GSA Technology Council

At the January GSA Technology Council meeting, Greenville Mayor Knox White will provide an update on economic development in the city and update us on how the city initiatives will make Greenville a better place to build and grow a technology business.

About our speaker

Knox H. White has been Mayor of the City of Greenville since 1995. A cornerstone of his leadership has been advancing neighborhood initiatives, neighborhood revitalization, and involving citizens in city government.

Now serving his 11th year as Mayor, he has spearheaded downtown retail and residential revitalization. His most ambitious project has been reclaiming the birthplace of Greenville, the historic Reedy River Falls, and the creation of a world-class public garden along the river. more…

GSATC Learning Lunch

Topic: Greenville City Initiatives
Presented by: Greenville Mayor Knox White
Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: Crowne Plaza (Map: I-385 at Roper Mtn.)

Agenda

11:30 – 11:55 Registration, Networking, Lunch
11:55 – 12:10 Announcements
12:10 – 12:50 Presentation
12:50 – 1:00 Door Prizes, Adjourn

This meeting features easy access from I-385, plenty of free parking, ample networking opportunities, a great presentation, and door prizes. Plan to attend.

Lunch is $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

RSVP Online

Online registration closed. Please register at the meeting.

Slides

Audio

Press the play button below to hear the presentation by Mayor Knox White.

Event Photos

Link: View 2008 GSATC Photos online

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Bradley J. Smith, President of ProActive Technology, LLC, was a speaker at the BMW SPAB Suppler Day meeting on December 12 at the BMW Zentrum. Bradley’s presentation “Are You in the Driver’s Seat? Right Time / Right Size Information” focused on operational business intelligence. The day was designed to share best practices information with the SPAB suppliers. “Most all companies have silos of data. We are getting more and more request from companies that want to know how to get access to the information they need to manage and run their business” said Smith. ProActive Technology is a leading provider of customer application solutions, SharePoint solutions and business intelligence consulting.

via ProActive Technology

New Carolina, South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness has formed the South Carolina Engineering Cluster. Lee Stogner will lead the cluster and its steering committee which represents government, economic development, academia, engineering companies and professional societies aiming to promote engineering in South Carolina. New Carolina defines a cluster as a group of interconnected companies in a similar line of business that collaborate to build and expand their products and services. Specific goals of the Engineering Cluster include the following:

- Promoting the services and products of state-based engineering organizations
- Promoting continued investment in the South Carolina engineering economy
- Providing a forum to discuss engineering issues in the state
- Partnering with others in the growing Knowledge Economy
- Recognizing the accomplishments of South Carolina engineers
- Encouraging young students to choose engineering as a career
- Telling the accurate story of engineering

There are more than 45,000 South Carolina engineers developing new technologies and designing major projects around the world in almost every industry including electronics, automotive, chemical, biotech, energy and infrastructure. “The creation of the South Carolina Engineering Cluster will help continue the growth of this important part of the South Carolina economy,” said New Carolina Executive Director George Fletcher. “It provides ties linking Personal Pathways to Success in schools to career clusters for students, and will also positively impact other clusters such as Advanced Security.” New Carolina Change Agent Beth Meredith is facilitating the Lowcountry’s Advanced Security Cluster in Charleston, South Carolina. “We’re excited to partner with Lee on helping fill some gaps in workforce that our Advanced Security Cluster has identified. The industry needs more engineers that are ready to fill the available jobs in this growing cluster.”

More information on the Engineering cluster can be found on their web site, www.southcarolinaengineering.org, or by contacting Lee Stogner at leestogner@southcarolinaengineering.org.

Together with partners, S.C.’s Council on Competitiveness is driving the movement towards a New Carolina – a South Carolina with a brighter future and a competitive, winning economy. The focus is on a strategy to play to the strengths of the state’s core industries, emphasize education, and build an environment that fosters innovation. Visit www.newcarolina.org for more information.

Baker Consulting has relocated their Greenville office to 1200 Haywood Drive.

“With the influx of business over our last five years, Baker Consulting required a larger space for our growing staff.” commented Danny Baker, Principal for Baker Consulting, LLC, “We have added several new Consultants because of our increase in business. Our new office will accommodate this growth as well as the future growth we expect on into 2008.”

Baker Consulting is a professional consulting firm providing business management solutions, Sage Accounting and CRM consulting. They have offices in Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina.

Products featuring new technologies dazzled mainstream consumers in 2007 with the Apple iPhoneTM topping the list of the Sixth Annual Most Memorable New Product Launch (MMNPL) Survey. Thirty seven percent of consumers named the iPhone the most memorable new product launch, while two other high-tech products —Windows Vista® at No. 2 and Motorola Razr2TM at No. 9 — made the Top 10. Additionally, the iPod® video nano came in at No. 11.

The study, sponsored by Schneider Associates, BNP Media’s New Products Magazine and IRI and conducted by comScore, surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers about the most memorable new product launches of the year, current purchasing and behavioral trends.

Nabisco had a great year with its Oreo brand as Domino’s Oreo Dessert Pizza finished at No. 4 and Oreo Cakesters came in at No. 6. Oreo has a long list of co-branding projects, with past partnerships with T.G.I. Friday’s (Oreo Madness), Burger King (Oreo Sundae Shake) and most recently with Baskin-Robbins (Oreo Explosion). This year, strong marketing support of both products, including the popular “Domino’s Oreo Pizza Moustache” ad campaign directed by the Perlorian Brothers, gave Oreo two of the most memorable launches of the year.

“These Oreo branded products aren’t mere line extensions. They are great examples of incorporating long-adored products into innovative new platforms,” said Joan Holleran Driggs, editor of New Products Magazine. “As an ingredient in everything from ice cream to pizza, Oreo cookies have found a home in a broad array of product categories. Every marketer should embrace such strategic thinking.”

An interesting trend arose from this year’s list with three “health-on-the-go” products making the Top 10: alliTM Weight Loss Capsules at No. 5, Diet Coke PlusTM at No. 7 and Subway Fresh FitTM Meals at No. 8. Subway continued building its brand with a stunning 90 percent of respondents saying that whether a product is “fresh” has at least some influence on their purchase decision. Seventy eight percent of consumers polled said they look for “whole grains” and 75 percent look for “no trans fat.”

“Consumers are continuing their quest for healthy alternatives,” said Char Partelow, Senior Vice President of Consumer and Shopper Insights at IRI. “Even outside of the top 10, two of the products with the highest awareness among respondents were Dannon Danactive Yogurt Drinks and Hostess 100 Calorie Cupcake and Brownies, reinforcing consumer’s unwavering focus on better-for-you products.”

Recall of new products remained low this year as 77 percent of respondents failed to name a single product in the Top 50 new products launched in 2007, including the iPhone. This is just a slight change from the five-year all-time high of 81 percent who couldn’t recall a product on the Top 50 list in 2006.

“It has become increasingly difficult to launch new products and services that really capture consumers’ attention,” said Joan Schneider, president of Schneider Associates, a Boston-based marketing communications firm, and author of “New Product Launch: 10 Proven Strategies.” “Even with the stunning success of the iPhone, recall is still remarkably low.”

New Product Trends for 2007

The 2007 Schneider Associates, New Products Magazine and IRI Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey asked consumers which trends influenced their purchases most. Seventy four percent said they were more likely to purchase a product if it was “Made in the USA.” Additionally, 67 percent said their purchasing decisions were influenced by the country of origin, perhaps indicating a backlash from the recalls of toys manufactured in China due to concerns over lead paint poisoning.

While the iPhone dominated memorability, just 1 percent of Americans surveyed said it was a “must have” item for this holiday season. Nevertheless, high-tech products still commanded top spots on holiday wish lists. Thirty one percent of all respondents wanted some kind of technology or consumer electronics product, with 9 percent reporting they wanted a flat screen, HDTV/LCD or plasma TV and 6 percent saying they wanted a Nintendo WiiTM (which was No. 2 on last year’s Most Memorable New Product Launch list).

Top 10 Most Memorable New Product Launches 2007

Based on the feedback of 1,024 consumers nationwide, here is the complete Top 10 list, with percentage of respondents who listed the product launch as one they most remember in 2007:

1.) Apple iPhoneTM (37 percent)

2.) Microsoft Windows Vista® (26 percent)

3.) Febreze® Candles (14 percent)

4.) Domino’s Oreo® Dessert Pizza (10 percent)

5.) alliTM Weight Loss Capsules (10 percent)

6.) Oreo® Cakesters (10 percent)

7.) Diet Coke PlusTM (9 percent)

8.) Subway Fresh FitTM Meals (8 percent)

9.) Motorola Razr2TM (8 percent)

10.) Listerine Whitening® Quick Dissolving Strips (7 percent)

The Annual Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey identifies which product launches are most memorable to consumers each year. Now in its sixth year, the survey was based on feedback from 1,024 respondents aged 18 or older and was conducted online in the United States during November 2007 by comScore.

Carbon fibers that are only one-10th the size of a human hair but three times stronger than steel may hold up to the intense heat and radiation of next-generation nuclear power generators, providing a safety mechanism. The “Gen IV” power-generating reactors are being designed to provide low-cost electricity, but with a built-in safety mechanism current reactors do not have.

Amod Ogale holds a carbon-fiber composite sample.The Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded Clemson University chemical engineering professor Amod Ogale, deputy director of the Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films (CAEFF), a $450,000 grant to research carbon fibers embedded into a carbon matrix that do not melt in extreme temperatures for potential use in Gen IV power generators. About 20 percent of electricity produced in the United States is from nuclear sources.

“One proposed design of the next generation of nuclear plants will consist of a helium-cooled generator that will operate in the range of 1,200 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit,” Ogale said. “A critical safety requirement for this reactor is that it can shut down safely in the event of a malfunction where coolant flow is interrupted. Steel alloys currently used internally in reactors melt at the peak temperature of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, where carbon-fiber composites do not.”

Carbon-fiber composites already are used successfully in jetliner brake systems because of their ability to withstand high temperatures without melting. However, their performance in a nuclear environment is not adequately understood.

Ogale and his team will study the neutron-radiation damage effects on carbon fibers.

His prior research has shown that including carbon nanotubes (large molecules of carbon that are tube-shaped and 30 nanometers in size) in carbon fibers leads to the development of a more uniform texture that improves the properties of the ultra-thin carbon fibers.

In his research, Ogale expects to generate high graphitic crystallinity, a solid-ordered pattern that is evenly distributed so that any changes in fiber properties due to radiation can be minimized.

Irradiation experiments will be conducted in collaboration with researchers at Oak Ridge National Labs. South Carolina State University researchers also will participate in the study.

“This research will lead to a fundamental understanding of how the nanotubes set themselves up to provide radiation-damage tolerance to carbon fibers,” said Ogale.

via: Clemson

BioE®, Inc., a biomedical company that provides human stem cells for drug discovery and therapeutic research, announced today a review article published in the December 2007 issue (Vol. 35, Issue 12) of the journal Experimental Hematology features its Multi-Lineage Progenitor Cell™ (MLPC™) as a cord blood stem cell with potential for therapeutic and cell regeneration applications.

Dan Collins, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer for BioE, contributed to the paper with leading physicians and researchers from Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center. Specifically, the review’s authors cite the MLPC’s controlled and extensive differentiation capabilities; genetic stability and lack of teratoma formation; and ability to develop pure clonal cell lines as key characteristics that define the stem cell’s high utility compared to embryonic stem cells and adult-source stem cells.

“BioE’s MLPC stem cell shows great promise as a critical cord blood stem cell that in the future could be utilized to regenerate a variety of tissues including cardiac, skin, nervous, pancreatic (insulin producing) among others,” said senior author Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., chief, Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. “As stem cell research continues to advance on many fronts, cord blood stem cells — including the MLPC — likely will provide researchers a viable source of cells to help repair numerous tissues within the body in the near term. Compared to embryonic and adult stem cells, cord blood stem cells are widely available, and their immaturity and flexibility should produce larger quantities of homogeneous tissues or cells for transplantation and help minimize rejection of generated tissue when transplanted into a mismatched host.”

While cord blood stem cells were once considered functionally limited, the review’s authors discuss a voluminous body of research demonstrating their ability to differentiate into non-blood-related cells and tissue lineages. For example, research shows the cord blood-derived MLPC stem cell has the ability to turn into cells representative of the three different embryonic germinal layers, including liver and pancreatic precursor cells, terminally differentiated liver cells, lung cells, fat cells, cartilage cells, bone cells, skeletal muscle, blood vessels, neural stem cells and nerve cells.

“The MLPC is an attractive cord blood stem cell for many researchers due to its significant differentiation capabilities, easy accessibility and ability to maintain genetic stability through 80 doublings,” Dr. Collins said. “The clonally derived cells can be expanded into therapeutically relevant numbers of cells, thus providing a pure population of identically behaving cells.”

Current MLPC Adoption

During the past two years, more than 100 academic research institutions, corporate laboratories and pharmaceutical organizations located around the world have licensed the MLPC from BioE for a variety of stem cell and regenerative medicine research and drug development purposes. Additionally, BioE is engaged in a variety of collaborative stem cell research partnerships to further advance its understanding of the MLPC.

via BioE

Blackbaud, Inc’s Marc Chardon, the company’s chief executive officer, has been appointed to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Industry Advisory Council (IAC) for a three-year term starting in 2008. CASE is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who serve them through their work in alumni relations, communications, marketing and development. The IAC was formed in 2003 to provide CASE with executive counsel and advice on opportunities to expand its relationship with educational partners within the advancement industry.

“CASE is pleased to have Marc as a member of the IAC,” says Donna Hasslinger, vice president of member relations. “His enthusiasm for the work that CASE does and his strong leadership will be definite assets as we work to better serve our corporate affiliates and expand our relationships with educational partners within the advancement industry.”

Chardon joined Blackbaud as chief executive officer and president in November 2005. He previously served as chief financial officer for the Information Worker business group at Microsoft, where he was responsible for the core functions of long-term strategic financial planning and business performance management. He joined Microsoft in August 1998 as general manager of Microsoft France. Prior to joining Microsoft, Chardon was general manager of Digital France. He is an economics honors graduate from Harvard University.

First National Bancshares, Inc. and Carolina National Corporation announced today that the shareholders of both companies have approved their proposed merger.

Jerry L. Calvert, First National’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are pleased that shareholders of both companies support the proposed merger. This transaction is the perfect opportunity to complement our existing presence throughout South Carolina and expand on our current loan production office in Columbia. We look forward to offering expanded loan and deposit products and services to Carolina National’s existing customers, while continuing to provide the superior customer service they are accustomed to. We are proud to welcome Carolina National’s customers, employees and shareholders to our combined company.”

The transaction will create the ninth largest financial institution headquartered in South Carolina and the eighth largest deposit franchise of community banks operating in South Carolina based on information reported to the FDIC as of June 30, 2007. The combined company will also be the sixth largest publicly-traded financial institution headquartered in South Carolina with pro forma market capitalization of approximately $83 million based on the pro forma shares outstanding and the closing stock price of First National as of December 12, 2007. Based on financials as of September 30, 2007, the combined company would have nearly $812 million in assets, over $673 million in net loans, and approximately $648 million in deposits on a pro forma basis. Following the merger, First National Bank of the South will operate eleven full-service banking offices serving the Spartanburg, Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston markets. No Carolina National branch closures are expected to result from the transaction.

Roger Whaley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carolina National, added, “We are excited about joining the First National family, which will allow us to provide even more products and enhanced services to our customer base. This partnership will enable us to capitalize on the combined company’s infrastructure and continue to build on the strong foundation created by Carolina National’s directors and employees.”

First National was advised by Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett, Inc. Carolina National was advised by Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. and McColl Partners, LLC.

Mr. Calvert concluded, “We look forward to the successful completion of this merger and are eager to capitalize on the opportunities it represents. Thanks to the additional capital, our combined company will be well positioned for future asset growth and the expansion of the bank’s branch network. In addition, consolidating our resources and expertise will allow us to support economic growth and development in our banking communities.”

First National and Carolina National announced their intention to merge in August 2007. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, acting under authority delegated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, has approved the application by First National Bancshares, Inc., Spartanburg, South Carolina, to acquire Carolina National Corporation, Columbia, South Carolina, pursuant to Section 3(a) (5) of the Bank Holding Company Act. Customary regulatory applications for approval of the proposed merger are currently being reviewed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008, pending these regulatory approvals.

ABOUT FIRST NATIONAL

First National Bancshares, Inc. is a $574-million asset bank holding company based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol FNSC. It was incorporated in 1999 to conduct general banking business through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, First National Bank of the South.

First National Bank of the South provides a wide range of financial services to consumer and commercial customers through three operating divisions – the banking division, small business lending division, and the wholesale mortgage lending division. The banking division operates seven full- service branches, three in Spartanburg County operating as First National Bank of Spartanburg, and four operating as First National Bank of the South in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Greenville and Greer. First National also operates loan production offices in Columbia, Daniel Island and Rock Hill, South Carolina.

First National Bank also operates a small business lending division under the name of First National Business Capital, and this division provides small business lending services to customers in the Carolinas and Georgia. First National Bank’s wholesale mortgage lending division provides services to community banks and mortgage brokers across the Southeast from its office on North Main Street in Greenville. In addition to these services, First National offers trust and investment management services to its customers through an alliance with Colonial Trust Company, which has offices in Spartanburg and Greenville. Additional information about First National is available online in the Investor Relations section of www.firstnational-online.com.

ABOUT CAROLINA NATIONAL

Carolina National Corporation is $228-million asset bank holding company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina and conducts a general banking business through its subsidiary, Carolina National Bank and Trust Company. The bank opened on July 15, 2002, and conducts its activities from its main office, three full-service branch offices, and loan production offices in the Columbia and Rock Hill, South Carolina areas.

Baker Consulting, LLC, has added Kevin Gillen as a Systems Consultant.

Gillen brings to Baker Consulting over 5 years of ERP consulting experience and over 3 years of CRM implementation experience. Gillen is a certified Sage SalesLogix CRM engineer and developer. Kevin’s extensive background in CRM and ERP software includes project management, pre-sales support, implementation consulting, customization, end user trainer and technical support.

“Baker Consulting is seeing a large pickup in the general CRM market,” commented Danny Baker, Principal for Baker Consulting, LLC, “With all Gillen’s previous experience in the CRM and ERP field our clients will gain an easier transition into their new applications.”

Gillen will be based in the Greenville, SC office. He received his Bachelor degree from Bob Jones University.