GSA Technology Council

Four new members have been added to the board of New Carolina—South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness.

The new board members are:

S. Hunter Howard, Jr. From 1992 until his retirement earlier this year, S. Hunter Howard served as the president and chief executive officer of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, the largest broad-based business and trade organization in the state. Under his leadership, in 2006 the organization received recognition by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the first state chamber to be Accredited with Distinction. Howard served in the S.C. House of Representatives from 1974 until 1982. In 1982, Gov. Richard W. Riley appointed him to the S.C. Tax Commission, which he later chaired. During his service he worked actively with practitioners, legislators and the taxpaying public to simplify the tax laws of South Carolina. He has served on numerous boards including the S.C. Board of Economic Advisors, the Charleston Southern University Board of Trustees, the S.C. Retirement System Investment Panel, and the United Way of South Carolina. He currently serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, the advisory council of the S.C. Commission on Higher Education, S.C. Law Enforcement Division task force, and in other leadership capacities.

Eric Schweitzer is the managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ Charleston office. He has practiced in the labor, employment and environmental law fields for more than 32 years. In his law practice, he is experienced in all aspects of labor relations and frequently helps employers establish and maintain union-free employee relations programs. He also focuses on environmental matters and has extensive experience conducting due diligence investigations in the course of acquisitions or sales of manufacturing and other facilities. He is a past president of the Greenville County Bar Association and currently serves on the professional responsibility committee of the South Carolina Bar Association. He has been listed in all editions of The Best Lawyers in America since 1994. He is a former Medical Service Corps Officer in the United States Air Force, where he served in the Philippines and Vietnam and participated in the release of POWs from Hanoi.

Jane Sosebee is director of external affairs for AT&T in South Carolina. She has more than 29 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Jane has been very involved in economic development. She chaired the boards of the Upstate Alliance and Innovate Anderson (formerly the Anderson County Development Partnership) and was one of the founding board members of the Oconee Alliance. She also chairs the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and is vice chairman of the Clemson University Foundation. She serves on the boards of Clemson University’s Finance Corporation, the Tri-County Technical College Foundation and Palmetto Bank.

Irv Welling III, CPA is shareholder and chairman emeritus of the Greenville office of Elliott Davis. He has practiced public accounting for more than 35 years with concentrations in business planning, medical, real estate, estate and trust planning, personal wealth management and general areas. He is extremely active in professional and civic activities including the Upstate South Carolina Regional Alliance, the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities board, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce board, the Greenville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau board, the Clemson University Board of Visitors, the USC Upstate Board of Visitors and numerous others.

via: New Carolina

Innovista Holdings, Inc., the private sector development partner for Innovista, has signed a contract with KIRCO, a commercial real estate development and construction company based in Michigan. KIRCO, which has a significant presence in the Carolinas, will serve as the contractor for the Horizon II building.

“We’re pleased to announce this next step in the building process for Horizon II,” said John Parks, executive director of Innovista and associate vice president for economic development at The University of South Carolina. “With this step, we are continuing to move forward in establishing a truly integrated, urban innovation district that establishes a vibrant, knowledge-based community and attracts the brightest minds and most innovative companies in the world to Columbia, South Carolina.”

Kale Roscoe of Innovista Holdings, LLC, the private sector development partner, added, “We are ready to begin work on Horizon II and will mobilize construction beginning the week of November 3.”

“The Horizon II project is a natural fit for our company,” said Mathew Kiriluk II, president of KIRCO. “With numerous projects throughout the Southeast, including the developing of Carolina Pines, a 2-million-square-foot Class A master planned industrial park in Blythewood, we are committed to the Carolinas.”

Horizon II, a 110,000-square-foot building, is estimated to cost between $20 million and $25 million. The five-story building will serve as office space for private companies and other entities that are collaborating with University of South Carolina researchers.

Three structures at Innovista have been completed and are operational. These include the public health research building and two parking decks. Three other structures will be completed in 2009, including the Horizon I, a five-story academic and research building under construction at Blossom and Main streets Discovery I, a five-story academic research building under construction on Greene Street across from the Colonial Life Arena and Horizon II, a private partner building adjacent to Horizon I.

via: Innovista

Sony Computer Entertainment America has released a new Media Manager for the PSP System. The Media Manager grants access to the PlayStation Store through the PC, easing the process of browsing, purchasing, and downloading of games, movies and television shows. The Media Manager also allows for organizing and syncing music, photos and other digital content for PSP.

“The latest firmware update for the PSP provides today’s entertainment enthusiasts with a truly mobile entertainment device by enabling the downloading of content on the go,” said Susan Panico, senior director of PlayStation Network, SCEA. “Because of the enhanced functionality, we felt it was necessary to expand the role of the PC application by giving users a means to further acquire and organize content for their PSP in a way that is intuitive and familiar.”

With the recent PSP firmware update (v. 5.01), PlayStation added direct access to PlayStation?Store on PSP, enabling consumers to browse the store and download games whenever they’re at a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Users of the legacy Media Manager will be able to update their software to incorporate the new features including access to the PlayStation Store. Consumers who own the retail version of Media Manager (v2.5) will be able to upgrade to the online Media Manager PRO (v3.0) for free.

Clemson University Tuesday celebrated its long-time connection with Nobel Prize-winner Charles H. Townes by naming its state-of-the-art optical science laboratories in his honor.

Townes was joined by his wife, Frances, and together they unveiled the sign for the Charles H. Townes Laboratories for Optical Science and Engineering located at the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory in the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center. Townes is most well known for his research that led to the development of the laser, for which he received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1964.

“It is an honor to return to Clemson to see the establishment of the Townes Laboratories,” he said. “Facilities such as these enable future generations of students who have a dream to go beyond science as we know it today.”

The dedication follows the 2005 creation of the Townes Fellows program, a joint effort by Clemson and Furman universities to bring Furman undergraduates to Clemson to conduct optics research with the COMSET (Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies) program.

Clemson has major initiatives in optical materials, bio-optics and laser technology while Furman is renowned for strong undergraduate programs in physics and chemistry. This premier program in the United States is comprised of research and educational initiatives centered on optical sciences and engineering. The first student to participate in the program now is a graduate student at Clemson.

A native of Greenville, Townes received his undergraduate degrees in literature and physics from Furman. He received the Nobel Prize for physics in 1964 for his research on the maser (microwave amplification by stimulation emission of radiation), which led to the invention of the laser, one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the 20th Century. Lasers are used in nearly all aspects of life today, including fiberoptics communications, laser processing in the manufacture of automobiles and many other commercial products, ophthalmology, medicine, defense and space applications.

Townes has received numerous international accolades over his career. Chris Przirembel, Clemson’s vice president for research and economic development, noted that Clemson was among the first to acknowledge Townes’ achievements with an honorary degree in 1963 when he delivered the commencement address.

“The Nobel Prize Committee followed our lead in 1964 by awarding Dr. Townes that most impressive and well-deserved award,” he joked.

On a more serious note, Przirembel added: “What an honor it is to have the name and the inspiration of Dr. Townes associated with this laboratory complex and with this program. I can think of no greater example for our students and faculty to follow as they pursue the future of optical science and engineering. His contribution to the world of optics is inestimable, and his personal examples of the pursuit of science and of a life well-lived are unmatched.”

Townes has continued an informal connection with Clemson over the years. He returned to the university in February 2000 to deliver the Godfrey Distinguished Lectures in Astrophysics. And two Clemson faculty members, Przirembel and Caron St. John, director of the Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, received the Charles H. Townes Individual Achievement Award from InnoVision, an Upstate organization that promotes excellence and leadership in technology.

John Ballato, COMSET director and associate vice president for research and economic development, spearheaded the move to name the laboratories for Townes. He said the association is powerful.

“Dr. Townes has spent his distinguished career committed to educating future generations,” said Ballato. “We are deeply grateful that his name will be associated with our program as a daily reminder of what has been and can be achieved. Dr. Townes is the first to remind students that they too possess the ability to make the next great discovery.”

In addition to being a Nobel Prize laureate, Townes also is a Templeton Prize recipient for contributions to the understanding of religion.

“A lot will be happening in the next 50 years,” Townes said. “We will be modifying humans and our genetics. We need to ask, ‘do we want to do that?; ask how and why. It will bring responsibilities. Let’s see us use those new powers well.”

Since 1967, Townes has been a professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, where he and Mrs. Townes live.

via Clemson

The e2Campus(R) emergency notification system for higher education is now integrated with Twitter. This enables e2Campus clients to push e2Campus alerts automatically and simultaneously to their school’s Twitter account without having to login into their Twitter account separately. Students who follow their school’s Twitter would then receive alerts through Twitter without ever having to sign up for e2Campus. There is no cost for e2Campus clients to utilize this new feature.

“Using technology that is most relevant to your students is the best way to reach them quickly,” stated Nick Gustavsson, Chief Technology Officer of Omnilert, LLC. “All the school has to do is add the free Twitter utility to their e2Campus account and then publish their Twitter name so students can follow it to receive alerts.”

via: e2Campus

Streaming video has unquestionably become a popular aspect of the Web.  With faster Internet connections the ability to watch videos directly from a browser has over the last several years become more and more accessible to a greater number of users.  Ipsos News Center, a company focused on providing survey-based research information, has recently released the findings of their Ipsos MediaCT’s MOTION study which has illustrated an increasing popularity of online streaming videos amongst women and older consumers.  The study illustrates a decrease in age and gender gaps in regards to interest in online video.

Findings from the study include an increase in percentage of women age 12 and older who streamed a video online in the last thirty days.  A year ago, in late 2007, statistics reported that 45% of women 12 and older had streamed a video in the last thirty days.  The percentage has increased this year to 54%  of women, which is very close to 58% of men in the same age range.  In another area of increase, the percentage of adults between the ages of 35 and 54 who have recently streamed online video has increased from 49% to 60% over the last year.

Ipsos has provided this graph to demonstrate other areas of change, by demographic, of online video streaming over the past year.

For more information about the study and it’s methodology please visit Ipsos

Zinc producer Horsehead Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Horsehead Holding Corp, (Nasdaq: ZINC), today announced it has broken ground at a site in Barnwell County, South Carolina, where it will build a zinc recycling facility. The announcement came at a ceremony celebrating the groundbreaking in Barnwell County.

Horsehead is constructing a recycling facility to process electric arc furnace dust, a zinc-containing waste produced by mini-mill steel production. The new Horsehead facility is expected to have a fully-installed capacity of 180,000 tons per year. Start-up of the first of two units is slated for mid-2009. The facility is Horsehead’s first Greenfield project.

via: Horsehead

Black Box Corporation has announced the acquisition of Network Communications Technologies, Inc. (NCT), a privately-held company based out of Charlotte, NC. NCT has an active customer base which includes commercial, education and various government agency accounts. Annual historical revenues of NCT are approximately $10 million.

Scott Fairman, former NCT Chief Operating Officer, commented, “This is a great opportunity for NCT. Not only will we have the Black Box name behind us, but also the capability to expand our offerings for existing customers and the resources to gain additional customers.” Mr. Fairman will continue with the business as Regional Operations Manager reporting to Mr. Gary Williams, Vice President and Regional General Manager for Black Box’s Voice Services operations.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mr. Williams stated, “We are excited about increasing our market share in the Carolinas with the acquisition of NCT. They will now have the capability to provide additional Voice, Data and Hotline services to meet their customers’ increasing demands for multi-location support.”

This transaction is being accounted for as a purchase. The purchase price has not been disclosed.

via Black Box

NaviscentGroup, a provider of CFO & Controller Services, Transaction Support and Turnaround Guidance, has launched practices in both Greenville, SC and Raleigh/Durham, NC to serve growing client needs in those areas. The Charlotte-based firm has also enhanced its team with Pam Clark, whose expertise is focused on real estate. The firm is experiencing rapid growth as small and mid-sized companies recognize the value of utilizing NaviscentGroup’s fractional-use financial management expertise.

“As more companies are forced to consider non-traditional alternatives for operating with a leaner staff and a leaner budget, we are ready to assist them with our high-impact expertise,” comments Paul Schmidt, Managing Partner for NaviscentGroup.

“As interest grows in our service model, more and more companies are reaching out to us,” comments Lonnie Lempert, Director in the firm’s Raleigh office. “The expertise and passion for developing core financial stability that we bring into client environments enables management to focus on products, operations, sales and marketing.”

“Today’s economic conditions and industry challenges have created a need within the real estate sector for the level of expertise that NaviscentGroup provides,” comments Pam Clark, NaviscentGroup Director and leader of the firm’s real estate practice. “Several levels of expertise are often required to adequately and appropriately meet client needs and NaviscentGroup’s depth and flexible options accomplish this.” With more than 20 years of real estate experience, Ms. Clark guides clients in the real estate sector, navigating the best course during challenging situations.

Throughout the Carolinas region, clients have access to unique and specialized expertise as part of the diverse service offering available from the NaviscentGroup.

The Raleigh/Durham and Greenville/Spartanburg regions have access to the expertise that Messrs. Lempert and Andy Thrower, NaviscentGroup’s Partner in the Greenville office, bring to their practices. Mr. Lempert has diverse experience in mergers and acquisitions, business analysis, divestitures, business planning and cash management. Mr. Thrower offers over thirty years of experience in senior financial positions and expertise in international manufacturing and distribution in the public and private sectors. He is also a member and Agenda Committee Chairman of the Small Business Advisory Committee of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and is currently serving a four-year term on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC).

“We’ve been pleased with the responses in Greenville/Spartanburg,” adds Mr. Thrower. “Executive teams and boards are interested in outsourced resources and fractional service models because of the value and the level of expertise they bring to their companies.”

via NaviscentGroup

Geomagic, a company focusing in digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP), has received an $8 million investment from Valhalla Partners. The funds will be used to develop innovative products and software platforms in engineering and medical markets, accelerate growth rates, and build a scalable business infrastructure.

“Geomagic represents an ideal match for our investment philosophy,” says Scott Frederick, a general partner at Valhalla Partners and now a member of Geomagic’s board of directors. “The company has patented technology, market leadership, and a strong management team. Geomagic has demonstrated the ability to consistently increase revenue while maintaining a high level of profitability. We are thrilled to help Geomagic attain its next stage of growth.”

Since its inception in 1996, Geomagic has developed a range of award-winning products for DSSP, which describes the process of digitally capturing physical objects and automatically creating accurate 3D models for downstream design, analysis and inspection. Current Geomagic products include:

• Geomagic Studio for digital reconstruction of complex physical objects;
• Geomagic Qualify, which enables fast, 3D graphical comparisons between CAD models and as-built parts for first-article inspection, inline or shop-floor inspection, trend analysis, and in-depth assessment;
• Geomagic Fashion for quickly extracting design intent of physical objects and creating CAD-ready surfaces for mechanical design;
• Geomagic Blade, the first inspection tool based on unique requirements from leading turbine-machinery companies for automatic dimensioning of turbine blades;
• Geomagic Review, free software for inspection analysis and collaboration; and
• Geomagic Piano, a dental CAD/CAM software platform that can be customized for dental equipment manufacturers.

Version 10 of Geomagic Studio and Geomagic Qualify, released earlier this year, were the most successful new product launches in the company’s history, coming at a time when DSSP is being acknowledged as a key to greater productivity and cost savings. A recent study by the Aberdeen Group stated that best-in-class companies are 2.7 times more likely to use DSSP in design and inspection than are less-successful companies.

“The support of Valhalla Partners is another validation of our technology and the growing acceptance of the DSSP market category,” says Ping Fu, Geomagic president and CEO. “We think the time is right to use our dominance in the early adopter market as a springboard into broader professional markets. Valhalla has the experience, integrity and industry know-how to help us build a great company.”

via Geomagic