Lt. Governor Owen panel to look at contributions
of innovation, technology to Washington economy

Also see: Meeting Agenda Directions

RENTON -- How much is technology and innovation contributing to the well-being of the Washington state economy? A legislative panel chaired by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen will convene at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 at Renton City Hall to hear experts discuss that topic and solicit their suggestions for state policy changes that could assist industries in those sectors.

The joint Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations (LCEDIR) will  learn about the “Economic Impact of Technology and Innovation in Washington State” during its three-hour session.

A recent report from the Washington Economic Development Commission (WEDC) calls for a “dramatic change in Washington’s approach to economic development if we wish to sustain our economic advantage. Doing so will require a transition to an innovation-driven economy  ...”

“To grow our economy and create jobs we need to do some new and different things very well," said Egils Milbergs, executive director of 18-member WEDC, who will be the first of six presenters at the public work session.  Both the lieutenant governor and Denis Law, mayor of the City of Renton, will give welcoming remarks. 

Other presenters include:

·    Lee Cheatham,  executive director , Washington Technology Center.

·    Mike Schwenk, vice president and director of technology deployment and outreach, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

·    Pete Agtuca, president and CEO of 3 Phase Energy Systems. His topic is “The Practical Regeneration of Energy”.

·    Dr. Vijay Mathur, president, GR Silicate Nano Fibers & Carbonates, a company that is developing a lighter and stronger paper.  Dr. Mathur will discuss “Synthetic Nano Materials, Energy, Environmental and Economic Solutions”.

·    Greg Stewart, managing member of Orbiter LLC will talk about: “Orbiter’s LAPCOUNTER™ - Practical RFID in Today’s World”.  Orbiter makes a all-weather lap counting system for sporting events.

Committee members include Senators Jerome Delvin, Tracey Eide, Mike Hewitt, Jim Kastama, Derek Kilmer and Cheryl Pflug, and Representatives Barbara Bailey, Bruce Chandler, Bob Hasegawa, Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, Tim Probst, and Dan Roach.  Senator Paull Shin is an alternate member, and local area legislators have been invited as well.

The work session is open to the public, but only invited presenters will be allowed to address the committee.  It will be broadcast on the state’s public affairs network TVW, the following week and be available even sooner via streaming media on the station’s Web site at www.tvw.org.

Renton City Hall is at 1055 S Grady Way.

Media inquiries:

Office of Lt. Governor:  Brian Dirks, communications director, (360) 786-7707 or dirks.brian@leg.wa.gov

Dr. Antonio Sanchez, director of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, (360) 786-7786 or sanchez.antonio@leg.wa.gov