Accelerator arrival: Technology help to be available at Kent-Tusc

By LEE MORRISON, T-R Business Editor

Hands-on help for dealing with technology issues is coming to Tuscarawas County.

The Tuscarawas Regional Technology Accelerator will be located in the Science and Advanced Technology Center of Tuscarawas Campus of Kent State University at New Philadelphia.

A kick-off event for the accelerator is scheduled for Friday from 1:30 to 2:30 in Room 126 of the center. The keynote speaker will be Pat Valente, deputy director of the Ohio Department of Development and director of its technology division. He will talk about technology during the event, which is open to the public.

“The accelerator is the mechanism for putting together the resources that exist within the state of Ohio and our technology-based companies,” said Heinz Stucki, director of the Tuscarawas County Community Improvement Corp.

“This is the first accelerator office of its kind to be located in a rural area in Ohio. Today’s companies need technological support and a lot of it is available, but it is not always convenient to access. Many of those resources are located in places like Columbus, Dayton, Cleveland and Wheeling, W.Va., and the distance can be a problem. The Tuscarawas Regional Technology Accelerator will give those organizations a presence in Tuscarawas County and the region. Each of the organizations will have a field representative here at least one day per month to meet with local companies. We’re not reinventing the wheel. What we are doing is providing space for that interaction among resource representatives and company personnel to take place.”

There will be an office, conference room and office and communications equipment available.

Technology Spotlight Breakfasts will be held periodically to focus on technology-related initiatives and resources.

“In the long term, the accelerator will eventually evolve into the high-tech incubator which has been proposed as a key element of the strategy for the Tuscarawas Regional Technology Park,” Stucki said.

Plans call for developing a business incubator facility and 28 lots for private businesses using about 170 acres located between University Dr. NE and Ridge Rd. The location is considered ideal because it is close to the campus and its technology center, and Buckeye Career Center.

About 100 acres would be developed, with the rest used as green space. The goal is to provide about 600 jobs. A second phase calls for creating a business incubator facility to assist start-up companies.

Stucki said there are two objectives for the accelerator.

“The first objective is to be a tool to help attract the kinds of high-tech companies we want to locate in Tuscarawas County, because the presence of such a facility will be very much welcomed by companies considering locating here.

“The second objective is to help existing companies make their manufacturing procedures more efficient by accessing the technical solutions these organizations can offer.”

Mike Lauber, president and chief executive officer of Tusco Display at Gnadenhutten, said he believes the accelerator “will be a terrific opportunity.”

“There are lots of resources out there, and we can get to many of them online, but we’re far better served when we can talk in person to people in technology arenas, such as materials technology and information technology,” Lauber said. “These are the kinds of organizations that will make themselves available locally. We’ll be able to go speak to them when we have a specific need or question and we’ll get to know each other, which will result in a more ready flow of information. It’s not just one-way, either. We’re looking to them for information, but these organizations have eagerly accepted the invitation to participate in the accelerator because they’re looking for ways to reach out with technology to companies.”

Michael Hovan, president of Edgetech I.G. Inc. at Cambridge, has been active in the push for the technology park as a past president of the Tuscarawas County CIC.

“The biggest advantage of the technology accelerator is that it will be a resource for new businesses coming to the area. The opportunities for our company will be links to new technology companies, as well as being a resource that we might be able to use to tap into some of the state and federal resources that are available for technology development.

“I think it will be a great asset to the county. It’s what we’re trying to do to drive high-tech job growth.”

© 2004 The Times Reporter