Breault Tells It Like It Is

Over 80 members and their guests assembled at RIT's Golisano Auditorium for RRPC's Annnual Meeting on February 15th. Bob Breault, co-chair of the Arizona Optics Cluster and CEO of Breault Research Organization was the guest speaker. Welcoming the guests were Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, and representing Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, Theresa Mazzullo, Chairwoman of the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency, and Chief Operating Officer of Excel Partners.

Breault's remarks focused upon the dynamics of New York State and the Rochester Region, and our emminence in the Optics, Photonics and Imaging industries. Breault suggested that other States, specifically Arizona, have accomplished more with less in developing high-profile images, collaboration among players, recognition by politial advocates, and government contracts for their established and emerging OPI SME's.

Breault urged:

Left to right: Wayne Knox, UR Insitutute of Optics; Tom Battley, RRPC & New York Photonics; Bob Breault; John Hart, Lumetrics; Kevin Kearney, Geospatial Imaging; Jim Sydor, Sdor Optics.

Infotonics – A Good Commercialization Partner for SBIRs, Other Grants

In support of their role as an economic development engine, the Infotonics Technology Center partners with small businesses to help them write SBIRs and other grants in order to get funding for early product development. Infotonics, with its extensive microsystems antsprototyping capabilities and technical expertise, makes an ideal commercialization partner – a key component to a successful SBIR/STTR proposal.

For example, for one small company having Infotonics as a commercialization partner helped them win venture capital funding and a Department of Homeland Security grant. Another partner, Spectralsight, a spin-off company from Infotonics, has been awarded a Phase I SBIR from the National Science Foundation for early stage development of an innovative technology that integrates micromechanical systems (MEMS) and two patent-pending inventions. Their breakthrough technology will potentially transform today's hyperspectral imaging making it more portable and flexible in nature.

The SBIR program is offered through eleven federal agencies and supports high-risk R&D conducted by small companies that might not otherwise be able to obtain funding. Phase I SBIRs typically provide about $100,000 in funding, with Phase II providing approximately $750,000 in funding to develop prototypes. Infotonics continues to offer free SBIR assistance to members of the RRPC because we are members of Infotonics.

For more information, contact Pam Sims at 585-919-3004.

RCTI is pleased to make available to employees of Rochester’s small businesses – at no charge – two outstanding, nationally recognized half-day training sessions.

New Product Development (AM)
The Strategic Power of Pricing (PM)

WHEN: Wednesday, March 15th
LOCATION: Monroe Community College
AM Session: 8:00 am to 11:30 am
PM Session: 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Presenter:
David Cranmer, President, Phase 3 Consulting

Contact David Gottfried of RCTI at 585-919-3000

2006 Glass Cartel - Red Wings Game

When: Tuesday May 16, 2006
Where: Frontier Field

Southern BBQ & beverages
Starts: ~ 6:00pm

Contact Amy Augino: (585) 265-1020 ext.0263
email: Aaugino[at]optimaxsi.com

17 - 21 April 2006
Defense & Security Symposium
Orlando, FL

It Did for Lumetrics!

John Hart, Lumetrics President asks, "How would you like to offer an investor in your company a 10% or 20% New York State Tax credit? This is no joke. If someone invested $25,000 in your company in the past year, or is going to invest this year, they might be able to get a tax CREDIT of $2,500 to $5,000 for that investment. Sound like a Nigerian Bank Scam? Hardly! "

"The QETC tax credit offers investors in qualified companies these very significant New York State Tax Credits. Our company got qualified - it took about 20 minutes to fill out the form and 2 weeks to get the qualification letter - and we have offered all our investors this credit. The total amount that our investors could claim came to over $350,000. Not a bad deal for our investors."

OSA Education Initiatives

The Rochester Chapter of the Optical Society of America is hosting a Student-Company Networking Poster Session on Thursday March 30th at RIT.   There will be both undergraduate & graduate students from local-area colleges and universities presenting posters on their work.  The Rochester Chapter is also inviting local-area companies to present posters aimed at educating the students (and the local optics community) as to what businesses, technologies, and employment opportunities exist in this area.  This is an excellent (and free!) opportunity to contact local students interested in working in the area, as well as educating the community at large about your business.
 
If your company is interested in presenting a poster, please contact either Mike Kotlarchyk (mnksps[at]rit.edu) or Mike Melocchi (michael.melocchi[at]itt.com), Program Co-Chairs (or any council member of the Local OSA chapter). 

Contact info can be found on the OSA Rochester Chapter website.

Frontiers in Optics / OSA Annual

As the date for Frontiers in Optics (FiO), the OSA Annual meeting nears (October 8 - 12, here in Rochester), we'll keep you posted on events and opportunities.

As it has been for over a decade, the Regional Optics and Photonics Community's focus in attracting conferences has been on two issues: business and education.

One exceptional event on the education side will occur on Wednesday afternoon during FiO. Made possible through the collaboration of the OSA Foundation and Girl Scouts of America, FiO and Rochester will be the site for the unveiling of the Optics Charm, a badge that girl scouts can earn by learning about Optical Science. Rochester is fortunate to have a significant number of women in optics. During the Women of OSA Luncheon, the new Girl Scouts program will begin the national initiative to attract more women into the field of optics.

We think that is very cool.

The World is Flat
By Thomas L. Friedman
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux New York p.473
reviewed by Jennifer Sertl

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
*African proverb posted on an auto parts manufacturing factory floor in China

The World is Flat about is about globalization and the economic and social implications of a world that is being leveled. In 1999 Friedman wrote The Lexus and the Olive Tree which offered historical arguments that there have been three great eras of globalization:

The World is Flat goes into much more detail on how these three levels occurred and the implications of Globalization 3.0. You may know Friedman from his column in The New York Times. What makes his writing style so enjoyable is that he is first and foremost a journalist and second a commentator. While he did research for the book, he traveled the globe and interviewed several individuals from Nandan Nilekani, CEO of the Indian technology company Infosys to UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew. The reader gets a world tour of perspective and insight.

Before going into what The World is Flat means, Friedman shares what he calls the ten most significant flatteners:

What Friedman offered with these ten flatteners is a very rich and compelling reminder that the world is moving forward and changing and the speed of change is accelerating.

The world is flat means that with knowledge and technology, individuals can have as much influence as countries had in 1492, and companies had in 1800. Today, you can be a multi-millionaire with a cell phone, internet access, and a master-mind. The days of hierarchy and rules of engagement have been dramatically altered. Friedman is neither optimistic, nor pessimistic. He holds his role as a journalist throughout. First, let’s know reality. Second, let’s get prepared so that it is easier to assess, act, and adjust. So if the flattening of the world is largely unstoppable and holds out to be as beneficial to American society as a whole as past market evolutions have been, how does an individual get the best out of it? Friedman’s answers, "You have to constantly upgrade your skills. There will be plenty of good jobs out there in the flat world with people with the knowledge and the skills to seize them."

What about global governance? That may be the topic of the next Friedman book. What he does offer is that he does recommend what he calls "compassionate flatism, which is a policy blend built around five categories of action for the age of flat : leadership, muscle building, cushioning, social activism, and parenting."

In the meanwhile, growing up many families were told "eat your supper as there are children starving in China.” For his two daughters, Friedman’s parenting includes, "Do your homework, as there are children in China who are starving for your jobs."

Jennifer Sertl is president of the Customer Service Alliance, a business strategy consulting firm, and is the Rochester co-chair of TEC 262.