THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300392
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 66 lines
Participants at the first statewide Virginia Technology Summit on Wednesday learned that many of the country's technology ``hot spots'' today faced their own deficiencies at crucial points in their growth.
North Carolina's Research Triangle had to compensate for the lack of established metropolitan cities. Pittsburgh struggled with several different governments in Allegheny County. And Phoenix had to fuel its initial growth without the corporate headquarters of a single technology firm.
Common needs emerged from the experiences of these technology hotbeds. Education. Capital. Workforce retooling. Infrastructure. Entrepreneurs.
About 250 attorneys, economic development officials, university professors, chief executives and other Virginians listened to national industry experts and others closer to home share their experiences and advice. The conference purpose: to assemble a statewide plan for the advancement of technology in Virginia.
The governor even made an brief appearance at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott and Convention Center, to address the distinguished audience and bestow his own benediction on its mission. The conference was the brainchild of the Center for Innovative Technology, the Virginia Technology Council, the VirginiaChamber of Commerce and the Hampton Roads Partnership. Its purpose is to make the state a more competitive mecca for technology and its application.
Recruiting or nurturing technology companies is difficult, participants were told - but worth it. High-tech companies pay an average wage of $46,986; they fund a payroll of $188.6 billion and 4 million jobs, according to William T. Archey, president and CEO of American Electronics Association, an industry trade group. Most importantly, technology accounts for one of the fastest growing and highest paying industries in the United States and the world.
Alongside the assurances of technology's ability to transform communities and economies came the repeated call for more emphasis on technology in Virginia. And the commonwealth needs to catch up.
California has the highest number of technology employers among the 50 states. Virginia is ninth.
New Hampshire has the highest concentration of technology workers as a percentage of its overall work force. Virginia is eighth.
And Virginia's arch rival, North Carolina, was the only state east of the Mississippi River that increased its high tech employment between 1990 and 1995, according to Archey.
``People don't know who we are,'' said summit co-chair George Newstrom, corporate vice president of EDS. Virginia must try to become a world player in a world economy. ``Just to be a player isn't enough,'' he said.
Speakers from technology sectors in Virginia ranging from biotechnology and energy to manufacturing and transportation spoke about common issues that need to be addressed.
These crucial issues raised by national and local technology gurus were: establishing an entrepreneurial climate; better education, both in elementary and higher education; improving the state's technology image, company recruitment and business retention; greater access to capital; and continued work force training.
These issues cross many industries, even manufacturing, which is heavily represented in Hampton Roads, speakers said.
``Most people don't consider our industry a high technology one, but we'll be using more and more technology in our business,'' said Stan Brantley, executive vice president, of Amadas Industries in Suffolk, which manufactures agricultural machinery. Amadas designed the first self-propelled peanut harvester with John Deere.
The next Technology Summit will be held May 21 in Richmond, where regional subcommittees and today's conference participants will try to compile a blueprint for the state's technology goals and initiatives.