Idaho Office of Science & Technology March 2008

In this issue:

# Innovation Poster Highlights Idaho Technology Businesses

# PlayXpert Buys Tometa Software

# Micron, Nanya to Explore Joint Development Partnership

# RxElite Adds New Executive to Team

# ISU Names Research VP

# Intrepid Finishes Testing Program

# International Isotopes Names New COO

# Entrepreneurs to Pitch Ideas at Northwest Venture Championship

# Code Camp brings high-tech ‘Rock Stars’ to Boise

# MotivePower Receives $31 Million Contract

# Maintain Fit Launches Web Site, Giveaway Contest

# Positron, MXI Sign Distribution Agreement

# Comtech, AHA Announce GZIP Data Compression Board

# Apex Names Managing Director

# CradlePoint Ships Mobile Broadband Router

# LiveRez Names New Executive

# Chamber Helps Create Life Sciences Award

# Micron Foundation Pledges $1.25 Million for USTAR

# Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale

http://www.cl.idaho.gov

Innovation Poster Highlights Idaho Technology Businesses

(Statewide)
Hundreds of technology companies are showcased in a new double-sided Innovation Idaho poster, a joint project of Idaho TechConnect, the Idaho Department of Commerce, and Virginia Tech University research professor Dr. Heike Mayer.
One side of the poster is a result of research conducted last fall by Dr. Heike Mayer. Dr. Mayer’s research examined and visualized the high-tech firms in the Boise metropolitan region, using data gathered from an online survey of technology firms.
"As Boise’s tech industry grows and matures, and the competition to attract tech firms gets more difficult, it is important to document the nature and extent of the knowledge economy in Boise and Idaho," said Mayer, who has similar projects focusing on Portland, Phoenix, Kansas City and Washington’s Puget Sound.
Mayer wrote a paper about her research on the Boise innovation economy and that paper, along with her policy recommendations, is available at http://www.idahotechconnect.com and http://www.idahoinnovation.com.
Mayer’s research found that Micron and Hewlett Packard served as surrogate universities and incubators for many of the featured entrepreneurs.
The flip side of the poster focuses on the strength of the innovation economy statewide, showing the number of technology firms in each county. Vignettes of 12 companies from around the state – from Quest Aircraft in Sandpoint to International Isotopes in Idaho Falls – line the edges. A total of 3,849 technology companies are in Idaho, employing more than 50,000 people.
"We think people will be surprised at the breadth and depth of innovation occurring in our state, especially as they realize that every county has at least one innovative company," said Rick Ritter, CEO and President of Idaho TechConnect.
The poster is 24 x 36 and available for $7 plus shipping and handling. Contact Krissa Wrigley at (208) 562-3701 ([email protected]) or Julie Howard at (208) 334-2470 ([email protected]) to order copies.

Micron, Nanya to Explore Joint Development Partnership

(Sandpoint) PlayXpert, a provider of next-generation in-game community management tools, has purchased Tometa Software, a custom software and social media applications firm.
Tometa Software is now known as MetaXpert (www.metaxpert.com) and will continue to operate as a leader in custom software development. In addition, MetaXpert will be the services arm for PlayXpert for new widgets and extensions to the PlayXpert platform.
"We are growing and broadening our audience, expanding our development horizons, and continuing to create a truly innovative gaming platform for players," said Charles Manning, CEO of PlayXpert.
With PlayXpert, gamers are provided "situational awareness" so they get an upper hand. Players can send IM’s to any friend across any chat network (AIM, MSN, Google, Yahoo or XFire), strategize on game situations in real time via various VOiP technologies (Vivox, TeamSpeak, Ventrillo), browse the net, monitor hardware stats (temp, process list, RAM, etc..), use third party content sites (Wikia, Wowhead, Thottbot, Allakhazam, and others), control music players (WinAmp or iTunes) all this through modular widgets accessed without leaving the game.
PlayXpert helps reduce time spent swapping between browsers, searches, and the game client, allowing the player to enjoy the gaming experience rather than wasting time juggling disparate systems.
The company is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho. For more information, visit http://www.playxpert.com.

Micron, Nanya to Explore Joint Development Partnership

(Boise) Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Nanya Technology Corporation, a global leader in advanced memory semiconductors, jointly announced that the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore potential technology sharing, joint technology development and development of a new joint venture.
A joint development program for DRAM development and design would be created and focus on sub-50 nanometer technologies. Definitive agreements are expected to be signed in the next few months.
The partnership would leverage Micron and Nanya’s manufacturing technology, strengths and experience to successfully compete in the global DRAM business through greater scale and efficiency.
"Partnering with Nanya would be significant to Micron as we continue to drive toward the most cost-effective ways to grow and innovate. Nanya has proven its capabilities to be a leader in manufacturing technology and is strategically located near our growing customer base," said Mark Durcan, Micron’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
More information is at http://www.micron.com.

RxElite Adds New Executive to Team

(Meridian) RxElite, Inc., a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of specialty generic prescription drug products, has named Rick Schindewolf as its Senior Vice President for Business
Development.
Schindewolf was formerly a vice president with Cardinal Health, where he helped develop the international business development program for blow-fill-seal and sterile products sales.
Schindewolf is charged with developing business opportunities resulting from the company’s acquisition of FineTech in Israel, said RxElite CEO and founder Jonathan Houssian.
Schindewolf’s previous positions span over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. His last 10 years were at Cardinal Health in the manufacturing businesses recently spun off as Catalent Pharma Solutions. He has held senior level positions at Cardinal/Catalent within the sterile products business in finance, general management, new product rollouts, and business development. During this time, he participated in several business and product acquisitions.
RxElite, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets generic prescription drug products in specialty generic markets. These markets include products in the areas of anesthesia, sterile liquid dose drugs (including respiratory inhalation drugs, ophthalmics, and injectable drugs), and transdermal patch.

ISU Names Research VP

(Pocatello) Idaho State University has named Pamela Crowell as its new vice president for research. Crowell was most recently associate dean for research and graduate education at the Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science in Indiana.
Crowell has a strong track record of receiving federal grants and commercializing biotechnology, according to ISU President Arthur Vailas. Prior to joining Purdue, she earned a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completed postdoctoral training in oncology, and performed research at Eli Lilly & Co.
Her primary area of research is cancer pharmacology, and she has received cancer research grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Crowell is expected to start on July 1.

Intrepid Finishes Testing Program

(Idaho Falls) Intrepid Technology and Resources, Inc., a renewable alternate energy company, has completed an extended formal gas quality testing program performed by the Gas Technology Institute, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill.
This rigorous testing program began in July 2007 and continued through December 2007. During that period real time in-line gas quality was remotely monitored at the GTI laboratories and physical confirmation samples were drawn weekly and sent to the GTI labs where they were analyzed for gas purity, heating value and the presence of microbes that could cause internal corrosion of commercial gas distribution lines and valves.
"This is a highly significant and important accomplishment. By electing to subject our gas to such scrutiny in advance of placing it into existing pipelines we can provide independently verified assurance to pipeline owners and operators that our gas can be safely injected, transported and consumed in any commercial system in the nation," said Jake Dustin, ITR President. "ITR is the only biogas producer in the nation to have achieved this critical milestone and in so doing has set the benchmark for the rest of the industry."
While awaiting completion of the testing, ITR has been trucking its gas from its Whitesides Facility for use as start up fuel for its new WestPoint Facility at a cost savings of nearly 80 percent over propane. That startup process is nearly complete and, once finished, the way will be clear for ITR to begin delivering commercial gas to either a commercial customer or the local gas utility. The extensive testing makes it more likely that Intrepid can sell directly to commercial customers at much more advantageous prices and terms than to the gas utility.

International Isotopes Names New COO

(Idaho Falls) International Isotopes Inc. has named James Mayer Chief Operating Officer.
Mayer received his Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A & M University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
He has more than 25 years of management experience in the U.S. Navy as well as civilian corporations and he has previously served as Facility Manager, Senior Project Engineer, and Production Manager at a Fortune 500 corporation.

Entrepreneurs to Pitch Ideas at Northwest Venture Championship

(Boise) Entrepreneurs from across the United States and Canada will bring their business ideas to Boise March 7-8 for the seventh annual Northwest Venture Championship®, hosted by Boise State University.
Teams of student entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas for new business ventures before a panel of judges made up of leading entrepreneurs, investors and business professionals from across the intermountain region. The winning teams will take away more than $54,000 in startup capital and awards.
Numerous promising ventures will be highlighted this year, according to Kent Neupert, a professor of management at Boise State and event director. Among them are School Tipline, a venture that offers new communication solutions for school safety and has already been credited with preventing a possible school shooting in Utah, several medical innovations, a battery that makes electric vehicles easier to use, climate controlled clothing and a car racing track country club.
This year, the VengaWorks Sustainability Award is new to the program. VengaWorks’ goals are to engage the entrepreneurial community in an ongoing dialogue about achieving economic and environmental sustainability; to integrate environmental sustainability as a core element of the new business planning process and to inspire new and innovative thinking about products, services or operational systems that can demonstrate economic viability in the marketplace.
Collegiate entrepreneurs from Boise State, Brigham Young University, California State University-Chico, Colorado State University, Queen’s University (Canada), University of Arkansas, University of British Columbia, University of Georgia, University of Houston, University of Iowa, University of Louisville, University of Manitoba, University of Michigan, University of Oregon, University of Wisconsin, Wake Forest University, Washington University (St. Louis) and Westmont College will compete over two days for cash and an invitation to MOOT CORP®, the Superbowl® of business plan competitions, to be held at the University of Texas at Austin in May.
This year’s Northwest Venture Championship events will be held at the Hampton Inn & Suites Boise/Downtown, 495 South Capitol Blvd. The competition is free and open to the public. For more information and a schedule of events, go to northwestventurechampionship.org.

Code Camp brings high-tech ‘Rock Stars’ to Boise

(Boise) Boise’s third annual Code Camp, featuring 50 plus training seminars to be held March 8 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Boise State University’s College of Business building, is attracting high-tech luminaries who will help educate local professionals about advanced software and information technology trends.
The camp, organized by community volunteers, is free to attend.
With 350 participants expected this year, Boise’s Code Camp is the largest gathering of technology professionals in the inland northwest, attracting speakers and participants from nearby states and surpassing the attendance of similar events in the Seattle and Portland areas.
"Code Camp is so popular here because there are simply no other big technology conferences available in the Boise area," said David Starr, chief software architect for Healthwise Inc. and 2008 Boise Code Camp director.
On hand this year will be Microsoft’s Scott Hanselman, senior program manager in Microsoft’s Developer Division, and Richard Hundhausen, noted author and regional director of the Microsoft MVP Program. Several published technical authors and prominent software industry thought-leaders will also be presenting sessions for attendees.
Code Camps occur in all major metropolitan areas in the U.S. This grassroots conference of local computer professionals and hobbyists offers the opportunity for attendees to gather and share the most recent developments in the high-tech community. "I like Code Camps because I like meeting other geeks and sharing the latest technologies with each other," said Chris Brandsma, a Code Camp organizer and senior software developer at Mobile Data Force in Boise.
Boise’s 2008 Code Camp sponsors include Microsoft, BSU, Keynetics, Healthwise, Blackfin, Ballihoo, Syncfusion, and O’Reilly Press. Those who would like to attend, become a sponsor, make a presentation or volunteer are encouraged to visit http://www.boisecodecamp.com.
Code Camp isn’t just about technical issues. A social networking event will be held in conjunction with the event, which will include dinner, a no-host bar, projected video games, and door prize giveaways. Several sponsors will have recruiters in attendance. And, Boise Code Camp will be the first stop for Microsoft’s Code Trip, a group of software engineers in a souped-up RV made into a technology mobile that is making a 30-day, cross-country trip.

MotivePower Receives $31 Million Contract

(Boise) Wabtec Corp’s MotivePower subsidiary, based in Boise, has received an order for 10 MPXpress commuter locomotives from the Utah Transit Authority. In addition, UTA awarded MotivePower a four-year contract to maintain 11 other MPXpress locomotives, which have already been delivered.
The total value of the locomotive order and the maintenance contract is about $31 million.
The 10 new locomotives, to be manufactured in Boise, are expected to be delivered in 2010. Under the locomotive maintenance contract, MotivePower will provide on-site labor and management in UTA’s Salt Lake City facility, where the company will develop work scopes for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, as well as manage material requirements. The locomotives are part of UTA’s new commuter rail service between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah.
The MPXpress(R) locomotives offer significant technological improvements, including higher-horsepower engines to move more passengers within the same schedule, improved fuel efficiency, advanced emissions reduction technology and microprocessor controls. They will also meet the latest crashworthiness and safety standards recommended by the American Public Transportation Association.
More information is at http://www.motivepower-wabtec.com.

Maintain Fit Launches Web Site, Giveaway Contest

(Boise) Maintain Fit is holding a giveaway contest in conjunction with relaunching its Web site. The Web site redesign represents collaboration between Maintain Fit and iTRAIN.com to compliment the existing Maintain Fit exercise log with the motivating audio content from the leader in exercise audio on the Internet.
The contest focuses on the Maintain Fit community forum and aims to raise awareness of the community aspect of Maintain Fit. It is free to enter and is open to everyone by registering for a free account on http://www.maintainfit.com.
Maintain Fit will run the contest through March 31, giving away one free subscription each week.
"Exercise in a group, even virtually, can be very motivating," said Daniel Watrous, founder of Maintain Fit. "Many of our subscribers find that sharing the exercise experience with others increases their ability to follow through and their satisfaction with the end result."
This contest comes at a time when the Maintain Fit Web site is attracting thousands of visits and several new subscribers each day. According to Watrous, the site growth is attributed to an increased awareness of the positive benefits of exercise and fitness on long-term health.
iTRAIN is a concept that infuses personal trainer-designed workouts into an MP3 music experience. It packs a powerful punch of modern technology, entertainment, health and well-being into a single, portable medium.
Launched in 2001, Maintain Fit offers a wide range of information and tools, many of which are free, to empower people to stay healthy and fit. Visit http://www.maintainfit.com for more information.

Positron, MXI Sign Distribution Agreement

(Boise) Positron Systems, Inc of Boise, Idaho and MXI Systems, Inc of Nashville, Tennessee have signed an agreement where Positron will market and distribute a mobile, phased contrast imaging machine in the aerospace, power generation and railway industries.
Positron and MXI first identified the potential for an agreement when MXI was seeking alternative industry applications of its phased contrast imaging machine and Positron was looking for a technology that can perform high-speed scans of composite materials in situ – such as in aircraft structures. MXI’s phased contrast imaging machine has been patented and is being developed for the healthcare industry. Applied to non-destructive testing, its capabilities provide the power of a synchrotron but make it available at the maintenance depot or in the field.
"We have long sought after a solution for effective, nanoscale characterization of composite materials, especially for the aerospace industry to complement our current, unique metal characterization solution," said Martin Hedley, CEO of Positron.
The system will be marketed to the non-destructive testing industry under the name of Phased Contrast Analysis (PCA), and will give clients the ability to see defects and damage growth in advanced composite materials, said Hedley.
More information is at http://www.positron.com.

Comtech AHA Announces GZIP Data Compression Board

(Moscow) Comtech AHA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. that develops technology for the communications, networking and data storage markets, has introduced its GZIP Data Compression Board (the AHA363-PCle), which allows for the highest GZIP data compression ratios on the market.
The AHA363-PCle allows network transmission and network storage appliance customers to significantly reduce the amount of data that is transferred through or stored within their systems. Along with reducing latency, bandwidth and storage requirements, it also eases the loading of precious resources inside of these appliances by off-loading the data compression task from the core Central Processing Units (CPUs).
The system is based on Comtech AHA’s AHA3610 design – the industry’s first-ever GZIP compression and decompression integrated circuit, which offers up to 2.5 Gbits/sec throughput via hardware, while also giving significant power saving over GZIP software compression.
"While data compression technology is a relatively new area in the chip market, we see it as one that has great potential," said Rich Wawrzyniak, senior analyst for ASICs and SoCs with Semico Research Corporation. "With companies like Comtech AHA using an open-standard algorithm to offer significant improvements in speed, power savings and compression ratio over software compression solutions, networking and data storage vendors can realize long-term cost efficiency while providing significantly enhanced performance to customers."
More information is a http://www.aha.com.

Apex Names Managing Director

(Boise) Apex Manufacturing Solutions has named John Nichols, formerly Director of Business Development, as Managing Director.
In his new post, in addition to sales and marketing activities, Nichols is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and implementing best business practices and procedures. He also joins Apex’s ownership ranks as an equal equity owner and managing member of the limited liability company.
Prior to joining Apex in June 2007, Nichols held executive management roles at Wonderware Software, the world’s foremost manufacturing automation software developer, ISS-Wonderware, a leading Wonderware channel partner, and Incuity Software, Inc., a pioneering business intelligence for manufacturing software provider.
Apex is a manufacturing consultant and systems integrator with extensive experience implementing continuous process improvement, control, monitoring, and reporting systems in a broad range of manufacturing and process industries.
For more information, go to http://www.apexmfgsolutions.com.

CradlePoint Ships Mobile Broadband Router

(Boise) CradlePoint, Inc. has begun shipping an 802.11 draft ‘N’ Mobile Broadband Router that supports wired WAN and wireless WAN backhaul, and provides greater range and speed than any other commercially available cellular router.
Powered by CradlePoint’s WiPipe technology, the MBR1000 is the first ‘N’ router to include an Express Card slot for cellular modems (WWAN), and supports failover capability for enterprises seeking to implement continuous connectivity for remote and field offices. The MBR1000 detects when the primary uplink is lost, and automatically switches to a wireless backup.
"The MBR1000 allows enterprise customers to self-install their business networks with fail-safe backup, and at price points practical for remote and home office installations," said Gary Oliverio, VP Marketing and Founder of CradlePoint. "Teamed with one or more cellular modems, the MBR1000 can automatically keep businesses online at full speed, full-time, and with more reliable coverage than ever before."
The MBR1000 operates with cellular data plans offered by ATT, Sprint, and Verizon, and is compatible with modems from Kyocera, Novatel, and Sierra Wireless (SWIR) among others. The router can also connect via a number of 3G handsets such as RIM’s BlackBerry and Motorola’s RAZR handset. So in the event of a network outage, customers can even plug in a 3G handset and remain connected.
More information is at http://www.cradlepoint.com.

LiveRez Names New Executive

(Boise) LiveRez, a developer of online vacation rental software, has named Ralf VonSosen as vice president of marketing.
VonSosen brings experience from companies such as Siebel, SAP and a portfolio of smaller Silicon Valley technology companies to help LiveRez in its next stage of growth.
"LiveRez is well positioned to take advantage of the growing demand from vacationers to book vacation rentals online," said Tracy Lotz, president of LiveRez.
VonSosen has spent over a decade in a number of leadership roles within the software industry to drive product growth and market awareness. Most recently as the vice president of marketing at Infopia, an e-commerce platform provider, he launched Infopia beyond the eBay seller space, created new solutions, and authored The eCommerce 2.0 Handbook.
LiveRez provides an online vacation rental property management solution, enabling property managers to fully utilize the power of the internet in driving guest bookings, guest satisfaction, and the management of their properties.
More information is at http://www.liverez.com.

Chamber Helps Create Life Sciences Award

(Nationwide) The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, an independent federal government agency, to create and present four new Life Sciences Awards. The Life Sciences Awards will recognize Americans who exemplify excellence in life sciences, and will provide and incentive for continuing the work.
The awards are: $25,000 Chairmen’s Distinguished Life Sciences Award presented to an adult scientist/researcher; $10,000 Life Sciences Educator Award; $5,000 Biology Student Award; $5,000 Chemistry Student Award.
The deadline for applications is March 11.
Deadline for submission for the 2008 Christopher Columbus Foundation-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Life Sciences Awards is March 11.
Information is at http://www.ccolumbusfoundationawards.org/lifeSciencesAwards/index.cfm.

Micron Foundation Pledges $1.25 Million for USTAR
(Salt Lake City) The Micron Technology Foundation has pledged $1.25 million to support the development of a nanofabrication teaching and research laboratory as a core facility in the new Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) building now under development on the University of Utah campus.
Micron’s investment will help leverage nearly $130 million in state and private dollars, and launch an exciting new era of scientific discovery and technology innovation.
The nanofab lab is one of several highly specialized facilities planned to support research teams on the leading edge of technology development and commercialization. The goal is to create a best-in-class university nanofab lab that will support world-class semiconductor, nanotechnology and electronics research. The lab will be accessible to researchers at other Utah universities and businesses. The nanofabrication laboratory is also critically important to some of the nanotechnology faculty including those who have been hired under the USTAR program, who will apply nanoscale constructs in nanomedicine, biosensors, brain probes, artificial eyes, etc.
Micron’s total support for students, faculty, equipment and research at the University of Utah has exceeded $2.2 million during the past decade. The Micron Technology Foundation is a private, non-profit organization established by Micron Technology, Inc., to fund education efforts and charitable activities. The foundation is based in Boise.

Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale
(Statewide) Specialty license plates that support Idaho’s science and technology industry are for sale through the Idaho Transportation Department.
A portion of the proceeds from each plate sold goes to a fund that is used to develop programs and market the state’s technology sector.
A picture of the license plate, and information on how to purchase one, can be viewed at technology.idaho.gov/license.

Have an Idea/Submission for this Newsletter?
Contact Julie Howard at the Idaho Department of Commerce’s Office of Science & Technology at (208) 334-2650, ext. 2147, or at [email protected]

Read More Idaho Technology News
Miss last month’s Science & Technology newsletter? Find the complete newsletter archives at technology.idaho.gov and click on "news."

2007 Events Calendar

March 6
Kickstand
Twin Falls
Monthly education and networking for innovators. 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Pandora’s, 516 Hansen St. South. Speaker is Brandon Armstrong from TechConnect on the topic of Small Business Innovation Research grants. To register for the event, go to http://www.kickstandidaho.com or contact [email protected].

March 12
State of the County Address
Boise
Ada County will be the focus of the program presented by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. The Board of Ada County Commissioners and some of their fellow elected officials will discuss issues relating to growth, property taxes and items affecting quality of life. To register go to http://www.boisechamber.org.

March 26
Grant Writing Boot Camp
Boise
Workshop will be an intensive hands-on instruction on the process, structure and techniques to writing a grant proposal. 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Best Western Vista Inn at the Airport. Cost is $99. Sponsored by the Boise Valley Economic Partnership and presented by Delta James, Sage Community Resources. Contact [email protected].

March 27-29
Idaho Academy of Science Annual Meeting
Boise
50th Anniversary Meeting of the Idaho Academy of Science will have the theme "Championing Science in Idaho."
Early registration by March 14 is $15 for student members, $45 for all other members, and $75 for non members. Presentations from Idaho researchers will be on topics ranging from "Advances in Cancer Research in Idaho," and "Energy in Idaho," to "Infectious Disease."
More information is at http://chemistry.boisestate.edu/
people/henrycharlier/ias.htm

"We Create Jobs, Strengthen Communities and Market Idaho."

IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
PO Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-0093
Tel: 208-334-2470; Fax: 208-334-2631
Web: technology.idaho.gov
08-62000-250

C.L. "BUTCH" OTTER, GOVERNOR
DON DIETRICH, ACTING DIRECTOR

Idaho Department of Commerce is an equal opportunity employer.
This document is available upon request in alternative formats for individuals with disabilities.
[email protected] • Idaho Department of Commerce