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2012 Annual Report

Manufacturing Regional Collaboration

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About The TechBelt Initiative

VISIONTo establish the TechBelt region as a global center for public and private investment, research and manufacturing.

The TechBelt Initiative was established in 2008 and has been growing ever since. It was formed to redesign the relationship between Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Initiative believes that communication and collaboration between these areas is key to economic and technological growth. The original vision for the TechBelt Initiative came from the leadership of Congressmen Ryan (OH) and Congressman Altmire (PA) who recognized the capabilities in the region could be better aligned to compete in a global marketplace.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DeWitt Peart, TechBelt Initiative Co-ChairAllegheny Conference on Community Development

Eric Planey, TechBelt Initiative Co-ChairYoungstown Warren Regional Chamber

Jennifer RugglesCase Western Reserve University

Chris CupplesOffice of Congressman Tim Ryan

Nick GattozziGreater Cleveland Partnership

Bob StarzynskiInnovation Works

John DearbornJumpStart Inc.

Sam ReimanMcCune Foundation

Jeff BrancatoNorTech

Lynn BruscoPittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse

Jackie Erickson / James FerruchieOffice of Senator Bob Casey

Barb EwingYoungstown Business Incubator

Martin AbrahamYoungstown State University

MISSIONTo accelerate the region’s ongoing economic trans- formation by identifying and facilitating technology- based collaborative partnerships and leveraging its unique and high-value assets.

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Dear TechBelt Stakeholders:

When the TechBelt Initiative began in 2008, it was an initiative that was primarily focused on one specific area of the United States. It was a regional conversation about developing a strategy to reinvigorate the Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia region. We wanted to combine new and upcoming technologies with our already formed industrial and academic assets. After only five years, TechBelt has experienced more opportunities and recognition than we could have ever imagined.

The year 2012 was an important year for TechBelt. The initiative received nationwide recognition and set a great standard for similar programs around the country. TechBelt has had the chance to inspire future change in the United States and the future for our model is bright. We are proud to have President Obama’s approval and know that our program will do great things with the federal funding we have received this year.

We thank everyone who has supported this initiative since it’s creation and those who will continue to support it in the future. Combining technology and inter-state collaboration is the greatest way to achieve economic success and TechBelt is proud to serve its members in helping achieve collaborative success.

Sincerely,

DeWitt Peart Eric PlaneyTechBelt Initiative Co-Chair TechBelt Initiative Co-Chair

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Attracting Regional Investments

Southern West Virginia Rural Jobs Accelerator PartnershipProject Amount: $717,985Marshall University Research Corporation and Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) partnered with TechConnect West Virginia; the Concord University Research and Development Corporation; and the National Capital Investment Fund on an effort to create new jobs in southern West Virginia. The partners will use the grant funding to concentrate on the expansion of manufacturing and tourism by providing technical assistance, workforce development, entrepreneurism support, and a wealth of collaborated resources in Fayette, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming counties.

Regional Innovation Cluster for Flexible ElectronicsProject Amount: $385,000NorTech was awarded one of seven Regional Innovation Cluster contracts from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the advancement of FlexMattersˇ, the flexible electronics cluster in Northeast Ohio. The cluster consists of businesses, suppliers, service providers, and institutions focused on advanced manufacturing of flexible electronic devices and materials. The award is for one year with a four-year renewal option. NorTech will apply the funding from the award to train and assist small companies in Northeast Ohio on engaging market-leading companies to become anchor customers.

Agile Electro-Mechanical Product AcceleratorProject Amount: $1,862,150The Agile Electro-Mechanical Product Accelerator was awarded a grant from President Obama’s Administration to help revitalize American manufacturing and encourage companies to invest in the United States. The Accelerator team is a partnership of Innovation Works, Catalyst Connection, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and the Westmoreland/Fayette Workforce Investment Board. This award will help industry clusters grow by strengthening their connections to regional economic development opportunities and advanced manufacturing assets, helping develop a skilled and diverse advanced manufacturing workforce, increasing exports, encouraging the development of small businesses, and accelerating innovation in technology.

The TechBelt Imitative works to attract and sustain regional investments through significant funding opportunities. During 2012, the TechBelt has tracked an estimated $71,965,135 in regional investments throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Highlighted below are several key projects demonstrating collaboration and regional development.

$195TechBelt has provided a total return on investment of

for every dollar of funding received.

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National Additive Manufacturing Inovation Institute (NAMII)Project Amount: $69,000,000This award will bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and the states to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications. Each Institute will bridge the gap between basic research and product development, provide shared assets to help companies – particularly small manufacturers – access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills. These Institutes will serve as regional hubs of manufacturing innovation, and will be known as world-class centers for applied research, technology incubation, and commercialization.

As a result of TechBelt’s existing regional collaboration, NAMII was awarded this grant to help further the manufacturing industry in the Youngstown, OH area and surrounding regions.

On March 9, 2012, President Obama announced his plan to invest $1 billion to catalyze a national network of up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes around the country that would serve as regional hubs of manufacturing excellence that will help to make our manufacturers more competitive and encourage investment in the United States.

Investment Spotlight

“Last year we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, OH.”

President Obama during 2013 State of the Union Address

Throughout 2012, TechBelt and NAMII were featured in thousands of global news reports.

NAMII was named one of the “Top Ten Innovative Initiatives to Watch in 2013” by the Brookings Institution.

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2012 MAJOR PARTNERS

Accelerating CollaborationTo achieve success we must identify opportunities to collaborate in the creation of new products, technologies, companies, and wealth. It is important to encourage a sense of community across state borders and recognize that together, our region is stronger when collaboration is at the center of our efforts.

We recognize the value of our regional partners and thank them for their leadership, time, and investment to the Initiative.

• Allegheny Conference on Community Development• BioEnterprise• Burton D. Morgan Foundation• Carnegie Mellon University• Case Western Reserve University• Catalyst Connection• Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation• Cleveland Foundation• Duquesne University• Fund For Our Economic Future• George Gund Foundation• Greater Cleveland Partnership• Heinz Endowments• Innovation Works• JumpStart Inc.• Kent State University• MAGNET• McCune Foundation• NorTech• Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone/Urban

Innovation 21 • Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse• The Raymond John Wean Foundation• R.K. Mellon Foundation• Team NEO• Tech Collaborative• TechConnect WV• University of Akron• West Central Job Partnership• Youngstown Business Incubator• Youngstown Foundation• Youngstown State University• Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber

FEATURED EVENTS

TechBelt Export Summit June 18, 2012Over 100 companies attended from Pennsylvania and Ohio, providing access to available programs designed to help develop export strategies and execute them soundly and profitably. The summit included a live panel discussion that featured regional companies that have benefitted from increased exporting strategies.

Attendees Included:• Senator Sherrod Brown Francisco J. Sánchez• U .S. Undersecretary of Commerce• Fred Hochberg, Chairman of the Export-

Import Bank of the U.S.

Sustainable Energy Forum (SEF)July 20, 2012TechBelt recruited Pennsylvania firms for the Sustainable Energy Forum in June. The SEF event included TechBelt panels on Small Modular Reactors and the regional water cluster in northeast Ohio. There was a presentation on electricity market rules and how they have led to high domestic prices and suppressed sustainable energy options. Strategies were discussed on how re-regulation is required to overcome market failure.

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individuals from the TechBelt Steering Committee actively participate in our activities.

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TechBelt Energy Innovation Center (TBEIC)Warren, OH

Located in Warren, Ohio, TBEIC is designed to be a mixed-used facility aimed at accelerating the development of early stage energy technologies. TBEIC will be both a home to early stage companies working their way to market, as well as a proving ground for technologies from universities, private corporations, and government laboratories. http://www.tbeic.org/

Energy Innovation Center Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh Green Innovators envisioned the transformation of the former Connelly Trade School into a green campus by engaging multidisciplinary teams from business, labor, government, nonprofits, and universities, as well as experts from around the world who employ the science of sustainability to meet modern global challenges and provide world-renowned leadership in clean, green innovation. When it opens, the 6.6-acre complex will be an incubator for the green energy industry, a job-training center and a technical support complex for work-force development. http://eicpittsburgh.org/

Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention CenterCleveland, OH

Scheduled to open in 2013, the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center is a one million square foot campus located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, the nation’s medical capital. Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center has utilized more than 12,200 tons of steel, more than 24,000 steel beams, making it the largest project in downtown Cleveland history. Medical Mart spaces will highlight the latest innovations of individual companies but also will include collaboratively executed multi-organizational spaces. The spaces will improve the research, product development, branding, sales and service results for companies, be a spark for medical innovation, provide a setting for multiple education and training programs, and engage virtual offerings. http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/

Engaging Sector AssetsThree new regional assets were developed and will be operational in the near future throughout our region. These assets will help drive innovation throughout our region, resulting in a more complete ecosystem with value on business creation, innovation drivers, and workforce development.

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TechBelt Initiativec/o Fourth Economy700 River Avenue, Suite 333Pittsburgh, PA 15212

412.325.2457

techbelt@fourtheconomy.com

www.techbelt.org

For a membership application, or for general inquiries, please contact us: