Lawmakers must not ignore Valley's high-tech initiatives

When Gov. Bob Taft recently visited the Delphi Packard Electric Testing Center in Champion, he was visibly impressed with what he saw.
Likewise, when members of the state legislature's Joint Committee on High Tech Startups were in Youngstown several months ago and heard from individuals involved in high-technology related endeavors, they had high praise for the various initiatives. Of special interest to them was the Youngstown Business Incubator in downtown Youngstown which is helping to launch 12 leading-edge technology companies.
One of the companies, Perkins Communications, recently announced the sale of its proprietary technology, the Hi5 Entertainment System, to a corporation that owns a 75-room hotel in Texas.
According to James Cossler, director of the YBI, the corporation will closely evaluate the system before deciding whether to deploy the technology throughout its entire portfolio of hotel and apartment properties.
"The Hi5 Entertainment System finally fulfills the often talked about promise of convergence, delivering 125 channels of fully interactive cable television, DVD quality movies on demand, advanced 3D video gaming, high-speed Internet connectivity and localized content to a hotel room, living room, or office television through Perkins Communications' proprietary Set Top Box," Cossler explained.
Shoe-string budget: What is noteworthy about the Youngstown Business Incubator is that it is helping nurture companies such as Perkins Communications with a comparatively small infusion of state dollars. Unlike other technology-related initiatives in Ohio, the YBI operates on a shoe-string budget, yet it has gained a national reputation.
We point that out because the legislature's Joint Committee on High Tech Startups, made up of lawmakers and industry and labor officials, has come out with a report that contains recommendations on how Ohio can become a leader in the high-technology, high-wage global economy.
Those recommendations parallel the "Third Frontier" economic plan unveiled in Gov. Taft's State of the State address. The plan envisions advanced biomedical research, nanotechnology, fuel cells and information software driving Ohio's new economy.
With Taft proposing to invest $1.6 billion in technology over 10 years, and the joint committee offering recommendations on how to make Ohio a key player in the new economy, the General Assembly will consider bills to make it all possible.
We would hope that the Mahoning Valley is not overlooked by the governor and the Republican leadership in the House and Senate when it is time to distribute the $1.6 billion. This region has taken the first important steps toward transforming its economy, but now it needs substantial assistance from the state to ensure that Delphi Packard Electric's research facilities and the Youngstown Business Incubator, as examples, are able to build on their successes.