Abstract
The decade-long alignment of top state political leadership that supported the creation of Tech Valley has passed, and many of the original regional and local leaders that spearheaded the development effort are no longer engaged. The institutional disarray that followed one player’s indictment and conviction, the shift in focus by state policymakers toward development of other upstate regions, and the continuing regulatory, financial, and operational travails of the Luther Forest Technology Campus underscore the fact that to be sustained, the successes achieved in the Capital Region will require a significant ongoing commitment by business, academic, and political leaders.
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Notes
- 1.
“Has ‘Tech Valley’ Peaked?” Albany, The Times Union (November 11, 2013).
- 2.
See Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), pp. 138–149.
- 3.
Interview, Saratoga Springs, New York (September 16, 2015).
- 4.
According to Bruno, who asked the governor for funds to support SUNY Albany’s nanotechnology research, Governor Pataki at first responded that “my staff doesn’t think it’s real. Not one of them. And we’re not going to waste the money.” But, as Bruno recalls, “The truth is, once [Pataki] got behind high tech he was a remarkable leader.” Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), pp. 135–136.
- 5.
“Bruno will Retire, End 32-year Career—‘Time for Me to Ride off into the Sunset,’ Senator Says in a Statement,” Albany, The Times Union (July 16, 2008). Bruno left office in the shadow of an investigation of his business dealings which culminated in his acquittal by a federal jury in 2014. Bruno was convicted of honest services mail fraud in 2009. On appeal the conviction was thrown out when the Supreme Court ruled in another case that honest services must include proof of a kickback or bribe. Bruno was retried on the same charges and acquitted in 2014. “Bruno Acquitted,” Albany, The Times Union (May 17, 2014). Bruno commented afterward that “The federal government spent 3 years investigating me, and I fought with the government in court for another five, all of which gave me a close look at a legal system overwhelmed by uncontrolled prosecutorial discretion and a judge who many thought enabled the prosecutors.” Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), p. xi.
- 6.
He recalled that “gradually, I began directing funds to HVCC, sometimes in dribs and drabs, other times sizable appropriations.” Not long after becoming Majority Leader, he “got a quarter of a million dollars of seed money for the Center for Economic Growth. Their representatives used the funding to travel around the country and to Germany to learn about chip fabs and to drum up interest in putting one of them here.” Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), p. 138.
- 7.
Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), pp. 3 and 137.
- 8.
Joseph L. Bruno, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice (Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2016), p. 137.
- 9.
“Bruno, Others Did Hard Work for Nanotech,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (May 12, 2012).
- 10.
“Mr. Bruno’s Civics Lesson—He Defends ‘Three Men in a Room’ Budget Talks as Providing Benefits for the Capital Region,” Albany, The Times Union (October 27, 2006).
- 11.
Silver resigned in the face of an indictment on federal corruption charges. Silver, who vowed to fight the charges against him, was convicted in May 2016 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He is appealing his conviction based on the US Supreme Court’s decision in McDonnell v. United States, which reversed the corruption conviction of a former governor of Virginia. “Silver Like Skelos, Can Remain Free While Appealing Graft Conviction,” The New York Times (August 26, 2016).
- 12.
“Nano’s Seeds Planted Long Ago,” Albany, The Times Union (October 3, 2011); “Seed Cash for Tech Valley,” Albany, The Times Union (February 23, 1999).
- 13.
“Nice Move,” Albany, The Times Union (February 10, 2010).
- 14.
“One Troubled Tech Park in Malta,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (April 6, 2014).
- 15.
“Development Councils in Trouble,” Albany, The Times Union (March 19, 2011). During the 2017 budget negotiations, the “three men in a room” were actually four—Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan; and Senator Jeff Klein, who leads an eight-person breakaway group, the Independent Democratic Conference. “Whether three or four, the depiction of an exclusive club of legislative leaders and the governor alone in ‘the room’ mapping out the state’s interests behind closed doors, is not entirely accurate. Often in the room are senior staffers—including budget directors and chiefs of staff—who are intensely involved in negotiation and planning, while outside voices—interest groups, lobbyists, rank-and-file legislators, think tanks, and others—also wield some, usually small degree of influence over the participants and their decisions.” See “The ‘Three-Men-in-a-Room’ and Millions Outside,” Gotham Gazette (March 30, 2017).
- 16.
New York law requires a 3-day waiting period between the time a bill is printed and when it is voted upon, affording time for review by lawmakers and the public. This requirement can be overridden; however, if the governor issues a “message of necessity” waiving the 3-day waiting period, to “speed the process along.” One citizens’ group representative objected in 2017 that “The message of necessity in the passing of the state budget has become as predictable as snow in January.” See “The Three Men in a Room and Millions Outside,” Gotham Gazette (March 30, 2017).
- 17.
In the 14 years prior to Cuomo’s administration, governors and legislative leaders had vested in themselves the authority to borrow up to $7 billion “mostly for projects to be named later, at their discretion.” The Syracuse Post-Standard, which ran a series of investigative reports into this tradition, commented in 2011 that “over the past 14 years, the state has authorized a total of $7 billion of borrowing under more than a dozen different names and acronyms. The money does not go through the normal channel—the state comptroller’s office. Instead the money is handled by two independent public authorities—Empire State Development and the Dormitory Authority.” See “Lawmakers still have their Pet Projects—Senate and Assembly Balk at Giving Governor Control of Unspent Funds,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (March 20, 2011). Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, succeeded Duffy in 2015. “Her Inheritance: An Eagerness to Serve,” New York Times (May 29, 2011).
- 18.
“The Recipe for NY’s Success,” Albany, The Times Union (January 13, 2011); “Cuomo Names Local Board Members and Officials to 10 New Regional Economic Councils,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (July 28, 2011).
- 19.
“Cuomo Fund-Raisers Preceded Development Funding Awards,” Politico (December 9, 2014).
- 20.
“Real Regionalism Needs to be Restored,” The Times Union (January 10, 2012). Critics of this arrangement charged that legislators’ “member items” were merely being replaced by “governors’ items.” In 2011 Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, expressed concerns over vesting the ESD with authority to make final award decisions: “One official shouldn’t have the final word.” See “Economic Councils Come Under Fire,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (April 24, 2011). ESD is advised by a Strategic Implementation Assessment Team (SIAT) which makes annual assessments of each region’s progress and makes recommendations with respect to state investments in individual projects. The Assessment Team is comprised of New York State commissioners as well as an international trade expert from the US Department of Commerce and an expert on veterans’ affairs. “ESD Team Reviews EDC Funding Proposals,” Massena, Daily Courier-Observer (September 13, 2014).
- 21.
In 2011 Julie Shimer, chairwoman of the ESD, said in an interview that the regional councils were, in effect, screening mechanisms for ESD. In terms of picking the best projects, she observed that “despite its best efforts, making those decisions from Albany [is] always difficult. It’s hard to have all the information on the ground and hear from all the stakeholders. So the governor feels, and I certainly agree with him, that getting the regional input is very important. Certainly all the state agencies did the best job they can with the information they have, and I think what’s going to happen now is, we’ll have much higher quality information and we’ll be able to compare these proposals.” See “How to Fix NY’s Business Climate—It Starts with Regional Community-Based Planning, Says Development Corp. Chairwoman,” Syracuse, The Post–Standard (August 18, 2011).
- 22.
“Cuomo Wields a Hammer to Nail Down Development for an Unsteady Region,” The Buffalo News (April 13, 2017).
- 23.
“State Development Strategy is Incoherent,” Glens Falls, The Post-Star (December 15, 2016).
- 24.
While discussing the reasons his company chose New York over other locations around the world for its next chip fab, AMD CEO Hector Ruiz said that, among other things, state and local officials had put together “the most well-crafted economic development package he could recall seeing.” See “Tech Valley Vision Pays Off Big—Chip Maker AMD Hopes Rivals will Also Build Plants in Region,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (June 24, 2016).
- 25.
Howard Zemsky, former Co-Chair of the Western New York REDC and subsequently President and CEO of ESD, in “Instead of Finger-Pointing, Region Finds Focus with Council Strategy,” The Buffalo News (April 13, 2017).
- 26.
“No More Bad Old Days—Legislators Should Give Up Their Wish to Dole Out the State’s Development Cash,” The Buffalo News (February 4, 2017).
- 27.
“Another Voice: Regional Councils—Economic Progress Under Threat from State Senate,” The Buffalo News (February 28, 2017).
- 28.
“Empire State Development Approves $46 million for GCEDC’s STAMP plan,” The Daily News (August 18, 2016).
- 29.
“‘Super Region’ Marketing Part of $75K Contract,” Batavia, The Daily News (December 2017). “Trump Weighs Heavily on 1366 Technologies Project—STAMP—Federal Loan, Competition from China will Factor in Manufacturers’ Plans,” Batavia, The Daily News (January 17, 2017). 1366, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, has pioneered a technology for producing silicon wafers by casting them in their ultimate shape in a mold, rather than the conventional method of slicing them from an ingot. The company believes that its technology will cut the cost of solar wafers by 50%.
- 30.
The Schenectady Daily Gazette said in a March 2017 opinion piece that “most people don’t want to publicly disclose information about their finances, but REDC members are not most people. They are well-connected business and community leaders who decide what to do with billions of dollars of taxpayer money.” See “Time for Transparency with Economic Councils,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 15, 2017).
- 31.
“Lawmakers Want Changes in How Cuomo Spends,” The Buffalo News (March 14, 2017).
- 32.
“Lawmakers Battle Cuomo on Oversight of Job Programs,” The Buffalo News (May 14, 2017).
- 33.
Transparency international, Anti-Corruption Glossary <http://www.transparency.org/glossary/terms/transparency>.
- 34.
Lawrence Lessig, “Against Transparency,” New Republic (October 9, 2009).
- 35.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “No Surrender: Toward Intolerance of Crime,” Address to the Association for a Better New York (April 15, 1993).
- 36.
“Control Freaking: Legislators Vent at Cuomo for Hogging $3 B in Budget Power,” New York Daily News (February 4, 2013).
- 37.
“Frustrated Lawmaker: ‘There Ought to be some collaboration on Nano’s Syracuse,’” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (March 9, 2014).
- 38.
“Big Project, Big Promises,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (October 12, 2014); “New York is Placing Big Bets in Upstate Cities,” Associated Press State Wire: New York (September 12, 2015).
- 39.
“Big Project, Big Promises,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (October 12, 2014).
- 40.
“‘Export’ Plan Part of Larger State Strategy,” Albany, The Times Union (November 10, 2013).
- 41.
“‘Export’ Plan Part of Larger State Strategy,” Albany, The Times Union (November 10, 2013). START-UP NY has been “widely criticized for meager job creation despite heavy state spending to advertise it.” In 2017 the governor was reportedly rebranding the program and revising the eligibility criteria. State officials continued to predict that the program would create about 4000 jobs in the next several years. “A Low Return Investment,” Albany, The Times Union (March 26, 2017).
- 42.
Michael Liehr, who was named CEO of a new integrated photonics institute being established in Rochester, said in 2015 that “there is certain to be job creation in the Capital Region that comes from the research [in Rochester] . . . . There’s something in it for Albany.” See “Institute to Bring More Jobs to Light,” Albany, The Times Union (August 2, 2015).
- 43.
“What Happens at Quad-C?” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (March 25, 2017).
- 44.
“$50M is Back of the Pack,” Albany, The Times Union (December 20, 2012).
- 45.
“Billions at Stake in Tech Arms Race as Luther Forest Flounders,” Albany Business Review (October 18, 2013).
- 46.
“Nano fab X a ‘Small Miracle,’ McCall Says,” Albany, The Times Union (February 15, 2012).
- 47.
“82.8M Win for Region,” Albany, The Times Union (December 12, 2013).
- 48.
“A Slice of Funding Pie for U Albany,” Albany, The Times Union (December 9, 2011).
- 49.
University at Albany, “State Budget Keeps Campus Moving Forward,” Press Release (April 19, 2017).
- 50.
“Cuomo Show Reveals the Big Winner,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (December 16, 2011).
- 51.
“After a Half-Century of Decline, Signs of Better Times for Buffalo,” The New York Times (September 18, 2006).
- 52.
“After a Half-Century of Decline, Signs of Better Times for Buffalo,” The New York Times (September 18, 2006); “Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?” New York, The Sun (October 19, 2007).
- 53.
“How to Survive the Recession: From a City That Knows Some Guidelines on Stemming the Deluge,” The Buffalo News (February 24, 1991).
- 54.
“Buffalo Must Build Industrial Base to Halt Economic Freefall,” The Buffalo News (January 24, 1995). The Buffalo News observed in April 2017 that “For the better part of four decades, we chased silver bullet solutions, from the Ghermezion brothers’ mega-mall in Niagara Falls to its similarly misguided cousin, Benderson Development’s Niagara Falls Factory Outlet mega-mall, and the most silvery bullet of them all, a Bass Pro at what is now Canalside. It was a parochial approach, guided by individual interests first and foremost. It was a ‘What’s in it for me?’ approach that put the community’s interests second, at best. It also was an object failure.” See “Cuomo Wields a Hammer to Nail Down Development in an Unsteady Region,” The Buffalo News (April 13, 2017).
- 55.
Ray Rudolph, chairman of the Albany-based engineering firm CHA companies, said in 2015 that Buffalo has “a history of manufacturing. The heritage is important because of the public acceptance—there is no NIMBYism. They have good bones. Lots of water, lots of sewers, power, all the infrastructure needed to support manufacturing, it’s already there.” Interview, Albany, New York (September 16, 2015). “Miracle Predicted for Area Economy—Editor of Forbes Sees City’s Rebirth,” The Buffalo News (May 13, 1989); “Buffalo Must Build Industrial Base to Halt Economic Freefall,” The Buffalo News (January 24, 1995); “Upstate’s Famously Defeatist Attitude Just Another Obstacle in the Way of a Resurgence—Are You a Defensive Pessimist?” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (February 18, 2007); “Buffalo Among Strongest Metro Areas,” Buffalo News (September 15, 2009); “Can the Bio-Economy Succeed in Buffalo?” The Buffalo News (April 28, 2002); “Resuscitating the Heart of the City,” The Buffalo News (May 13, 2001).
- 56.
“Why Cuomo is Devoted to Buffalo,” The Buffalo News (January 22, 2017).
- 57.
“UB Hires ‘Rock Star’ of Bioinformatics,” The Buffalo News (April 27, 2002); “A Buffalo Match Gone Wrong?” The Buffalo News (April 15, 2004); “The Bioinformatics Dream Gets a Wake-Up Call—Center Has Yet to Meet Expectations as an Engine of Economic Development,” The Buffalo News (June 19, 2005).
- 58.
“Lawmaker Battle Cuomo on Oversight of Job Programs,” The Buffalo News (May 14, 2017).
- 59.
“A Billion for Buffalo, is the City Ready?” The Buffalo News (January 29. 2012).
- 60.
“The Wind and Sun Are Bringing the Shine Back to Buffalo,” The New York Times (July 21, 2015).
- 61.
“Cuomo Goes Out on a Limb by Pushing ‘Buffalo Billion,’” The Buffalo News (January 29, 2012).
- 62.
“Cuomo Aide Offers Update on State Plans for Buffalo,” The Buffalo News (June 14, 2012). Howard Zemsky, co-chairman of the Western New York REDC, said that “if we can make strategic choices, fact-based decisions, we can make progress. But I caution people that we’re not going to look like Portland, Oregon in 2013 or 2014 . . . . We have people who are looking for jobs and jobs that are looking for people, and the two don’t always match up . . . . We’ve had many decades of population decline and job loss. Unless we are successful in implementing these strategies, we will have continued decline.” See “Fixing Our Economy is Slow Work,” The Buffalo News (February 10, 2013).
- 63.
“Patient Approach Deemed Vital,” The Buffalo News (February 8, 2013).
- 64.
“Buffalo Billion Goes Right Here Thanks—Area Reaping Benefits in Attitude, Economy,” The Buffalo News (January 29, 2015).
- 65.
“State Investment Follows Public-Private Partnership Model,” The Buffalo News (February 25, 2014).
- 66.
“State Officials Want Buffalo to Become a Hub for Life-Sciences Innovation, and they are Investing $50 Million Toward Making that Vision a Reality,” The Buffalo News (February 17, 2013). The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, established in 2001, is comprised of seven institutions, including the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo General Hospital, and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Approximately 17,000 people are employed in the campus.
- 67.
Howard Zemsky said that “Our whole strategy for the medical campus, out whole focus, was to populate it with private-sector jobs.” See “Companies to Complete Move to Permanent Home in 2015,” The Buffalo News (December 8, 2013).
- 68.
“Albany Molecular to Open Buffalo Center,” Albany, The Times Union (December 5, 2012); “A Model Partnership,” Albany, The Times Union (December 8, 2012). At the end of 2015 Perkin Elmer joined AMRI as a partner in the initiative, supplying AMRI with equipment used in its research. “Companies to Complete Move to Permanent Home in 2015,” The Buffalo News (December 8, 2013).
- 69.
“Project Will be Located at Former Coke and Steel Plants,” The Buffalo News (November 21, 2013). Soraa subsequently altered its plans and decided to locate its plant in Syracuse.
- 70.
“This is Like the Bills Winning the Super Bowl,” The Buffalo News (November 22, 2013).
- 71.
“Medical Campus Gets $50 Million,” The Buffalo News (March 29, 2014).
- 72.
“WNY Prospects ‘Haven’t Been this Bright in a Very Long Time,’” The Buffalo News (April 1, 2014).
- 73.
“$1 Billion Delivered—With the New State Budget, Governor has Met His Ambitious Goal for Buffalo,” The Buffalo News (April 2, 2014).
- 74.
Roswell Park and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in the Medical Campus were established leaders in genetics, structural biology, and cancer research. In 2013 Roswell Park launched its Center for Personalized Medicine, where researchers decipher and analyze the genes of individual patients in order to develop improved tests and treatments for genetic abnormalities. “Cutting-Edge Science—Genome Center Can be Another Key Part of a Growing Medical Powerhouse,” The Buffalo News (January 19, 2014).
- 75.
The industry partners included AESKU Diagnostics, a developer of diagnostic tests and instruments, and Lincagen, which uses DNA to test children with symptoms of autism and other forms of developmental challenge. “Cutting-Edge Science—Genome Center Can be Another Key Part of a Growing Medical Powerhouse,” The Buffalo News (January 19, 2014).
- 76.
The new center was named the Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub. IBM also planned to use SUNY Buffalo’s large computing capability to translate genome research under way at a Manhattan facility into practical healthcare applications. “IBM to Bring 500 Jobs to Buffalo—Cuomo to Announce Plan for IT Center Downtown,” The Buffalo News (February 24, 2014).
- 77.
“The place to be—IBM Becomes the Latest Trophy in Cuomo’s Effort to Revive Buffalo,” The Buffalo News (February 26, 2014).
- 78.
“Center to Develop Innovative Products,” The Buffalo News (January 17, 2014); “Officials are Expected to Decide a Plan for Rainbow Center,” The Buffalo News (April 5, 2014).
- 79.
“SolarCity Strategy Reinforces Buffalo Niagara,” The Buffalo News (June 19, 2014).
- 80.
“SolarCity’s Riverbend Project packs a Major Economic Wallop: Promises 3,000 Jobs, $5 Billion Investment,” The Buffalo News (September 24, 2014).
- 81.
“Yes, It’s Buffalo ... City’s Transformation is Augmented with Explosive Growth of RiverBend,” The Buffalo News (September 25, 2014).
- 82.
Between March 2016 and March 2017, SolarCity eliminated 3000 jobs, or 20% of its workforce. SolarCity lost $820 million in 2016. “SolarCity Cut its Workforce by 2009 in 2016 … 3,000 Positions Gone in Cost-Saving, More as Buffalo Plant Gears Up,” The Buffalo News (March 3, 2017).
- 83.
“Solar Industry Slowdown Catches Up with SolarCity,” Investopedia (May 5, 2017).
- 84.
“Tesla and SolarCity Merger Gets Approval from Shareholder,” CNBC (November 17, 2016).
- 85.
Under the 10-year arrangement, Panasonic will help pay for capital costs at the SolarCity plant in Buffalo, while Tesla committed to buy Panasonic solar cells and modules to be used in Tesla’s glass tile roofs and other products. “Panasonic’s investment is significant because the Buffalo plant is expected to require more capital through the end of 2018 as it begins to ramp up production.” See “Tesla and Panasonic Finalize SolarCity Deal—Japanese Tech Firm to Invest $256 Million,” The Buffalo News (January 18, 2017).
- 86.
“Factory Plans Very Different from Original,” The Buffalo News (March 8, 2017).
- 87.
“SolarCity Has Promised to Hire 1,460 Workers,” The Buffalo News (January 18, 2017).
- 88.
“Hiring Time Has Arrived at SolarCity—Here’s What Job Seekers Should Expect as They Apply for Entry-Level Positions at the Plant,” The Buffalo News (January 29, 2017).
- 89.
Solar tiles are a premium product that look like regular roofing shingles—an alternative to “clunky solar panels” and are paired with energy storage capability. “In a Shrinking Market, Tesla Tackles SolarCity Changes,” The Buffalo News (May 5, 2017).
- 90.
“Buffalo Billion II Ensures Against One-and-Done,” The Buffalo News (April 7, 2017).
- 91.
“Tesla Confirms Production Start for Solar Roofing…Says Manufacture of Tiles in Buffalo Last Month as Hiring Continues,” The Buffalo News (January 10, 2018).
- 92.
Interview with Darren Suarez, director of government affairs, Business Council of New York, Albany, New York (October 28, 2015).
- 93.
“The Wind and Sun are Bringing the Shine Backs to Buffalo,” New York Times (July 20, 2016).
- 94.
“The Wind and Sun are Bringing the Shine Backs to Buffalo,” New York Times (July 20, 2016); “Buffalo In Removable Economics resurgence,” Free Enterprises (July 15, 2015); “New Day in Buffalo … City’s Revival is Gaining Momentum as Many Key Components Take Shape,” The Buffalo News (January 24, 2015); “Millennials Find Reasons to Live in Buffalo,” The Buffalo News (February 2, 2015); “Investments Helping Change New York’s Anti-Business Tag,” The Buffalo News (October 18, 2015); “A Long Time Counting … Region’s Positive Employment Numbers are the Product of Much Dynamic Effort,” The Buffalo News (November 28, 2015); “Watershed Moment … Buffalo is About to Reap Major Benefits From Years Of Planning and Investment,” The Buffalo News (January 29, 2017).
- 95.
“Change in Attitude … A Billion Dollars Later, Buffalo’s Shedding its Reputation for Botching Development,” The Buffalo News (February 9, 2015). Buffalo scored some successes in traditional manufacturing sectors in 2016 as well. General Motors revealed plans to invest $328 million in two Buffalo Niagara factories, including a new engine line in its Town of Tonawanda plant. Sumitomo Rubber said it would invest $87 million in its 93-year-old tire factory in Tonawanda. General Mills indicated it would shift some of its cereals production from other locations to its Buffalo plant. “Corruption Probes Have Wide Impact,” The Buffalo News (January 18, 2017).
- 96.
“Cuomo Goes Out as a Limb by Pushing ‘Buffalo Billion,’” The Buffalo News (January 29, 2012).
- 97.
“Pumping Up State Economy Must Include US … Let’s See Some Regional Balance Coming from Albany,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (February 2, 2012).
- 98.
“Nano Heads out of Town,” Albany, The Times Union (April 12, 2013).
- 99.
“Nano Heads out of Town,” Albany, The Times Union (April 12, 2013). The Canandaigua facility was originally a Kodak clean room for solar electronic technology manufacturing. It came on the market during Kodak’s Chapter 11 proceedings, which began in 2012. The state persuaded DoE to underwrite most of the cost of equipping the facility, transferring $19 million worth of equipment from a DoE site in Silicon Valley. “‘Export’ Plan Part of a Larger State Strategy,” Albany, The Times Union (November 10, 2013).
- 100.
Photonics devices use light instead of electricity to perform processes such as transmission of data and sensor functions. “Integrated” photonics incorporate numerous functions on a single chip, such as sensors, wave guides, multiplex . . .” all that stuff goes into the chip, not the box. That reduces power by many orders of magnitude.” These devices are incorporated in larger systems, such as automobiles, airplanes, communications systems at home appliances. Photonics devices hold the promise of enabling transmission of more information using much less data than conventional devices. Interview with Mike Fancher, associate professor of nanoeconomics , CNSE, Albany, New York (January 26, 2017).
- 101.
“NY Wins $600 Million Hub for Photonics Research and Development,” Associated Press State Wire: New York (July 27, 2015); “Region Selected for $600M Research Hub,” Canandaigua, Daily Messenger (July 28, 2015).
- 102.
“A Roadmap for US Integrated Photonics,” Optics & Photonics (March 23, 2017).
- 103.
“Forging Photonics Alliance,” Albany, The Times Union (July 28, 2015).
- 104.
“Hub Aims to Bridge Gap Between Research, Product Development,” The Buffalo News (March 18, 2016); “Cuomo: 2 Firms to Bring 1,400 Jobs,” Canandaigua, Daily Messenger (March 31, 2016).
- 105.
“Governor Cuomo Announces Milestone Reached at AIM Photonics in Rochester,” US Fed News (May 28, 2017).
- 106.
“High Hopes Built on Tiny Chips,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (October 20, 2013). Twenty million dollars in state funding was allocated to the project via the REDC process in 2011. Mohawk EDGE, an economic development group based in Rome, New York, began pitching Marcy as a site for semiconductor manufacturing in 1997. The Computer Chip Commercialization Center was conceptualized under Governor Paterson in 2009, with the original cost forecast at $45 million. “SUNY IT Tech Partnership to Bring 475 Jobs,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (July 15, 2009).
- 107.
“Ground Being Broken at Marcy Nanotech Site,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (June 27, 2013).
- 108.
“SUNY IT Investment Upped to $1.5 Billion—Governor Unveils Plan for Companies at Quad C,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (October 11, 2013).
- 109.
“Major Quad C Expansion on Horizon—Investment Doubling; More Jobs Possible,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (January 18, 2015); “Heastie: ‘Have Some Faith’ in Quad C—Assembly Speaker Stops in Utica During Upstate Tour,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (July 24, 2015).
- 110.
“Chip Plant Headed for Marcy,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (July 28, 2015).
- 111.
“Marcy Nanocenter Moving Forward—AMS Plant Construction to Begin in Spring,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (December 7, 2015).
- 112.
“Breaking Ground on Nano Promise,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (April 21, 2016).
- 113.
“Nano Utica Back to the Drawing Board—‘Offers on the Table’ After AMS Backs Out, Dimeo Says,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (December 20, 2016).
- 114.
Silicon carbide is a new material used in “wide bandgap” semiconductors which are more efficient than the silicon-based chips which are currently used to power devices and systems. According to the Department of Energy, silicon carbide-based devices could enable the shrinkage of a laptop computer power adapters to about one quarter of the current size. The new devices have broad potential industrial application, including a substantial reduction in the size of power-generating substations. “Cuomo: Chip Project Makes NY Competitive,” Troy, The Record (July 15, 2014).
- 115.
“Huge in Nano,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (August 21, 2015).
- 116.
“GE , AMS Buildup to be Phased in,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (August 22, 2015). GE has a long history in the Utica area. It built a facility to make radio tubes in Utica in 1944 and expanded its operations dramatically after World War II. At its height, GE employed 6000 people in Utica. The company encouraged its employees to advance themselves and sometimes paid their tuition. One resident commented in 2015 that “Just about everyone in this community has had some relationship with GE at one time. It was the big employer in the area outside Griffiss Air Force Base.” See “Will GE Bring Good Things to Life Again?” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (August 30, 2015).
- 117.
Interview with Mark Little, former head of GE Research, Schenectady, New York (April 7, 2017).
- 118.
“Cuomo: Computer Chip Project Makes NY Competitive,” Troy, The Record (July 15, 2015). The state will own the buildings and equipment. “New Tech Investment,” Albany, The Times Union (July 16, 2014).
- 119.
Interview at GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York (April 6, 2016).
- 120.
“What Happens at Quad C?” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (March 25, 2017). “The Real Deal: Danish Company to Move into Quad C Promises 300 Jobs in Coming Years, Production Set to Begin in 2018,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (March 25, 2017).
- 121.
“GE Funding Power Chip Partnership with SUNY Poly,” Albany, The Times Union (December 26, 2017).
- 122.
“Lighting Lured—NY spends $90 million on a Facility to Attract a California Firm’s 400 Jobs to Dewitt,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (November 1, 2015).
- 123.
“Nano Hub Update,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (February 25, 2015).
- 124.
“Update: Film House Again Delays Production of First Local Movies,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (February 26, 2015).
- 125.
“Cuomo’s $15 Million High-Tech Film Studio? It’s a Flop,” The New York Times (August 22, 2016).
- 126.
“SUNY Poly in Loop for Filmmaking,” Albany, The Times Union (April 2, 2017).
- 127.
“State’s $15 million Film Hub Sold for $1 After Flopping,” The Buffalo News (June 3, 2018).
- 128.
“Film Hub in DeWitt—New Award Category: Best Revival of a Failing Project,” Syracuse, The Post-Standard (January 28, 2017).
- 129.
Pradeep Haldar, Vice President of CNSE’s Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Clean Energy Programs, observes that it takes 3–4 years to build a building using university bidding rules. “Fuller Road Corporation enabled it much faster.” Interview, Albany, New York (November 30, 2016). Skidmore Professor Cathy Hill, who served as counsel to the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce during the outreach effort to attract a chip fab to the region, called the Fuller Road-type nonprofits “brilliant” because the SUNY Research Foundation and its corporates do not operate under university rules and are much less constrained in forging deals with companies. Interview, Saratoga Springs, New York (September 16, 2015).
- 130.
“Restore DiNapoli’s Oversight … Legislature Shouldn’t Have Limited Comptroller’s Authority Over Contracts,” The Buffalo News (April 12, 2012).
- 131.
“Reform Groups Seek Transparency,” Albany, The Times Union (October 3, 2016).
- 132.
“More SUNY Review Urged,” Albany, The Times Union (September 28, 2016).
- 133.
Edward V. Schneier, John Brian Murtaugh, and Antionette Pole, New York Politics: A Tale of Two States (Armonk and London: M.E. Sharpe, 2010), pp. 246–249.
- 134.
“The Transparency Trap,” The Atlantic (September 2014).
- 135.
“Delay Upsets SUNY Poly,” Albany, The Times Union (September 26, 2015).
- 136.
“SUNY Poly Details Oversight and Transparency Process Regarding Buffalo Projects,” Memorandum by Jerry Gretzinger, SUNY Poly Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations (September 26, 2015).
- 137.
Oversight bodies included Empire State Development, which was the designated funding agency, with additional financial oversight by the Division of the Budget (DoB) and, “as appropriate, the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). “SUNY Poly Details Oversight and Transparency Process Regarding Buffalo Projects,” Memorandum by Jerry Gretzinger, SUNY Poly Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations (September 26, 2015).
- 138.
“More SUNY Review Urged,” Albany, The Times Union (September 28, 2016).
- 139.
“Pay Delays Tied to Filings,” Albany, The Times Union (August 4, 2016).
- 140.
“Require Full Transparency for SUNY’s ‘Private’ Nonprofits,’” Albany, The Times Union (September 28, 2016).
- 141.
“Reform Push in Scandal,” Albany, The Times Union (October 15, 2016).
- 142.
“SUNY Poly’s Plaudits Criticized,” Albany, The Times Union (December 26, 2016).
- 143.
“Bid-Rigging Trial Begins for Ex-State University of New York Official,” Reuters (June 18, 2018); “Alain Kaloyeros, Powerful Centerpiece of Buffalo Billion, Could Become a Household Word,” Gotham Gazette (September 29, 2015).
- 144.
Interview with a former New York State senior official (May 2017).
- 145.
Interviews in Albany (2015 and 2016).
- 146.
Interview at CNSE, Albany, New York (November 2016).
- 147.
“Blame Grows, Creation Slows,” Albany, The Times Union (February 19, 2017).
- 148.
“State Unit Gets Key Revitalization Job,” Albany, The Times Union (September 24, 2016).
- 149.
“Zemsky in the Driver’s Seat for Buffalo Billion II,” The Buffalo News (January 11, 2017).
- 150.
“Blame Grows, Creation Slows,” Albany, The Times Union (February 19, 2017).
- 151.
“SUNY Poly Units Review,” Albany, The Times Union (November 18, 2016).
- 152.
“SUNY Poly Spokesman Leaves Job,” Albany, The Times Union (November 30, 2016).
- 153.
“SUNY Poly Settles Low, Tries to Clear ‘Kaloyeros Hangover,’” Politico (March 27, 2017).
- 154.
“Nano Utica Announcement Now Set for Friday,” Albany, The Times Union (March 22, 2017).
- 155.
“Local Officials Excited, Relieved About Danfoss Announcement,” Utica, Observer-Dispatch (March 25, 2017).
- 156.
The state invested $39 million in the Canandaigua lab and sold it to Akoustis for $2.75 million. Megna commented that “You could talk about the $39 million that was there and no jobs. Now we have a recovery of some of the facility and the promise of 200 jobs and $20 million in investment. We can look at some of these things as negatives or, take the view that it wasn’t performing the way we wanted to and that now we have a private sector company.” “SUNY Poly Settles Low, Tries to Clear ‘Kaloyeros Hangover,’” Politico (March 27, 2017).
- 157.
“Scandal Roiled Chip Sector,” Albany, The Times Union (May 31, 2017).
- 158.
“SUNY Poly Lands $1.75 Million in Grants,” Albany, The Times Union (February 16, 2017).
- 159.
“Budget Hand Megna Coming to SUNY Central,” Albany, The Times Union (October 19, 2017).
- 160.
“Return to Trust in Tech School,” Albany, The Times Union (May 6, 2018).
- 161.
“New Leadership at SUNY Poly,” Albany, The Times Union (May 15, 2018).
- 162.
“$880M SUNY Poly Lab in the Works,” Albany, The Times Union (November 16, 2018).
- 163.
Applied Materials, “New Applied Materials R&D Center to Help Customers Overcome Moore’s Law Challenges,” Press Release, November 15, 2018.
- 164.
“The Buzz,” Albany, The Times Union (November 18, 2018).
- 165.
Interview (October 2015).
- 166.
Interview with Linda Hill, Albany, New York (October 28, 2015).
- 167.
“Bruno, Others Did Hard Work for Nanotech,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (May 12, 2012).
- 168.
“No Rush to Fill Leader Posts at Saratoga Business Unit,” Albany, The Times Union (January 16, 2008); “Luther Forest Pioneer Leaving—Kelley was Founding member of SEDC,” Albany, The Times Union (January 15, 2008).
- 169.
“Familiar Face at SEDC’s Helm—Brobston, Who Spent 10 Years with Agency, Is Its New President,” Albany, The Times Union (February 6, 2008).
- 170.
According to Brobston, SEDC refused to include a county official on its board because it would open SEDC’s negotiations with businesses to the public. Such negotiations typically do not become serious until nondisclosure agreements are signed. Brobston said in 2016 that “We are a private organization, so we have no issue with confidentiality. They [the Prosperity Partnership] are required to report their minutes and everything online. FOIL doesn’t apply to us, but it does apply to them.” “New Program to Help Local Businesses,” Glens Falls, The Post-Star (March 31, 2016).
- 171.
“SEDC Responds to Saratoga County’s Decision Not to Renew Contract,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (May 2, 2013).
- 172.
“Partnership Has a Home—But No Staff Yet,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (January 10, 2015).
- 173.
“Out of Sync in Saratoga,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (June 11, 2013).
- 174.
“Planting Seeds in Luther Forest,” Albany, The Times Union (December 14, 2015).
- 175.
“SEDC Still Dealmaker After Split,” Albany, The Times Union (January 24, 2016).
- 176.
The Prosperity Partnership is promoting the creation of the Next Wave Center, a physical location that would house semiconductor, supply chain, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing companies, provide education and training, and offer business support services. An advisory council was established to oversee the project in 2017, chaired by Gary Patton, chief technology officer of GlobalFoundries. SEDC, supported by National Grid, is coordinating a strategic study of energy use and needs in the Capital Region and claims credit for attracting new companies and supporting growth by established local companies. “Advisory Council to Help Area’s Tech Industry,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (June 11, 2017); “SEDC Reports on its Impact,” Albany, The Times Union (July 22, 2016); “Tax Deals Eyed for Kitware HQ,” Albany, The Times Union (May 3, 2017); “Economic Developers Push for Technology Work Space” Schenectady, The Times Gazette (June 8, 2017).
- 177.
“Billions at Stake in Tech Arms Race as Luther Forest Flounders,” Albany Business Review (October 18, 2013).
- 178.
“IDA Sets Meeting to Sort Out SEDC, Prosperity Ties,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 15, 2016).
- 179.
“Economic Development Groups Make Case to IDA—One Organization Wants to be Exclusive Marketer,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 24, 2016).
- 180.
“Deal Reached With Economic Development Groups—IDA Says It Will Work with Both Agencies,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (July 20, 2016).
- 181.
The Schenectady Daily Gazette observed in 2014 that “if George Pataki were still in the Executive Mansion and Joe Bruno in the Senate majority leader’s seat instead of legal jeopardy, there wouldn’t be a problem [at Luther Forest]. The two would have simply funded money to the park and technology companies that would occupy it, as they did with $100 million to initially develop the park and $1.2 billion in grants and tax credits to GlobalFoundries. But under three Democratic governors since 2007, the park has been left to fend for itself. And it has not done well.” See “One Troubled Tech Park in Malta,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (April 6, 2014).
- 182.
Interview with Dennis Brobston, president, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation. Saratoga Springs, New York (October 28, 2015).
- 183.
“State Takeover of Luther Forest Technology Campus Raising Concern,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (October 27, 2010); “Saratoga County Eyeing Luther Forest Campus Takeover,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (December 15, 2010). The prospect of an immediate state takeover receded when ESD head Dennis Mullen, who made the threat to the Luther Forest management in October 2010, was replaced by Kenneth Adams in January 2011, following the election of Governor Andrew Cuomo. “Head of Business Council Named to Lead State Economic Development Group,” Glens Falls, The Post-Star (January 27, 2011).
- 184.
“Utica Getting the High Tech Grants Now,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (December 1, 2012).
- 185.
“[I]ncentives—generally offered through an industrial development agency—are common throughout New York state and in much of the rest of the country. The town wrote a prohibition on using them in the tech park in 2004. At the time, it was thought to mean little since the state’s Empire Zone program was giving property tax credits instead. But the program that offered those incentives has since ended, which economic development officials say has again made local incentives important.” See “Officials Propose Takeover of Luther Forest Tech Park,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (July 18, 2013).
- 186.
“Changes would Help Luther Forest Realize Its Potential,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (September 18, 2015).
- 187.
“Property Tax Breaks Urged for Tech Park,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 12, 2012).
- 188.
“Luther Forest Tech Campus Official Says Zoning Change Necessary in Order to Market Land to Tech Firms,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (August 7, 2012).
- 189.
“Malta Councilman to Town Board: Consider Tax Breaks for Companies Interested in Luther Forest Tech Park,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (March 26, 2012).
- 190.
“Billions at Stake in Tech Arms Race as Luther Forest Flounders,” Albany Business Review (October 18, 2013).
- 191.
“Town Looking for Luther Forest Fees,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (May 16, 2013).
- 192.
“Luther Forest Seeks Tax Breaks,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (March 7, 2015).
- 193.
TIP Strategies, Economic Development Strategic Plan Prepared for Saratoga County, New York (March 2014), <http://www.saratogacountyny.gov/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Saratoga-Plan-FINAL.pdf>.
- 194.
“Consultant: Changes needed at Tech Park,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 22, 2014).
- 195.
“Saratoga County Offers to Maintain Luther Forest Technology Campus Roads in Return for Tax Breaks,” Troy, The Record (July 20, 2013).
- 196.
“Talks Focus on Offering Incentives in Luther Forest,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (November 23, 2013).
- 197.
“Luther Forest Tax Breaks Get Nod,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (April 22, 2015).
- 198.
“New Zoning sought for Tech Park,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (September 20, 2014).
- 199.
“Tech Park Zoning Changes Get OK,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (October 7, 2015); “Luther Forest Agrees to Pay Town $362 K for Road Work,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (November 4, 2015).
- 200.
“Luther Forest Agrees to Pay Town $362 K for Road Work,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (November 4, 2015).
- 201.
“Country IDA Plans to Buy 19 Acres in Tech park—Purchase could give Luther Forest Technology Campus a Boost,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (March 15, 2016).
- 202.
Interview with Brian McMahon, Executive Director, New York State Economic Development Council, Albany, New York (October 28, 2015).
- 203.
“Finding Funding to Stay Hot,” Albany, The Times Union (October 2013).
- 204.
“Area Advantage,” Albany, The Times Union (March 27, 2016); “Upstate Sees 67 Deals in Quarter,” Albany, The Times Union (September 9, 2016); “Business Unicorns Are Not So Unusual,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (February 1, 2018); “Startups Show Evolution of Capital Region’s Tech Economy,” Albany, The Times Union (November 16, 2016).
- 205.
“High Hopes for High Tech,” Albany, The Times Union (November 20, 2016); “Clean Tech Cluster to Get Boost,” Albany, The Times Union (October 23, 2016); “Area Tops in Clean Energy,” Albany, The Times Union (June 2, 2017).
- 206.
Stuart W. Leslie, “Regional Disadvantage: Replicating Silicon Valley in New York’s Capital Region,” Technology and Culture (2001), p. 237.
- 207.
One of the first and most successful tenants in the RPI incubator was Raster Technologies, founded by two RPI graduates in 1981 to develop technology for color graphics—a firm Low not-so-secretly hoped would become “the Hewlett-Packard of RPI.” Instead the company “outgrew the incubator so fast that RPI could not hold onto it.” Raster Technologies moved to Boston’s Route 128, which Low characterized as “a great disappointment to us.” Stuart W. Leslie, “Regional Disadvantage: Replicating Silicon Valley in New York’s Capital Region,” Technology and Culture (2001), p. 257.
- 208.
Interview, Albany, New York (November 30, 2016).
- 209.
“Tech Executive Are Why the Albany Region Does Not Need to be an Innovation Hub,” Albany Business Review (February 24, 2015).
- 210.
“Focus on the Region’s Potential,” Albany, The Times Union (December 2, 2014).
- 211.
“There, But Not Quite There,” Albany, The Times Union (September 7, 2014).
- 212.
“Why Upstate New York’s Startups Struggle with Early Investment,” Albany Business Review (March 16, 2015).
- 213.
Stuart W. Leslie, “Regional Disadvantage: Replicating Silicon Valley in New York’s Capital Region,” Technology and Culture (2001), pp. 236–238.
- 214.
Since MIT’s founding in 1861 it has encouraged “even (rather uniquely) faculty entrepreneurship since before the beginning of the 20th Century.” Edward B. Roberts and Charles E. Eesley, Entrepreneurial Impact: The Role of MIT (Hanover, MA: Now Publishers Inc., 2011), p. 6. MIT and Stanford “were both committed to an endogenous strategy of encouraging firm formation from academic knowledge.” Stanford, founded in 1891, looked to MIT as its model as an incubator of new firms. Stanford’s founders believed that it could not achieve greatness unless it was surrounded by technology-based industries, which, because they did not then exist in California, would need to be created. In 1900, California depended on the East Coast for electrical equipment, so its president and a number of faculty members invested in new electrical firms being launched by Stanford graduates, an early successful example of which was Federal Telegraph (1909) which made significant contributions to the early development of radio communications. Similar Stanford-based important startups included Litton Engineering (1932), Hewlett-Packard (1937), and Varian (late 1930s). Henry Etzkowitz, “Silicon Valley: The Sustainability of an Innovative Region,” Social Science Information Journal 52(4), 515–538. (2013); Timothy Sturgeon, “How Silicon Valley Came to Be,” in Martin Kenney (Ed.), Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2000).
- 215.
Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, Maryann Feldman, David Gibson, Nichola Lowe and Michael Oden, A Tale of Two Innovative Entrepreneurial Regions: The Research Triangle and Austin (University of Texas at Austin and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills, March 15, 2015), pp. 7–8.
- 216.
Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, Maryann Feldman, David Gibson, Nichola Lowe and Michael Oden, A Tale of Two Innovative Entrepreneurial Regions: The Research Triangle and Austin (University of Texas at Austin and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills, March 15, 2015), p. 56
- 217.
The Research Triangle was launched in 1959 with an emphasis on recruitment of existing companies. George Simpson, a faculty member of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Research Triangle Institute, visited almost 200 companies in 1958–1959, finding significant interest in pharmaceutical, electronics, and chemistry firms interested in a “supply of graduates to staff future research projects.” The first big tech tenant in the park was IBM in 1965, which over time brought in about 40 IBM organizations and which, 40 years later, in 2005 was still the park’s largest employer, with about 11,000 workers. Fred M. Park, “Turning Poor Dirt into Pay Dirt,” METRO Magazine <http://www.metronc.com/article/?id+421>; National Research Council, Charles W. Wessner (ed.) Best Practices in State and Regional Innovation Initiatives: Competing in the 21st Century, (Washington DC: The National Academics Press, 2013), pp. 231–240.
- 218.
Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, Maryann Feldman, David Gibson, Nichola Lowe, and Michael Oden, A Tale of Two Innovative Entrepreneurial Regions: The Research Triangle and Austin (University of Texas at Austin and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills, March 15, 2015), p. 8. See also Nichola Lowe, “Beyond the Deal: Using Industrial Recruitment as a Strategic Tool for Manufacturing Development,” Economic Development Quarterly 28(4) (2014).
- 219.
Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, Maryann Feldman, David Gibson, Nichola Lowe, and Michael Oden, A Tale of Two Innovative Entrepreneurial Regions: The Research Triangle and Austin (University of Texas at Austin and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills, March 15, 2015), pp. 12–13 and 16.
- 220.
“Tech Startups Seek the Good Life in Saratoga Springs,” Politico (December 2, 2014).
- 221.
“SUNY Poly Startups Created by Students Are Set to Launch,” Albany, The Times Union (July 1, 2017).
- 222.
“Moving Nano Research from Lab to Market,” Albany, The Times Union (June 25, 2013).
- 223.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Faculty Profile: Laura Schultz, <https://sunypoly.edu/faculty-and-staff/laura-schultz.html>.
- 224.
The Hudson Valley Center for Innovation is an incubator established in 2005 promoting economic development in the Hudson Valley. “High tech on the Hudson: Digital Dynamos Have Turned Kingston into Brooklyn North,” New York Daily News (December 17, 2010).
- 225.
“Cleaning Up at Albany,” Albany. The Times Union (March 19, 2010).
- 226.
“Hatching Clean-Tech Plans,” Albany. The Times Union (December 8, 2010).
- 227.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute, “Energy-Focused Incubator at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and the Hudson Valley Center for Innovation,” Press Release (October 10, 2014).
- 228.
“Whatever Happened To?” Albany, The Times Union (September 30, 2012).
- 229.
Haldar, who also serves as vice president for CNSE’s clean energy program, pointed out that his institution had helped BESS raise funds via grants from NSF and NYSERDA, and the physical resources at CNSE obviated the need to raise “millions and millions” of dollars to demonstrate proof of concept. CNSE assets available to BESS included furnaces, deposition equipment, and measurement tools, as well as mentoring and investment, legal, and insurance contacts. “Company Seeking to Improve Battery Technology,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (February 17, 2013).
- 230.
“Ex-GloFo CEO Joins Battery Startup,” Schenectady. The Daily Gazette (July 15, 2015).
- 231.
“Japan Patent Electrifies Lithium Battery Startup,” Albany, The Times Union (June 24, 2015).
- 232.
“BessTech Draws in Venture Capital,” Albany, The Times Union (May 14, 2015).
- 233.
State University of New York, HocusLocus, LLC. , the University at Albany at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CICEP 2013 Case Study).
- 234.
“Startup Develops Genetic Switch Technology,” Troy, The Record (July 20, 2015).
- 235.
“Nanocollege Takes Top Prize,” Albany, The Times Union (April 29, 2014). The original research on this technology was conducted in a lab run by Dr. Susan Scharfstein, SUNY Poly professor of nanoscience, assisted by a $50,000 investment by the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund.
- 236.
Glauconix uses a synthetic meshwork that functions like the trabecular meshwork in the human eye, which can sometimes slow or halt the flow of aqueous fluid in the human eye, leading to partial or complete blindness. Glauconix’ meshwork has been shown to be more cost-efficient and effective than the traditional use of cadaver eye tissue. SUNY Polytechnic Institute, “SUNY Poly Alumna, Founder and CEO of Glauconix Biosciences Awarded $750,000 by National Science Foundation for Commercialization of Technology Developed at SUNY Poly to Fight Eye Diseases,” Press Release (July 25, 2017).
- 237.
Glauconix Biosciences, “What We Do,” <<http://www.http://glauconix.biosciences.com/whatwedo/>>.
- 238.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute, “Grants, Investments Boost SUNY Poly CNSE Startup,” SUNY Research Foundation News (September 4, 2015), <https://sunypoly.edu/news/suny-research-foundation-news-grants-investments-boost-suny-poly-cnse-start-0.html>.
- 239.
“Planting the Seeds of a New Company,” Siena News (Summer 2013).
- 240.
NYSERDA , 2016 Clean Air Interstate Rule Annual Report on the New York Battery and Energy-Storage Technology Consortium (June 2017), p. 12.
- 241.
“Network of Business Networking,” Albany, The Times Union (February 8, 2011).
- 242.
“Growing Area Tech Firms Get Aid,” Albany, The Times Union (February 15, 2013). One of the co-founders of ThermoAura is Ganpati Ramanath, an RPI professor and leading expert in the science and engineering of nanomaterials. His work has benefited from the availability of “state-of-the-art research equipment in his laboratory.” Ramanath has over 145 peer-reviewed articles as well as numerous patents. “Nanoglue Cooked up in a $40 Microwave,” Albany, The Times Union (May 21, 2013); “ThermoAura Receives Innovation Award,” Albany, The Times Union (November 1, 2013).
- 243.
“High-Tech Firm Opens Up New Facility in Colonie,” Saratoga Springs, The Saratogian (December 9, 2017).
- 244.
“Upstate Sees 67 Deals in Quarter,” Albany, The Times Union (September 9, 2016).
- 245.
The CEO of the company, Shreefal Mehta, also serves as an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at RPI. “They AIM to Help Students,” Albany, The Times Union (November 17, 2016).
- 246.
“Paper Battery of Troy Recognized,” Albany, The Times Union (May 24, 2013).
- 247.
“Venturing Record Gains,” Albany, The Times Union (August 24, 2014).
- 248.
“PBC Tech Readies Battery-Boosting PowerWRAPPER for Commercial Launch with Manufacturing Agreement and New U.S. Patent,” Nasdaq (January 9, 2018). KLA-Tencor, a developer of process control systems for semiconductor manufacturing, opened a facility in Malta, New York, in 2011 concurrently with the completion of the GlobalFoundries Fab. “San Francisco Semiconductor supplier KLA-Tencor to open office Near GlobalFoundries,” Albany Business Review (January 19, 2011).
- 249.
U.S. Small Business Administration, “About SBIR,” <https://www.sbir.gov/about/about-sbir>, accessed February 21, 2018.
- 250.
National Research Council, Charles W. Wessner (ed.) An Assessment of the SBIR Program (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2008).
- 251.
“Venture Capitalists Aim to Help Local Startups,” Glens Falls, The Post-Star (October 27, 2010).
- 252.
“Venture Funds Favor Robotics,” Albany, The Times Union (January 31, 2017).
- 253.
“Center Offers Help to Tech Startups,” Schenectady, The Daily Gazette (October 6, 2011).
- 254.
Eastern New York Angels, < http://www.easternnyangels.com >.
- 255.
“How an Investment Group Helps Startups Take Flight,” Albany, The Times Union (March 20, 2014).
- 256.
As noted in the front matter of this book, the study also drew on interviews carried out by the authors and numerous articles from The Times Union (Albany), The Daily Gazette (Schenectady), the Albany Business Review (Albany), The Post-Star (Glens Falls), The Record (Troy), The Saratogian (Saratoga Springs) , The Buffalo News (Buffalo), The Observer-Dispatch (Utica), The Daily Messenger (Canandaigua), and the Post-Standard (Syracuse). These are not individually included in the bibliography.
Bibliography
As noted in the front matter of this book, the study also drew on interviews carried out by the authors and numerous articles from The Times Union (Albany), The Daily Gazette (Schenectady), the Albany Business Review (Albany), The Post-Star (Glens Falls), The Record (Troy), The Saratogian (Saratoga Springs) , The Buffalo News (Buffalo), The Observer-Dispatch (Utica), The Daily Messenger (Canandaigua), and the Post-Standard (Syracuse). These are not individually included in the bibliography.
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Wessner, C.W., Howell, T.R. (2020). The Changing Landscape of Tech Valley. In: Regional Renaissance. International Studies in Entrepreneurship, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21194-3_9
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