ranging between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet. The company expects to look at plant sites in January with the expectation of moving forward with manufacturing by the end of March. More.

Wells Fargo Grant to Fund Recruitment of Researchers To Further Economic Growth in the Triad

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Wake Forest University have received a $2.5 million multi-year grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to create the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholars Program. The program aims to accelerate the growth of innovative research conducted at both institutions, which are the leading economic drivers in the Piedmont Triad.


The main purpose of the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholars Program is to fund recruitment of faculty whose research shows the promise to generate significant intellectual property and regionally-based commercialization efforts as either start-up or spin-off companies. This research is expected to produce job-creating ventures within the Piedmont Triad Research Park, North Carolina’s largest urban life sciences research park, attract more biotech research companies to the Park and increase the region’s employment base.

Winston Salem slips in Milken Institute Tech Ranking

The loss of Dell Inc. has caused the Winston-Salem MSA (consisting of Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Yadkin counties) to slip to 164 up only 1 place versus it's ranking in 2003 at 165 in the Milken Institute rankings of top performing technology metro areas.   In more recent years, Winston-Salem climbed all the way to 92nd place reflecting economic growth and the Dell plant at its peak in 2009.  High unemployment also contributed to Winston-Salem's lower rankings according to the Milken Institute. 

"This year's ranking clearly reflects the loss of the Dell jobs", says Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.  However, Anderson anticipates improved rankings as a result of Caterpillar and continued growth in the Research Park.  See story.

Robotics Competition Honors Eleven Student Teams

Eleven local school teams received awards during the 2011 Forsyth County Invitational Robot Run Tournament on Dec. 10. The event, organized by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and its Technology Council, was part of the international FIRST LEGO® League robotics competition. The program is designed to develop our future workforce by promoting science, math, research and teamwork.

More than 200 students from 18 schools participated in the daylong competition. The winners were:

Core Values Awards:
Inspiration Award: Northwest Middle “Bacon Strips”
Teamwork Award: Northwest Middle “LEGO Terminators”
Gracious Professionalism Award: Southeast Middle “Jaguars”

Project Awards:
Research Award: Hanes Middle “Purple Dragons”
Innovation Solution Award: Hanes Middle “Golden Dragons”
Presentation Award: Northwest Middle “Gearoholics”

Robot Design Awards:
Mechanical Design: Hanes Middle “Black Dragons”
Programming: Jefferson Middle “Mad Minutemen”
Strategy and Innovation: Brunson Elementary “Robotics 1”

Robot Performance: Clemmons Middle “Cardinals”

Champion’s Award: Meadowlark Middle School “Mustangs”

Title Sponsor of the event was Cook Medical. Other sponsors included Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center; Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative, Forsyth Technical Community College; JFK Consulting; Solid Space; and the Wake Forest Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

Learn more at www.wsrobotrun.com

WFU Schools of Business moves up in ranking

The Wake Forest University Schools of Business full-time MBA program is once again ranked among the Top 50 Business Schools in the U.S. by Poets&Quants. Wake Forest broke into the top 40 this year by climbing up three positions to #38.

The Poets &Quants list is a composite of five major rankings including Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report. It was founded by the former BusinessWeek.com editor-in-chief John Byrne. More.

SciTech Lecture Series - January 19th, 2012

On January 19th, 2012 at 4pm The SciTech Lecture Series welcomes Tim Bertram, DVM, PhD - President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer at Tengion, he is speaking on “Regenerative Medicine - Growing Today, Tomorrow and the Future”

4:00 PM Thursday, January 19, 2012
Ardmore Auditorium
Forsyth Tech Main Campus
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103

To reserve a seat at this event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Duke Energy acquires three solar farms in southwestern NC

Duke Energy has acquired three solar farms in southwestern North Carolina through its Duke Energy Renewables group.

The latest three, which are all located near Murphy, were all acquired from ESA Renewables. Duke now owns seven such farms in the state.

The sites acquired are based on sites of seven acres of land or more, include more than 4,200 solar panels, and came online this year. Read more.

Forsyth Tech Key to Landing Caterpillar

Forsyth Tech’s offer to train workers for Caterpillar Inc. was the key element in landing the huge plant.

“That is what sold Caterpillar on Winston-Salem,” said Rusty Davis, operations manager of the 850,000-square-foot plant nearing completion on Union Cross Road.

In a talk to the Tech Council’s Technology and Innovation Series, Davis listed a number of “project drivers” that were under consideration as the company chose from among several sites.

He said that 57 percent of the contractors who built the $426 million plant were from the Triad and 70 percent in all were from North Carolina. The company also plans on using local service providers once the facility is in operation. The plant will employ about 500 people with a payroll of $19 million.

“We’re no Dell,” he told a crowd of about 200 people at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. “We’ll be here for a long period of time and hopefully we can grow.”

The plant will build front wheels and rear axles for the mammoth trucks that can carry 1.3 million pounds fully loaded and move at speeds of up to 42 miles an hour. The axles themselves weigh 100,000 pounds and for now will be shipped by truck from the plant.

The plant will be LEED certified, using geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels to heat water, extensive skylights to cut down on electric lighting and numerous other green initiatives.

Davis pledged that the plant would quickly become part of the community, already sponsoring the “coin-toss kid” at Wake Forest football games.”

NC Treasurer launching $35M fund targeting life science startups

Treasurer Janet Cowell will announce today a $35 million investment fund targeting early-stage life science startups. Goals are to generate returns for the state’s pension and support new and emerging companies. More.

Caterpillar's Winston-Salem Operations Manager to Speak at Chamber Technology & Innovation Series Nov. 10

Rusty Davis, the operations manager at Caterpillar’s new Winston-Salem facility, will speak about the innovative products that will be made here in Winston-Salem at the Chamber’s Technology and Innovation Series on Thursday, November 10, 8:30 am at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. This event is free and open to the public, though registration is required. Learn more and register today!

SciTech Lecture Series - November 17th, 2011

On November 17th at 4pm The SciTech Lecture Series welcomes Carol Strohecker - Director of the Center for Design Innovation, she is speaking on “The Importance of Design in the Winston-Salem Community”

4:00 PM Thursday, November 17, 2011
Ardmore Auditorium
Forsyth Tech Main Campus
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103

To reserve a seat at this event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Wake Forest institute working on gel that could move regenerative medicine to next level

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine said Monday it is developing a gel that could make bioengineered organs and other tissues a more viable option in humans.

The gel is designed to stimulate regenerated tissues into growing new blood vessels in the body and has the promise "to move regenerative medicine to the next level," said Dr. Tamer Aboushwareb, an assistant professor of urology at the institute. Read more.

“Catalyzing Regional Strengths to Support Bioscience Job Growth”

SciTech was back in full swing for the new academic year of 2011-2012 on Thursday, September 22, 2011. Kicking off the series was Nancy Johnston, Executive Director of the NC Biotechnology Center’s Piedmont Triad Regional Office. She focused her presentation on "Catalyzing Regional Strengths to Support Bioscience Job Growth". This really unique look at the Piedmont Triad’s ever-growing life science community was not just centered on stories of growth, but it had the facts and statistics to back up these stories, not just in the area, but the entire sector.

To read the full article click HERE

Revolutionary “Green” Electronic Lock Now Offers “Audit Trail” Without Wires or Batteries

Local Access Control Manufacture, Kaba Access Controls, has enhanced their E-Plex 2000 Series electronic pushbutton lock, to include additional features and options. These include a self-powered version with Audit Trail that requires no batteries or wires.

Read the full press release about this green product from a Winston Salem based company.

Atala Named to Institute of Medicine

Anthony Atala, M.D., chairman and professor of urology and director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, is one of 65 new members named to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Atala is one of only two physicians in North Carolina named to the most recent class of the IOM, which is a branch of the National Academy of Sciences. As an independent, nonprofit organization, the IOM works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.

Atala led a team of researchers/physicians who were the first in the world to build replacement organs (bladders) in the lab and implant them in patients. This year, his team announced long-term success implanting lab-built replacement urine tubes in five boys. Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine are working to engineer replacement organs and develop cell therapies for more than 30 areas of the body. More.

Find Funding at Capital Connects!

Capital Connects links Triad entrepreneurs to the resources necessary to prepare for, find, and secure business capital. Attend and meet with investors, angel groups, venture capitalists, and commercial lenders to discuss the growth of your business.

November 1, 2011
3:00 - 6:00pm

Deep River Events Center
606 Millwood School Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409

Learn More and Register.

New Stent Provides Relief to Patients with Advanced Small Intestine Cancer

Cook Medical announced today that its Evolution® Duodenal Controlled-Release Stent was recently granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA. The new stent expands palliative care options for patients experiencing malignant gastric outlet obstruction, a late stage complication of a variety of GI related cancers with pancreatic cancer being the most common cause. The stent offers these patients a minimally invasive alternative to relieve the symptoms and potentially life-threatening complications resulting from duodenal obstruction, such as abdominal pain, vomiting, malnutrition and aspiration.

Caterpillar's Winston-Salem Operations Manager to Speak at Chamber Technology & Innovation Series on November 10

Rusty Davis, the operations manager at Caterpillar’s new Winston-Salem facility, will speak about the innovative products that will be made here in Winston-Salem at the Chamber’s Technology and Innovation Series on Thursday, November 10, 8:30 am at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. This event is free and open to the public, though registration is required. Learn more and register today!

Winston Salem Second Most Liveable Downtown in the Country!

Winston-Salem was ranked the city with the second most liveable downtown by Livability.com, a website devoted to finding the "good stuff" in small to medium sized cities.  Second to Indianapolis, Winston-Salem beat out such noteable cities as Austin, Texas and Savannah, Georgia.  Kudos to Old Salem that received credit for providing Winston-Salem that extra special magic to place second in the top 10 listing.  More on the also rans and Winston-Salem here.  

SciTech Lecture Series - October 20th, 2011

On October 20th at 4pm The SciTech Lecture Series welcomes Morris Clarke, PhD - Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences at Winston-Salem State University is speaking on “From Mount Pharmacology to the Shores of Biotechnology: A ‘Wellcome’ Experience”.

4:00 pm Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ardmore Auditorium
Forsyth Tech Main Campus
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103

To reserve a seat at this event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu
All lectures are free and open to the public.

Sunrise Technologies Named to Triad's Fast 50 List

Sunrise Technologies, a Microsoft Partner with the Gold ERP Competency, was named to the Triad Business Journal's Fast 50 List for the fifth consecutive year. The list is compiled of the fastest-growing, for-profit companies that have their headquarters in the Triad of North Carolina. Sunrise Technologies is a global company with its corporate headquarters in the Piedmont Triad Research Park of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Read more.

FRAMEWORKS -- Becoming the Totally Responsible Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs have the ability to stay positive, productive and effective no matter what the circumstances! They exhibit the traits of character that enhance success including openness to change, resiliency, emotional stability/intelligence, accepting of constructive criticism and rejection, and the capacity to handle adversity. They do not allow themselves to be victimized by circumstances and exhibit extraordinary self-control. Attend this session to learn how to hone these qualities in yourself.

Presenters are the principals from TRP Enterprises, Inc. a renowned consulting firm that consistently deals with developing successful strategies to achieve these outcomes.

Tuesday, September 27, 7:30am
Piedmont Triad Community Research Center Auditorium
115 Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC

Sponsored by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center) and New Venture Incubator (Wake Forest Schools of Business).

Triad Biotech Alliance Company Showcase

September's Company Showcase will feature regional biomaterials company Keranetics, presented by managing director and board member Charles (Todd) Johnson. You are encouraged to stop by after work to meet local biotechnology enthusiasts and learn about this exciting local company in the Piedmont Triad.

Thursday, September 29th
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Chophouse Grille (off of Highway 68)
4001 Meeting Way
High Point, NC 27265

The event is free, but we ask that you RSVP.

Click here to reserve your space for this event.

Stantec Repurposes Shipping Containers, Other Innovators Highlighted at Chamber Tech Briefing

Tens of thousands of shipping containers are piled up, rusting, all over the country because it is cheaper to make new containers abroad than ship the old ones back. But at Thursday’s 10th annual Technology Briefing, Randal L. Pool, managing principal of Stantec, presented a whole series of possibilities for reusing the containers. The company is already planning and hopes to open soon a removable restaurant for the sidewalk near New York’s Flatiron Building made from one container. Pool showed sketches of how containers might be used for first responder housing at the scene of a disaster, or as temporary shelter for up to 16 refugees. They might be clustered to provide housing for many families following a large-scale disaster. The presentation produced excited murmurs from the crowd of more than 300 who attended the briefing.


The September 15th  Winston-Salem Journal article covered information about some of the other eight presenters at the briefing and their stories of technology and innovation

Tech Briefing is Tomorrow - Don't Miss It!

The 10th Annual Technology Briefing is tomorrow, September 15, 8:00 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center. The event is free, but please register online to ensure your seat and a nametag. Plan to stay afterward for networking, refreshments and to meet and talk with the presenters. And then visit the Business & Innovation Expo, also at the Benton Convention Center.

This is your chance to learn about exciting local companies and how their technologies are laying the foundation for future economic growth in our community. This year’s presenters are: Cook Medical; Inmar; NanoMedica; OnceLogix; Paragon Noise Barriers; Small Footprint/Treks in the City; Stantec; Verbal Victor; and Virginia Tech/WFU School of Biomedical Engineering.

The Tech Briefing is brought to you by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Cook Medical, Kilpatrick Townsend, Piedmont Angel Network, Targacept, and Wake Forest School of Medicine Office of Technology Asset Management. Learn more and register.

Wake Forest School of Medicine is Part of Toyota’s New Research Initiative for Auto Safety

Wake Forest School of Medicine is one of six leading research institutions across the country to be chosen by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) to enhance the development, testing and implementation of new automotive safety innovations. Joel Stitzel Jr., Ph.D., an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Wake Forest, is the principal investigator.

Toyota’s CSRC announced the partnerships today at the 2011 Toyota Safety Technology Seminar at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor. The new projects will research vehicle safety subjects ranging from driver education and collision mitigation to accident reconstruction and enhanced crash data analysis. Read more here.

Learn more about Dr. Stitzel's research when he presents at the Chamber of Commerce's 10th Annual Technology Briefing -- 8:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Benton Convention Center.

Wake Forest Researchers Find Flexible Electronics Hold Promise

Plastic-based flexible electronics, produced in large volume using roll-to-roll processing, inkjet printing or spray deposition, is the “electronics everywhere” trend of the future, says Oana Jurchescu, assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University. And the key to success in this market will be the low-cost production of large molecular structures with excellent electronic performance.

Jurchescu, her two graduate students Katelyn Goetz and Jeremy Ward, and interdisciplinary collaborators from Stanford, Imperial College (London), University of Kentucky and Appalachian State have developed just such an organic semiconductor.

Read more.

Two Apps to be Presented at Winston Salem Chamber of Commerce Tech Briefing on September 15th

Smartphones in the U.S. are expected to overtake feature phones by the end of 2011 (Nielsenwire, March 2010); therefore, it is no wonder that “there’s an app for that” can be said for virtually everything. At the 2011 Tech Briefing on September 15th, audience members will get to hear about two different apps, locally created and developed.

The Treks in the City™ mobile application, created by Winston-Salem based technology company, Small Footprint, uses geo-location technology to identify the users' current location in proximity to a host of other mapped locations. Users who download the application are able to experience the following functionality:

• Select a Trek and tour the area using particular area of interest, such as Architecture, Entertainment or the locations of four annual scavenger hunts held in the downtown area.

• Easily find downtown locations and get walking directions from the current location.

• Share pictures and comments on various Trek locations.

• Visit a related Web site or place a call to a destination directly from the Treks in the City™ mobile application.

Verbal Victor, an iphone app created by Wake Forest University Assistant Computer Science Professor Paúl Pauca, is designed to help children with development disabilities communicate better. Paúl’s son Victor was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes delays in cognitive abilities, motor skills, and social development and language skills. Paúl wanted to find a way to help Victor communicate better but found that the available therapeutic tools were very primitive, difficult to use and costly. With the help of students in his computer science class, he developed an application that with a touch of the screen allowed Victor to communicate such things as “I want to play” with a graphic image of toys or “I want to eat “ with an image of food.

Learn more about these apps and how they came to be at the Tech Briefing on September 15 at 8 a.m at the Benton Convention Center.

Winston-Salem Animation Company Helps Fight Childhood Obesity

Winston-Salem leaders are planning a website and animated film to educate children about nutrition — and put a dent in the growing problem of childhood obesity. A task force including people from the city, public school system, Gateway YWCA, Winston-Salem chapter of The Links, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Forsyth County, nutritionists and Out of Our Minds Animation Studios got together and developed the concept for the program. The website would use games to educate children about nutrition. Meanwhile, Out of Our Minds Studios, in addition to creating the website, will create an original animated film to teach children. "The quality of life of our children is soon to reach a tipping point," said John Cernak, the executive creative director at the studio. "I made a promise to my grandsons that I plan to keep. Our studio will help." Read more here.

SciTech Lecture Series - September 22nd, 2011

Forsyth Tech's Sci-Tech Lecture Series 2011-12 kicks off on September 22nd, 2011 with Nancy Johnston, the Executive Director of the NC Biotechnology Centers Piedmont Triad Regional Office.
Speaking on: “Catalyzing Regional Strengths to Support Bioscience Job Growth”

4:00 pm Thursday, September 22, 2011
Ardmore Auditorium
Forsyth Tech Main Campus
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103

To reserve a seat at this event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Legal Insights for Entrepreneurs: Non-Compete Agreements

This is the second in a multipart series of legal tips for entrepreneurs.  A non-compete agreement is designed to prevent an employee from working for a competitor for a period of time after his/her employment ends with the current employer.  Many emerging companies require their key employees to sign non‑compete agreements.  This seems to  make perfect sense as the best way to protect your business.   However, as a public policy, courts generally disfavor non-compete agreements because they effectively limit the capability of the employee to find another job.  Therefore, special attention should be given to the drafting of any non-compete agreement to promote its enforceability.  Read more on non-compete agreements

Noise-D-Fence Silences Sound

Noise pollution, is often viewed as a nuisance than a true problem. Yet evidence suggests that overexposure to loud noise can impact human and wildlife health. Noise has been cited as a causal factor in certain ailments from sleep disturbance to hypertension. In the U.S. , laws regulate the levels of permissible highway noise. If noise levels exceed certain thresholds, noise abatement measures must be taken.

Paragon Noise Barriers, Inc. has designed, developed and currently manufactures a revolutionary noise barrier product called Noise D-Fence™. Although concrete walls can be utilized as sound barriers along highways, they do nothing to absorb sound. Sound reflects off the concrete and continues to bounce off of all other non-absorbing material. Noise D-Fence™ reduces sound by 75%. Noise D Fence with 40% of the product made from recycled materials also has a light weight construction, resulting in lower transportation costs. Both these factors, not only result in less noise pollution but a lower
environmental impact. More about noise barriers at at http://paragonnoisebarriers.com/index.cfm.

Learn more about Noise D-Fence at the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce Tech Briefing on September 15 at 8:00 a.m .  For more details about the Tech Briefing:  http://www.winstonsalem.com/techbriefing.aspx

Bridging the digital divide; Winston-Salem church to open WinstonNet computer lab

Janis Walker is ready to become more digitally savvy. At Whole Man Ministries, a church on Old Lexington Road in southeastern Winston-Salem, Walker recently put herself on the list for an eight-week basic computer course. "My grandsons have a touch-screen phone and they've showed it to me. I have some computer skills, but I haven't been around them for 10 years, and I want to refresh myself," said Walker, 63. That's the idea, said Kenneth Holly, a minister at the church.

The church's Bridging the Gap Community Center is accepting up to 25 people such as Walker for the basic computer course. The start date has not been set, but the course will begin next month, Holly said. Participants who complete the course will be eligible to buy a computer for as little as $25. Read more.

The program is part of an initiative by WinstonNet Inc. and other nonprofit organizations to bridge the digital divide. For information, click here. To enroll in a class, call 336-703-4138.

Chamber Announces Presenters for Its 10th Annual Technology Briefing

The Technology Council of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the companies who will present at 10th Annual Technology Briefing on September 15, 8:00 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center. The 2011 presenters are: Cook Medical; NanoMedica; OnceLogix; Paragon Noise Barriers; SkinDeep FX; Small Footprint/Treks in the City; Stantec; Verbal Victor; and Virginia Tech/WFU School of Biomedical Engineering.

The Technology Briefing is free to attend and open to the public, though registration is required at www.winstonsalem.com/techbriefing.aspx.

For the first time ever, this year’s Technology Briefing will open the Chamber’s Triad Business and Innovation Expo, an annual tradeshow that features almost 200 local business exhibitors and attracts over 2,000 visitors.

Presented by Cook Medical, the Technology Briefing is sponsored by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Targacept, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Office of Technology Asset Management. Video production will be provided by Spotlight Media. Read More.

NanoMedica to Present at Tech Briefing on September 15th

Doing more with less is frequently associated with corporate downsizing, budget cuts and many ramifications of the ailing economy.  How refreshing to find a company that is growing and innovating while doing more with less.  Winston-Salem based NanoMedica is an early stage biotechnology company focused on a reduction that everyone can appreciate… reducing the cost of drug discovery. Their mission is to help biopharmaceutical customers “discover more with less” – more useful compounds with less material, time and money. Useful compounds include new chemical probes of cellular function, ultrasensitive diagnostic reagents and target-directed molecules for studying and treating disease processes. Of particular interest are ligands (substance binding molecules) designed to specifically recognize and modulate cellular targets and pathways involved in the onset and progression of cancer. Their trademarked  “Lab-on-Bead™” technology allows nanoscale detection and characterization at the single-molecule level using thousands to millions of times less material than conventional methods – in short, discovering more with less™.
NanoMedica will present at the Chamber of Commerce Tech Briefing on September 15th.  The event will begin at 8 a.m at the Benton Convention Center.  Other technology companies presenting their latest ideas and innovations include:  Cook Medical; OnceLogix; Paragon Noise Barriers; SkinDeep FX; Small Footprint/Treks in the City; Stantec; Verbal Victor; and Virginia Tech/Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering.  For more information about the Tech Briefing:  http://www.winstonsalem.com/techbriefing.aspx

Biotech Center Delivers $595,325 in Research Grants

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has issued $595,325 in Biotechnology Research Grants to eight scientists at seven North Carolina institutions. The grants, providing a maximum of $75,000, support novel research projects at academic and non-profit research institutions. Among the grants awarded was $73,074 to William Wagner, Ph.D. of Wake Forest University Health Sciences to develop a new material that can be absorbed by the body while closing cleft palates. Read more.

Lab-Grown Anal Sphincters

Researchers have built the first functional anal sphincters in the lab, suggesting a potential future treatment for both fecal and urinary incontinence. Made from muscle and nerve cells, the sphincters developed a blood supply and maintained function when implanted in mice. The results are reported in the medical journal Gastroenterology.

“In essence, we have built a replacement sphincter that we hope can one day benefit human patients. This is the first bioengineered sphincter made with both muscle and nerve cells, making it ‘pre-wired’ for placement in the body,” said senior author Khalil N. Bitar, Ph.D., a professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Read more.

Number 10 Most Fun Affordable City in America, Winston-Salem!

Better Homes and Gardens Research Lifestyle Search conducted a study of  6100 plus zipcodes to identify 25 of the Most Fun and Affordable Cities in America.  They looked at places where the median house price fell within 20% of the state average and then looked at those zip codes with the most entertainment places such as bars and restaurants.  Our fair and technically savvy city ranked #10-- ahead of (can you believe it )Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida. 

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110809/america-s-most-fun-affordable-cities/slides/17

i.am FIRST - Science is Rock and Roll

An ABC special will be airing on SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 at 7 pm:

i.am FIRST - Science is Rock and Roll

Join in for a very cool look at FIRST Robotics with will.i.am and The Black Eyed Peas. Learn what FIRST Robotics is doing to get kids excited about math and science.

Read more here....

Funding Competition for Entrepreneurs

PTP NEXT is a unique entrepreneurial development initiative led by a region-wide volunteer-driven organization of talented young leaders who are committed to the Piedmont Triad’s future economic vitality.


Through a highly competitive annual business competition, PTP NEXT, working in partnership with the Piedmont Triad Partnership and NC IDEA, identifies promising Piedmont Triad companies and provides access to grants and support.

Gina Stewart, co-founder of  Arctic Inc a company that develops environmentally friendly weed control using non-toxic frost, says this about the grant:  " NC IDEA’s crucial ‘first money in’ gives a vote of confidence to later investors, whether they are other granting agencies, angels, VCs or corporate partners. Creating an NC IDEA program for the Triad will stimulate entrepreneurial economic development." 
The online application launches on Monday August 15^th and will close on September 9^th.   Detailed info about eligibility and the review process is on the PTP NEXT website http://ptpnext.com.



Register Now for COMS Micro-Nano Conference in Greensboro

Less than 3 weeks remain until the International Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems (COMS) Conference -- August 28–31 at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC. Meet industry leaders from all over the world at this powerful event focused on accelerating commercialization activity among micro and nano businesses. Click here for details and registration.

CDI Receives Grant to Create a National Network of Diverse Expertise to Support Innovation

The Center for Design Innovation (CDI) has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a national Network of Excellence for Science, Engineering, Arts and Design.

CDI will receive $43,493 to work with Texas A&M University and the Maryland Institute College of Art over the next few months to bring together researchers and research practices that bridge computer science, engineering and creativity. The effort follows prior meetings funded by NSF in which researchers considered methods for interdisciplinary work and its potential for innovation and education. Read more.

Is Your Password Protected?

How many different passwords do you have for all those websites, online accesses and other internet places that require not just a user name but also a password?  Would it surprise you to learn that the most common password is 123456?  Probably not but how does Qwerty make the top 20 list? 

Deadline Nears for Cook Medical Innovation Award!

Just over a week left to submit your nominations for the Cook Medical Innovation Award. Send us your ideas now! Deadline is August 15.

Details and submission information here.

Becoming an Investor Ready Entrepreneur

About twenty-five eager current and would be entrepreneurs gathered at the Worrell Center at WFU to learn from a panel of experts and a team of dynamic lecturers. The topic: “Becoming an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur” was presented by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, The SBTDC (Small Business Technology Development Center), NC Bionet, IMAF(Inception Microangel Fund) and North Carolina Biotechnology Center.


The group was welcomed by Bill Parrish from the SBTDC presenting an animated short of a toy airplane attempting its first maiden flight. He compared that experience to starting up a new venture. Attendees were taken through a fourteen module session covering such important topics as the funding landscape, what is the big idea and will it attract investors, how to present to investors and how to value your company. Each module consisted of a fifteen minute discussion with visual aids , an opportunity to ask the panel of entrepreneurial experts questions and a host of links on where to go for more information on the subject.
Tim Janke from IMAF told participants their chances for getting funding. Aabout 1 in 100 ideas actually receive funds. The audience learned what industry sector has the most deals: Healthcare leads the funding, accounting for 30% of the deals down to retail and IT at 5% each. Attendees spanned a broad spectrum of industries and ideas from medical devices to medical services; from retail related services to green technology. Some attendees already had patents on their idea or product and one entrepreneur even had a prototype of his idea ready to share with the group.
Panelists shared their words of wit and wisdom with the audience. Patrick Kammer of C Change Surgical compared being unprepared for a pitch to a potential investor like a bad first date. “It’s unlikely you’ll be walking down the aisle in marriage after a bad first date” he said, implying that funding too would be unlikely after a poor first presentation. Jon Wilson of SpringMed said, “Make your competitor your friend” pointing out the benefits of competition (demonstrates market potential, provides a possible buyer/acquirer for your startup). Kip Johnson of Womble Carlyle indicated that he sees far too many “hockey sticks” for growth charts and would rather fund ventures that show upward but realistic growth curves. In that same vein, Lisa Ruckdeschel from SBTDC advised the audience to focus on bottom up sales projections versus top down. She indicated that it’s easy to assume one half one percent of the total market as a revenue projection but harder to come up with the number of sales calls, the number of products made, the number of customers needed to come up with that revenue.
Participants received a two inch thick binder with handouts of all the presentation materials, a glossary of investor and entrepreneur necessary terms and many places to jot notes and answer questions. The luncheon break featured guest entrepreneur Andy Chan,  former president and CEO of two entrepreneurial ventures--eProNet and MindSteps. The session concluded with a networking reception and opportunity to meet other SBTDC staff and panelists.

Wake Forest Baptist and WFU Part of Nationwide Initiative to Hasten Development of Ultra High Speed Computer Networks

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Wake Forest University have joined research institutions from across the country in an effort to accelerate the deployment of ultra-high-speed computer networks in their communities.

The initiative – Gig.U, the University Community Next Generation Innovation Project – was launched today by 29 universities acting in partnerships with their local communities. Its goal is to promote the development of “next generation” networks in these communities in order to improve campus-community connectivity, drive economic growth and spur a new generation of innovations. Read more.

Legal Insights for Entrepreneurs: Building Your Board of Directors

The following post is first in a several part series designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the sometimes turbulent waters of starting and managing new ventures. These tips come from Will Joyner, an attorney specializing in general business and corporate law with an interest in emerging growth and technology companies.

Our entrepreneur clients often ask for advice about the ideal composition of their Board of Directors. A Board of Directors (often called a “Board of Managers” in an LLC) has the ultimate authority for managing a company’s business; therefore, its members should be selected with care. While every case is different, there are a few basic principles that entrepreneurs should consider as they put together a Board of Directors for their start-up or early-stage company:

● Endeavor to maintain a Board with an odd number of directors: e.g., 1, 3, 5 or 7. This eliminates the possibility of the Board being deadlocked when voting on a key issue. Deadlock at the Board level can cripple a company, causing it to be mired in legal issues before it has a chance to succeed.

● Keep the Board as small and nimble as possible during the early stages of the company’s lifecycle. In some cases, this might mean a 1-person Board with the founder being the sole director. As the company grows, investors and other key stakeholders will likely seek representation on the Board; however, this should be a natural evolution and there is usually no need to rush this process.

● When outside investors require representation on the Board, one or more of your initial Board members may be asked to resign. It is usually advisable to make your initial Board members aware of this possibility up front, rather than waiting until their resignation from the Board is requested by investors.

● Think twice about placing your key employees on the Board. If you decide later that the employment of a key employee should be terminated (e.g., for lack of performance), it usually complicates the process if that key employee is also a Board member.

● Be careful not to confuse the role of an informal Advisory Board with the primary governance role of the Board of Directors. Having affiliations with experienced business and community leaders can be a great resource for an entrepreneur, and can also lend credibility to a new venture. However, it is usually best for these individuals to serve on an informal Advisory Board without any formal governance or fiduciary responsibilities.

submitted by Will Joyner
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

UNCSA dean produces Smurfs movie

In November 2008, the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce Tech Council Speaker Series presented "Center Stage with Jordan Kerner: The Future of Filmmaking." The then-new Dean of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts wowed us with his passion for film, how he planned to infuse that passion into his students, and how he was going to maintain his connection to producing movies while performing as Dean. That commitment to producing and to his budding filmmakers has resulted in the release of his latest film, The Smurfs. UNCSA film students benefitted by having the opportunity to work on a major Hollywood movie! Read all about it here!

Major nanotech commercialization conference brings global attention to NC

The annual Commercialization of Micro-Nano Systems Conference (COMS 2011) is being held Aug 28-31 in Greensboro. It has shaped up to be a who’s who of the micro-nano technology community, bringing together leaders in North Carolina with those from around the globe. Plenary Speakers include: Anthony Atala, MD; Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD; and Paul M. Zavracky, PhD.

North Carolina is already a top player in nanotechnology, ranked fourth behind only Silicon Valley, Boston, and Houston. It is poised to become one of the major centers in the field, according to industry experts. Landing the COMS event for the state is a significant step. More.

Wake Forest Baptist among "most connected" hospitals

Coupled with U.S. News & World Report's annual hospital rankings released Tuesday was a list noting the "most connected hospitals" in the country — an addition to the publication's annual scoring and ranking of medical centers. Given the increasing emphasis on electronic medical records at the physician and health system levels, it's a natural addition to the rankings U.S. News & World Report compiles each year.

It's worth noting that only one hospital in the Triad — in fact, only one hospital in the state — was named to the list, and that was Wake Forest Baptist Health. The Winston-Salem-based health system was among the 118 hospitals on the "most connected" list. More.

Nominate YOUR Innovation for Cook Medical Innovation Award!

Do you have an innovative product, service, concept or procedure? The third annual Cook Medical Innovation Award, presented by Cook Medical in partnership with the Chamber, recognizes outstanding locally-developed and novel technologies. Submit your ideas by August 15. The winner will be recognized at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting luncheon on November 30 and presented a unique award designed by a local artist. Click here for details and nomination form.

Are YOU an investor-ready entrepreneur?

Raising equity capital is challenging at best. Becoming an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur is designed to educate and prepare growth-oriented entrepreneurs to successfully engage private equity investors. Getting ready includes a wide range of activities and decisions that will help the entrepreneur with their business in a number of ways. The program was developed with direct input from experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, angel networks/fund executives, and venture capitalists, and provides an "insider's look" into the world of equity funding. By understanding what investors look for, entrepreneurs can reduce barriers to funding, navigate the process more easily, and increase the chances of obtaining funding for their business.

The program will be held in Winston-Salem on August 2, 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM, at Worrell Center, Wake Forest University. Registration is $295; however, a special scholarship rate of $95 is available courtesy of state and local sponsors. Space is limited, so registrations are on a first come, first served basis. More information and registration here.

Triad Forensics Laboratory Graduates from PTRP incubator

Triad Forensics Laboratory, a company that provides services such as forensics, environmental and product testing, is graduating from the Wet Lab LaunchPad incubator in the Piedmont Triad Research Park into a new location on Northgate Park Drive.

The move will allow the company to pursue new contracts and business opportunities that require a greater degree of security and privacy than was possible in the incubator, according to CEO Lauren Stainback. More.

Legal Insights for Entrpreneurs: Building Your Board of Directors

The following post is first in a several part series designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the sometimes turbulent waters of starting and managing new ventures. These tips come from Will Joyner, an attorney specializing in general business and corporate law with an interest in emerging growth and technology companies.

Our entrepreneur clients often ask for advice about the ideal composition of their Board of Directors. A Board of Directors (often called a “Board of Managers” in an LLC) has the ultimate authority for managing a company’s business; therefore, its members should be selected with care. While every case is different, there are a few basic principles that entrepreneurs should consider as they put together a Board of Directors for their start-up or early-stage company:

● Endeavor to maintain a Board with an odd number of directors: e.g., 1, 3, 5 or 7. This eliminates the possibility of the Board being deadlocked when voting on a key issue. Deadlock at the Board level can cripple a company, causing it to be mired in legal issues before it has a chance to succeed.

● Keep the Board as small and nimble as possible during the early stages of the company’s lifecycle. In some cases, this might mean a 1-person Board with the founder being the sole director. As the company grows, investors and other key stakeholders will likely seek representation on the Board; however, this should be a natural evolution and there is usually no need to rush this process.

● When outside investors require representation on the Board, one or more of your initial Board members may be asked to resign. It is usually advisable to make your initial Board members aware of this possibility up front, rather than waiting until their resignation from the Board is requested by investors.

● Think twice about placing your key employees on the Board. If you decide later that the employment of a key employee should be terminated (e.g., for lack of performance), it usually complicates the process if that key employee is also a Board member.

● Be careful not to confuse the role of an informal Advisory Board with the primary governance role of the Board of Directors. Having affiliations with experienced business and community leaders can be a great resource for an entrepreneur, and can also lend credibility to a new venture. However, it is usually best for these individuals to serve on an informal Advisory Board without any formal governance or fiduciary responsibilities.

submitted by Will Joyner
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

5 Minutes with Piedmont Triad Research Park President Doug Edgeton

I had the good fortune to be able to sit down with Doug Edgeton, President of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, for a few minutes last week. With a backdrop of the PTRP construction, we talked a little about the PTRP expansion project, and about Doug himself:

Q Tell us about your role at the Piedmont Triad Research Park.

A I get the privilege of serving as the President of the Piedmont Triad Research Park. It's a large-scale development in downtown Winston-Salem being led by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. We've taken on that charge to create space, not only for us, but for the entire community. PTRP is a benefit Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, and the Triad. We hope to be substantially completed by 2023.

Q What do you enjoy most about your job?

A The wonderful opportunity to see and interact with all of these small businesses and to work through this development. I've learned so much about things I never would have guessed that I would ever need to know about--pollutants in the ground, new technology for removing pollutants in the ground, etc.. I've really earned a great education throughout the whole process.

Q Speaking of education, does what you're doing today relate to what you studied in school?

A I have an undergraduate degree in Hospital Administration, a Masters in Public Health, and a Masters in Business Administration. This does relate very much to the business component, but not so much the masters in public health, at least not to date.

Q How did you get to where you are today? Did you have a mentor or some other inspiration?

A This ties together very much with growing the Medical School. I'm the Chief Business Officer for the Medical School. What we've been looking for is a way to increase the size and scope of the Medical School. In order to do that, we needed space to accommodate that growth. As we started looking for opportunities to create space for the Research Enterprise, we realized we needed a large enough footprint for 150 years and that's how we started acquiring property downtown.

When we began acquiring property and developed a Master Plan, Reynolds American approached us and said, would you like to include these abandoned factories in this project, because we think it's very exciting and could transform the community. So as we started down that path, I had many mentors, and many people advised me on how to make this become a reality.

Q How did you come to Winston-Salem and end up doing what you're doing?

A I was at the University of Alabama at Birmingham at the University of Alabama School of Medicine for 20 years before coming to Winston in 2000. I was recruited up here as the Principal Business Officer and Vice President for Wake Forest Health Sciences.

Q What do you do when you're not running the PTRP?

A I enjoy spending time with my kids, who are growing up fast and my wife. I spend a fair amount of time doing things in Winston-Salem.

Q What advice would you give to young people who would like to do what you're doing?

A Fortunately I do get a chance to mentor students at Wake Forest frequently. My advice to them is if you are going to try to do the research park part, there are different stages as you look around the country. We're in the Early Development stage so this is more real estate, real estate law, orientation toward some company recruitment. As you get into the more mature park, it's more about company recruitment and retention. My advice generally is to gain as much experience as you can with the commercial real estate world and know a lot about what it takes to make science commercially viable because that's going to be what happens in most parks.

Q What do you expect to be doing in 10 years?

A I hope to be finishing up Phase 2 of the Research Park and continuing to work at Wake Forest Baptist Health and the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Q What was your first job?

A The first one I got paid for, other than mowing grass and things like that, was as the Cash Manager. I sat in a room that was a former elevator shaft and I had safes that had alarms all around me. I counted money and managed a large cash operation at the University of Alabama.

Q Where is your favorite place to vacation?

A We like to go to Key West. That's been a favorite spot of my kids since we attended a meeting down there. As they've grown up we've continued to go back fairly regularly.

Q If you could pick anyone, which 5 people would you invite to a dinner party, living or dead?

A It would be a mixture of really interesting people. Paul McCartney--he's really cool. I would love to sit down with Bill Clinton and talk to him for a while. It wouldn't be bad to have George Bush there to get the other side of that coin. If you could really go back, I'd like to talk to Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.

NanoBio Executive Roundtable Series

Risk vs Reward: Financing Early-Stage, Emerging Technologies

Date: July 14, 2011
Registration begins: 5:00pm
Event: 5:30 to 7:30pm
Place: Piedmont Club (200 W. 2nd St., Winston-Salem)
RSVP: Click Here

For this July Roundtable event, COIN invites our entire nanobio community to join us in a discussion on Risk vs Reward: Financing Early-Stage, Emerging Technologies. The "Valley of Death" is critical funding gap common in many industries. COIN, on behalf of our members, will host a dialogue with several seasoned investors and entrepreneurs to provide a better understanding from the investor's perspective of the balance that is struck between risk and reward when making funding decisions for early-stage technologies. Because nanobiotechnology is an emerging field where many technologies are platform technologies with applications across mutliple industries, there are unique challenges and opportunities.

This panel session will be moderated by Andy Dreyfuss, a Fund Executive at the Piedmont Angel Network. Panelists include Scott Albert, a Venture Partner with Aurora Funds, Christy Shaffer, a Venture Partner and Managing Director with Hatteras Venture Partners, and Steven Walsh, a serial entrepreneur at the University of New Mexico. More

Triad BioSummer Program Concludes July 1 with Student Presentations

The 2011 Triad BioSummer program will conclude Friday, July 1 at 9:00 a.m. in Wake Forest’s Winston Hall with presentations from participating students. Triad BioSummer is a summer study program in its 8th consecutive year for local rising 8th, 11th and 12th graders considering a career in life sciences. The two-week long program provides over 40 students with a variety of hands-on classroom, campus, laboratory, and field experience.

Triad BioSummer is hosted by Wake Forest University, the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Council and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and students attend free due to support of the programs sponsors: Platinum – Reynolds American; Diamond – Banner, Cook Medical, and Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice; Gold – Bank of America, BB&T, Coach America, JFK Consulting, O’Brien Atkins, and Shelco; Silver –Champion, NC Biotechnology Center - Piedmont Triad Office, Piedmont Triad Research Park, Pura Vida Promotions, and Targacept.

New Venture Incubator -- Frameworks Seminar

"Taking Control of Your Career and Your Life"

Presenter: Mack Arrington, PCC

All of us are interested in the trajectory that our careers will take us. However, how seldom do we include a formal analysis of our talents and strengths to see if we are pursuing a good career fit. Mack is a leading business and life coach who incorporates self-analysis and network building into his presentation. This is a session that should not be missed. Do a favor for one of your collogues and bring her/him.

Tuesday, June 28 @ 7:30am
Piedmont Triad Community Research Center Auditorium
115 Chestnut Street Winston-Salem, NC

Frameworks is a monthly seminar series brought to you by the Wake Forest University New Venture Incubator.

Two Construction Projects Planned for Piedmont Triad Research Park

Winston-Salem City Council has approved starting construction on two projects that are expected to speed up development of the Piedmont Triad Research Park.

Construction on Research Parkway will begin in August after a years-long process of securing permits, federal and state grants and environmental licensing. Read more.

Atala Featured on "The Innovators" a Bloomberg News program

Dr. Anthony Atala was featured recently on " The Innovators" a program of Bloomberg News. Bloomberg News says "the world is swirling with ideas on how to make money, but true innovation changes the way we live."

The program discusses how Atala engineers human organs and the latest organ (the liver) to be tackled after his work with urethras, kidneys, and bladders. Atala concludes by asking a question that defines the true mission of his work: "How can we increase the number of tissues we bring to patients and how can we make more patients benefit from these technologies?"

Nominate Your Business for Cook Innovation Award!

Do you or someone you know have an innovative product, service, concept or procedure? The third annual Cook Medical Innovation Award, presented by Cook Medical in partnership with the Chamber, will recognize outstanding locally-developed and novel technologies that positively affect society. The winner will be presented a unique award designed by a local artist at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting luncheon on November 30. Click here for details and submission information.

PTRP Seminar Series

Speaker: Anthony Atala, MD
Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Location: PTCRC Building Auditorium
115 S. Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem

Time: Wednesday June 15, 9am–10am

The PTRP Seminar Series is a free, educational program hosted by the Piedmont Triad Research Park to help tenants in the Park get to know each other. The goal is to provide an opportunity for business owners and departments to share and discuss their services, products or skills with others.

Technology and Innovation Series Highlights Downtown Development

The WS Chamber of Commerce Technology and Innovation Series event at the Milton Rhodes Center featured a panel of three speakers. Doug Edgeton, President of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, Carol Strohecker, Director of the Center for Design Innovation and Jason Thiel President of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership all spoke about new and interesting initiatives happening in that part of Winston-Salem that used to be a ghost town…downtown. Gone are the days where you’d leave your downtown office and have to drive to meet friends for a drink or leave town to attend a forum or event surrounded by creative and technologically savvy leaders in their industry. Drinks, networking, technology and innovation are happening in downtown Winston-Salem.

Attendees of this series learned about the size and diversity of Piedmont Triad Research Park. Not only does the park have over 54 companies, employing almost 1000 people; these same individuals hail from 5 continents and 25 countries. The Research Park is expanding its footprint downtown beginning with a project to cleanup and restore the historic Bailey Point power plant for office or other multipurpose use. There are plans in the works to create a 24 mile walking/biking/skateboarding trail that will connect downtown to Salem Creek. And there are plans for a $105 million building restoration project. Building 91 and 92, former Reynolds American manufacturing buildings in the park, will be restored to eventually include an atrium, open staircases and house 400-500 workers.

Carol Strohecker shared the concept behind the start of the Center for Design Innovation” (CDI) which resulted from an economic development study (Angelou study) which recommended that Winston-Salem respond to the declining manufacturing industry trends by focusing on the creative industry and specifically design. CDI’s focus goes one step further by focusing on digital technology specifically motion capture and rapid prototyping. She also talked about tieing creativity and design to science and technology by thinking of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) versus STEM. CDI also has grand plans to build in the Research Park and their building will be LEED certified, might include solar panels and other environmentally friendly features that could results in energy savings of 30%.

Jason Thiel wrapped up the discussion by showing the audience the current downtown “map” and plans for the future. He indicated that the growth in downtown residents has increased and now averages about 57 new units occupied per year (rent or sold). Jason also remarked about the plethora of downtown eating establishments and commented wryly that if a restaurant is not successful, it’s no longer downtown’s fault”.

The session concluded with audience Q&A. From the size of the audience and the nature of the questions, interest in learning more about technology, downtown development and innovation continues to be strong. Visit this blog to keep updated on events in our community and learn more about technology initiatives.

Do Your Employees Qualify For Free Computer Training, Low-Cost Home Computers?

WinstonNet, a non-profit community technology initiative, provides free basic computer and Internet training for local residents through Connect Your Community. Those eligible include any "digitally disadvantaged" person – someone who does not use the Internet at home – over age 18. Upon completing the computer training, staff will assist students in finding the most economical Internet connection and can provide graduates with a subsidized, high-quality refurbished computer to take home for as little as $25. Learn more or call 336-703-4138.

Tech Series to Feature Research Park Updates!

The 2011 Technology and Innovation Series continues on Thursday, June 9, 8:30 am at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts with a discussion entitled: The Research Park and Downtown Connection: Developing a Work/Live/Play Community in the Heart of Winston-Salem! This event will feature the latest news and plans happening in the Park, along with a discussion about how our downtown’s revitalization can help attract and retain the workforce needed for the Park’s long-term success. Read more and register.

WFU Professor Training Digital Ants

As the nation’s electrical power grid becomes more interconnected through the Internet — from the nuclear power plant in California to transmission lines in Texas to the microwave in your kitchen — the chances of cyber attacks increase as well.

Professor of Computer Science Errin Fulp is training an army of “digital ants” to turn loose into the power grid to seek out computer viruses trying to wreak havoc on the system.

If the approach proves successful in safeguarding the power grid, it could have wide-ranging applications on protecting anything connected to SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) networks, computer systems that control everything from water and sewer management systems to mass transit systems to manufacturing systems.

More news about digital ants:
From TG Daily: Digital ants check networks for viruses
From Tech2: Virus protection takes inspiration from ants
From InfoSecurity: Can digital ants protect computer networks?
From Gather Technology: Researchers hope to use digital ant antivirus to protect the grid
From International Business Times: Researchers working on digital ants to flush out virus in computer networks

Fulp is working this summer with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Wash., on the next steps in the digital ants technology, developed by PNNL and Wake Forest over the last several years. The approach is so promising that it was named one of the “ten technologies that have the power to change our lives,” by Scientific American magazine last year.

Learn more.

Tech Council's Technology & Innovation Series is June 9

The Research Park and Downtown Connection: Developing a Work/Live/Play Community in the Heart of Winston-Salem!

Learn the latest about Winston-Salem's Piedmont Triad Research Park – what’s happening in the north and south districts, what’s being built, what it will look like. Find out what’s going on downtown to create the vibrant “live, work, play” environment that attracts and retains high-level talent. Speakers include: Doug Edgeton – President, Piedmont Triad Research Park; Carol Strohecker – Director, Center for Design Innovation and future tenant of the Park’s South District; and Jason Thiel – President, Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership. June 9; 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.; networking and refreshments follow; Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. Part of the Winston-Salem Chamber Tech Council’s Technology and Innovation Series. Title Sponsor: Cook Medical; Series Sponsors: BioNetwork, DataChambers, Wake Forest Baptist Health. Free, but registration required. Learn more and register.