DED Seeks Nominations for Community Project of the Year The Department of Economic Development (DED) is seeking nominations for the Governor’s Community Project of the Year, to be awarded at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, September 10-12 in Kansas City. The project must show a significant impact on the community and its citizens. Eligible applicants include community development organizations, local governments, developers/individuals, not-for-profits, or community development corporations. Nominations are due no later than 5 p.m., Friday, May 30, 2008. Nomination Form...

Gov. Blunt Announces $195,100 to Help Children and Families in St. Louis Gov. Matt Blunt has announced that two organizations in St. Louis have been approved to receive a total of $195,100 in state tax credits through the Youth Opportunities Program to fund their respective programs to help children and families in the St. Louis region. Read more...

Gov. Blunt Announces $51,925 for Cameron Regional YMCA Gov. Matt Blunt has announced that Cameron Regional YMCA has been approved to receive $51,925 in state tax credits from the Youth Opportunities Program to provide after school and summer school programs for at-risk children. Read more...

Gov. Blunt Announces $39,400 for Marian Middle School in St. Louis Gov. Matt Blunt has announced that Marian Middle School in St. Louis has been approved to receive $39,400 in Youth Opportunities Program tax credits to fund an after school program for young women who attend the school. Read more...

St. Louis Regional Transformation Forum Highlights Future Career Strategies On May 5th, DWD Director Dawn Busick led the Missouri State Transformational Team and greater St. Louis area partners in hosting the St. Louis Regional Transformation Forum. This event engaged business, education, and government leaders in a facilitated conversation about “linking, leveraging, and aligning” resources to ensure that the workforce is a vibrant force for growth in the global marketplace. The forum preceded the Governor’s Regional Business-Education Summit, held in the same location. Blair Forlaw, Executive Director of Greater St. Louis Works, said these forums will “provide the impetus for new action, coordinated to strengthen our ability to ensure a future workforce that is appropriately skilled and re-skilled in math, engineering, technology and science – the essential competencies of the global economy.” Additional regional events are soon to be scheduled around the state. See www.greaterstlouis works.org for more information.

Clinton Career Center Makes Company’s Hiring Easier Staff with the Missouri Career Center in Clinton, Mo. have been successfully working with the Schreiber Foods-Capri manufacturing plant to help with their hiring process. According to Cathy McCannon, CRC-specialist with the West Central Workforce Investment Board, the company has been using the WorkKeys skill assessment system, along with the Missouri Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), to respond to changing business needs. The company contacted the center to find a timely system for certifying applicants' skill levels, and within a few weeks the first of 204 job applicants were tested. Paula Kinder, DWD supervisor, said the company is happy with the process and recently asked for 36 more job applicants to be tested. WorkKeys Internet assessments are given in the new Business Resource room at the Clinton Career Center (see photo), which was made available through a One Stop Enhancement Grant.

$1.2M Biodiesel Research Grant for Danforth Center The National Biodiesel Board has awarded a $1.2 million grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to help fund a three-year research project designed to boost the oil production in soybeans and increase the supply of renewable oil used to produce biodiesel. Read more...

Kauffman Releases Findings from Tech Startup Study A new study on entrepreneurship by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and researchers at Duke and Harvard universities reveals that most U.S.-born technology and engineering company founders are middle-aged, well-educated and hold degrees from a wide array of universities. Read more...

CleanTech Biofuels Teams up with Green Tech America for Research University City-based CleanTech Biofuels Inc. has entered into a research agreement with Green Tech America Inc. (GTA), founded by Purdue University's Dr. Nancy Ho. GTA will provide research and testing to CleanTech on the fermentation stage of CleanTech's municipal solid waste to ethanol project. Read more...

Pfizer Expands Ireland Operations Pfizer Inc. has announced plans to build a new biologics facility in County Cork, Ireland, creating 100 jobs over three years and capital investment of $293 million. The new facility will make biologics for use in treating cancer and diabetes. New York-based Pfizer Inc. currently employs 1,200 in the St. Louis area and is in the midst of a $250 million expansion of its research operations in Chesterfiled. Read more...

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 15, 2008 Leveraging Community Resources to Expand Your Bottom Line

May 20 - 22, 2008 An Introduction to Lean Supply Chain Management

May 22, 2008 Doing Business in Vietnam: Explore the Possibilities

May 28, 2008 Fundamentals of Economic Development Workshop Clinton County

May 28, 2008 Practical Leadership Workshop

June 4 - 6, 2008 MEDC Spring Conference

June 17, 2008 Utility & Energy Conference 2008: Missouri's Energy Future

June 17 - 20, 2008 BIO 2008 - San Diego

July 6 - 10, 2008 2nd Annual Entrepreneurship Camp

July 16, 2008 Fundamentals of Economic Development Workshop Trenton

July 16 - 18, 2008 Agro-Innovation Japan 2008

September 7 - 12, 2008 Partnership Mission to Ireland

September 10 - 12, 2008 2008 Governor's Conference on Economic Development

September 16 - 18, 2008 Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship Missouri Valley College, Marshall

October 19 - 22, 2008 IEDC Annual Conference: The Next Billion: Mobility, Flexibility, Agility and Livability

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