BurrellesLuce
Express
75 East Northfield Road /
Livingston, NJ / 973-992-6600
| PUBLICATION: |
GSA BUSINESS |
| DATE: |
02-18-2008 |
| HEADLINE: |
Innovate Anderson puts new spin on economic
development |
Innovate Anderson puts new spin on
economic development
Innovation Center receives go-ahead to begin
construction
FRANCIS B. ALLGOOD, MANAGING EDnOR
The term
"innovate" means to introduce a new way of doing something, and that's exactly
w^t Innovate Anderson plans to do.
The Anderson County Development
Pcirtnership has changed its name to Innovate Anderson to hetter reflect its
mission. The role of the organization, formed in 1997, has often been confused
with the Anderson County Office of Economic Development.
But with 2007's
hiring of president Mike Panasko and acquisition of the Clemson Advanced
Materials Center, the organization's role took a tum.
"We're going to
look at brick emd mortar - perhaps the creation of a spec building," Panasko
says.
Innovate Anderson will serve as the marketing arm for the Office
of Economic Development, much like the Upstate Alliance serves the economic
development agencies across 10 counties.
"The Office of Economic
Development, they are really the project managers working with the companies
that are focused on finding a site and talking about incentive site plans,"
Panasko explains. "We're trying to generate leads for them."
Innovate
Anderson will not only market the region, but seek to purchase and identify lsmd
for economic development, including new industrial parks. Panasko says the
organization's name and logo conveys "action and a driven mission for designing
the future."
The Anderson County Office of Economic Development receives
all its funding through the county. Half of Innovate Anderson's funds come from
the city and county, with the other 50 percent through private-sector investment
The State Budget and Control Board recently gave final approval for the
construction of a 28,000-squ£ire-foot
Innovation Center at the Advanced
Materials Center, which Innovate Anderson took over from the S.C. Research
Authority. SCRA will build an adjacent building to house research support for
husiness startups. Selah Technologies LLC, SensoiTech Inc. and Tetramer
Technologies have been named as' possible tensints for the Innovation Center.
"This sounds like a perfect fit for Selah," says Michael Bolick, Selah's
president
Selah, a developer of nanotechnology-enabled products such as
carbonbased quantum dots, recently moved into larger lab and office space within
the Clemson University Research Foundation's incubator facility in Pendleton.
The company also hired Warren Weeks as vice president of product development
Weeks previously served as technology director for SC Launch, an SCRA grant
program for hightech industries.
"Innovate Anderson and the Innovation
Center, all of these things are great news for companies in advanced materials,"
Bolick says.
The state approved $5 million for the Innovation Center.
AdvanceSC, a grantwriting organization funded through Duke Energy Corp.,
provided $1 million for construction. The Duke Energy Foundation provided a $1
million endowment to support operation and maintenance. Innovate Anderson
invested $1.3 million to purchase the property.
Bolick says Clemson's
advanced materials initiatives and supported research adds value to Selah's
technology. The company plans to sign a joint research development agreement
with a major lighting company.
"The Selah dots could be used to improve
LED or solid-state lighting devices," he says, i^
"We're going to look
at brick and mortar - a spec building." perhaps the creation of u-l o i
. , . ^
~ ~ — Mike Panasko, innovate Anderson
INNOVATE ANDERSON
Designing the Future