TNI Elects Two Texas Nanotechnology Experts to the Board of Directors
AUSTIN, Texas, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Nanotechnology Initiative
(TNI) today announces the formation of an executive committee to help in
promoting the commercialization and growth of the state's nanotechnology
sector through aggressively lobbying the Texas Legislature and federal
government.
Members of the newly formed executive committee include several of Texas'
nanotechnology leaders, including Kelly Kordzik, TNI's president; Wade Adams,
TNI's chairman of the board; TNI founder and Board Member, Jim von Ehr; Randy
Bell, president and CEO of Nanotechnologies, Inc.; and Dr. Bob Gower,
president and CEO of Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. (CNI). Mr. Bell and Dr.
Gower have also been elected to serve on TNI's Board of Directors.
Dr. Gower brings 36 years of experience in the chemical industry with such
companies as ARCO Chemical, Atlantic Richfield and Lyondell Petrochemical. Mr.
Bell brings more than 25 years of senior executive management experience in
sales, product management and marketing with such companies as ATT/NCR,
Structural Dynamics Research Corporation, Integrated Systems Inc, and Dell
Computer Corporation to the TNI Board of Directors.
"TNI is dedicated to collaborating with industry and government leaders
across the state and nation, and by forming this executive committee we are
focusing our efforts to ensure nanotechnology continues to play a vital role
in our state's economic future," said Kordzik. "Having Dr. Gower and Mr. Bell
join the TNI Board of Directors and executive committee will provide a big
boost to TNI's efforts to drive its strategic direction and reach out to those
corporations interested in Texas' nanotechnology sector."
Through their collaborative efforts, the new executive committee's three
primary objectives are: 1) to aggressively lobby the Texas Legislature in an
effort to secure the passage of Governor Rick Perry's proposed Texas Emerging
Technology Fund; 2) to leverage contacts in Washington, D.C. and on Capital
Hill to gain support and secure research grants from the federal government to
help grow Texas' nanotechnology sector; and 3) to engage the involvement and
participation of large corporations who have a vested interest in the growth
of Texas' nanotechnology marketplace.
"With an evolving world economy, Texas must remain competitive by
expanding its efforts in the fields of emerging technologies, increasing
support at the university level, propelling the economy and boosting Texas'
overall economic presence and power," said Dr. Gower.
"The growing demand by Fortune 1000 companies for advanced technology only
perpetuates the continued support in the development of nanotechnology," said
Bell. "We must increase the awareness and assistance from large corporations
in order to ensure sustained growth, continued research efforts among our
universities and increased monetary funds towards the development of
nanotechnology."
The members of TNI's new executive committee believe one sure catalyst to
enable the state's continued growth in nanotechnology is the passing of the
Texas Emerging Technology Fund. This state-funded proposal aims at bolstering
innovation, research and job creation in emerging high-tech industries like
nanotechnology. The TNI executive committee is assisting other groups in a
state-wide, grassroots effort to obtain passage for the fund. The committee
will also use its contacts in Washington, D.C. to lobby the federal government
in hopes of securing additional grant monies for the research of
nanotechnology in Texas.
The state was recently ranked number five by Small Times magazine in its
fourth annual ranking of the top 10 micro and nanotechnology states in the
United States. According to the survey, Texas continues to see growth within
the nanotechnology market and is well positioned to further increase its
leadership profile in the application of nanotechnology to create and improve
a vast array of products. Texas continues to add resources year after year to
the already abundant talent in place, fueling the job market and acting as an
economic catalyst for the Texas economy.
TNI is dedicated to establishing Texas as a world leader in the discovery,
development and commercialization of nanotechnology. Now in its fourth year,
TNI is a state-wide consortium of Texas-based universities, industry leaders,
investors, and government officials focused on bringing top nanotechnology
companies, researchers, funding, business and education entities together to
develop the infrastructure necessary to turn Texas into an international
player on the nanotechnology stage. For more information about the Texas
Nanotechnology Initiative, please visit the Web site at
http://www.texasnano.org .
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