The May Report: 1/19/2011: I’m too excited to wait for the regular report. Well, I guess it’s official. Ron May is not the only one who appears to believe that the ITA has become feckless and irrelevant to public policy issues under Howerton and Hoch. Ed Longanecker of TechAmerica, Maura O’Hara of the IVCA, David Miller of iBIO, and Matt Summy of ISTC would appear to believe that too!; ACG holds excellent conference on Smart Grid and that giant sucking sound is IT folks leaving IT to do clean energy stuff

Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.

Assistant editor: Melanie Adcock, iPHONE: 312-259-0610, melanie_adcock@msn.com

If you missed an article, go here: www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Scoop section:

– Actions speak louder than words: It’s official: Ron May is not the only one who believes that the ITA has become feckless and irrelevant under Howerton and Hoch when it comes to important public policy issues. It would appear that Maura O’Hara, Ed Longanecker, David Miller, and Matt Summy also believe that!

[Editor's note: Ron May here. I freely admit that I am gleeful. This press release says it all. First, that our tech organizations have failed us and there can be no debate about that. Second, that those in our tech organizations who have been trying to get something done, albeit far too little, have little regard and little respect for Howerton and Hoch who have quite obviously been MIA or Missing In Action.

O'Hara, Longanecker, Miller and Summy are saying that right here with a very big megaphone. They don't have to state it outright. I can read, as can you, between the lines.

I'm too excited to wait for the usual report to come out. It is great that they are forming this alliance but isn't it a case of too little, too late?

And look at what happened after Richard C. Longworth, Senior Fellow, Chicago Council on Global Affairs talked about the critical need for regional cooperation supposedly being spearheaded by his organization. Nothing, nothing is what happened, at least that's what Tom Figel told me.

I enjoyed a great afternoon yesterday at the ACG meeting on the Smart Grid which drew about 100 people and which was chalk full of some goodies. I saw three panels and was also there for two hours of networking.

The Clean Energy Trust has now announced its ten finalist firms for the $100K competition which will be completed on March 3rd at the Gleacher Center in a program being sponsored by ChicagoBooth. Four of the ten finalists are in the SmartGrid space.

Michael Gruber of Cornerstone Angels has raised an $11MM fund for energy resource investments.http://www.independence-equity.com/

A true jewel in the crown of Chicago and Illinois tech is a one hundred year old firm called S&C Electric. They have won various awards but until yesterday, I did not know how exceptional they really are. www.sandc.com

John Kelly, the executive director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative is saying that IIT now has a zero carbon footprint, if I understood correctly. www.galvinpower.org

Other good gossip to come. Mike Coop of Hey Coop came back here about eleven months ago from the West Coast and he is getting out of IT and into the SmartGrid. He has seven consultants now and is adding three more this quarter.

But SmartGrid is related to IT. Two guys at the conference yesterday were from West Monroe Partners, an IT consultancy. Heidi Levin formerly of Northern Trust is now a VP at the University of Chicago for energy. Tom Wieser worked for divine and SAP is now with Greenspark Energy as the regional manager:

GreenSpark Energy Solutions
1889 Maple Avenue

Suite 11-East
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: (312) 451-6443 (CST) (GMT-6)

Email: Twiesergreensparkenergy.com

Much more to come on the conference. The top five wind energy states are Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota followed, I believe, by Oklahoma.

Smart meters are on the wane and they were hot just two years ago, but they are being replaced by smart phones and other devices.

A big shout out to Craig Miller who is everything Hoch and Howerton are not. He's relaxed and friendly; he does not get fidgety when I come into the room; he has a genuine interest in the topics covered by the ACG and he made money as an investment banker before he took the ACG job full-time in the last three and a half years so the biggest thing on his resume is not running an association. In fact, he did so well in his previous life that he has lived in Kenilworth for 26 years.Kenilworth has only 2,800 families, he told me.

I have also heard that the board of SmartSignal was getting fed up with the firm's level of debt and its lack of sales and they wanted to just be rid of it. That is not confirmed and it is just a rumor at this point, but I will get going on an in-depth look into what happened there and what SmartSignal was sold for.

And Melanie has an addendum to her story on Fig1 for you which I hope she will have for us in the next day or so.

Let me get the regular report out. I am going to Tech Pitch tonight at 5:30pm and am very interested to hear what Joe Sprovien will reveal about the restaurant deals he has cut thus far. ]
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The Scoop section:
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Actions speak louder than words: It’s official: Ron May is not the only one who believes that the ITA has become feckless and irrelevant under Howerton and Hoch when it comes to important public policy issues. It would appear that Maura O’Hara, Ed Longanecker, David Miller, and Matt Summy also believe that!

Subject: TechAmerica Press Release – Industry Groups Announce Creation of Illinois Technology Alliance
Date: 1/19/2011 9:07:42 A.M. Central Standard Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: Midwest@techamerica.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 19, 2011

Contact: Ed Longanecker, TechAmerica, 630-282-4332
Matthew Summy, ISTC, 312-494-6176
David Miller, iBIO®, 312-422-1111
Maura O’Hara, IVCA, 312-201-2886

Industry Groups Announce Creation of Illinois Technology Alliance

Focused on Collaborating to Drive Innovation in Illinois

Chicago, IL – Today several leading industry groups announced the creation of the Illinois Technology Alliance (ILTA), a new coalition focused on ensuring innovation and economic growth in Illinois by leveraging existing government affairs efforts. The collaborative effort will work to advance policy initiatives in the 97th General Assembly and beyond that support job creation and economic strength for critical industry sectors, including high tech manufacturing, information technology, biotech, life sciences and venture capital.

Founding members of the Illinois Technology Alliance include the Illinois Venture Capital Association (IVCA), Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), Illinois Biotech Industry Organization (iBIO®) and TechAmerica. Working together, these organizations aim to create a stronger, more coordinated voice for innovation-driven public policy initiatives and industries in Illinois.

“Coordinating our government affairs efforts will allow us to better educate legislators on the opportunities and risks associated with changes in public policy,” said Maura O’Hara, Executive Director of IVCA, “the ability to avoid unintended consequences and embrace thoughtful change for our state will result in a robust economy and more jobs in Illinois.”

“Working in partnership, we can become a more effective and more productive partner to the Illinois General Assembly,” said Matthew Summy, President, Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, “Our objective is simple – coordinate and leverage Illinois’ extensive assets to become the national leader in innovation policy and job creation.”

“The basis for prosperity and good jobs in today’s global economy is innovation,” said iBIO CEO David Miller. “That means quickly bringing to market new goods and services based on new knowledge. Illinois is adept and generating new knowledge, and over time will become equally adept at building and infrastructure that commercializes these discoveries.”

The mission of the alliance will focus on policies and practices that are conducive to long-term economic growth for Illinois. Members of the Illinois Technology Alliance will support and separately advocate for state level policies, programs and practices that:

· Increase access to capital and promote entrepreneurship

· Ensure that the regulatory environment does not impede or discourage innovation or entrepreneurship

· Promote and support basic research

· Consistently invest in an educational system that provides students and workers with the skills to compete in a global economy

· Advocate for strong fiscal policies that establish a foundation which removes uncertainty for potential investors & entrepreneurs.

“Illinois possesses the critical success factors and potential to be a world leader in technology and high-quality job growth,” said Ed Longanecker, Executive Director, TechAmerica. “Our collective efforts will help to advance an innovation based policy agenda and leadership in these important industry sectors.”

*****

About TechAmerica

TechAmerica is the leading voice for the U.S. technology industry – the driving force behind productivity growth and jobs creation in the United States and the foundation of the global innovation economy. Representing approximately 1,200 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, it is the industry’s largest advocacy organization and is dedicated to helping members’ top and bottom lines. TechAmerica is also the technology industry’s only grassroots-to-global advocacy network, with offices in state capitals around the United States, Washington, D.C., Europe (Brussels) and Asia (Beijing). It was formed by the merger of AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association (GEIA).Learn more about TechAmerica at www.techamerica.org.

About ISTC

The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition cultivates economic development in Illinois by increasing resources for research & development (R&D) initiatives at Illinois-based institutions and businesses. The ISTC is a not-for-profit membership organization. www.istcoalition.org

About IVCA

The IVCA is comprised of firms and professionals dedicated to the development and growth of Illinois’ $80 billion venture capital & private equity industry. The IVCA advocates by for the industry promoting pro-growth public policies, building relationships with Institutional Limited Partners, collaborating on business initiatives and supporting a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. www.illinoisVC.org

About iBIO

The Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) champions biotechnology in Illinois and the surrounding Midwest region. Headquartered in Chicago, iBIO’s mission is to strengthen the leadership position of Illinois and the Midwest as a globally recognized center of medical, agricultural and industrial biotechnology. With leaders from business, academia and government, iBIO promotes the development and retention of new companies as well as corporate expansions. iBIO advocates for sensible public policy at the local, state and federal levels. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit www.ibio.org.

Best regards,

Ed Longanecker

Executive Director, Regional Vice President

TechAmerica

630-282-4332

ed.longanecker@techamerica.org

www.techamerica.org

AeA & ITAA have merged to form TechAmerica

Where the future begins
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