Local creator of software makes case for state funds

A 2-year-old computer software creator located in downtown Youngstown has secured a major contract with a leading book publisher, and in so doing has made the case for increased state support for the Youngstown Business Incubator.
Turning Technologies, which was a start-up company at the incubator and remains there as a paying tenant, will provide its software to Thomson Higher Education.
Thomson, the No. 2 provider of college textbooks, will use the software to allow college students to immediately communicate with professors during lessons. The Turning Technologies' contract shows the potential for success that exists at the business incubator and in Youngstown.
There are plans to have the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp., a quasi-public entity leading the redevelopment of downtown, build a market-ready office building next to the business incubator on West Federal Street. It would allow the YBI to accommodate the high-tech companies that graduate from the incubator.
Strong supporter
Gov. Bob Taft has been a strong supporter of the office building project and has secured a $2 million grant for its construction. The governor's office indicated a willingness to consider additional state funding from the forthcoming capital budget.
The incubator, which provides assistance to a dozen start-up companies, is key to Youngstown's push to attract high-technology jobs.
That is why we were so firm in our support last year of a $500 million statewide bond issue that appeared on the November general election ballot. The bond issue was designed to be the third piece of a $1.6 billion Ohio Third Frontier Project. The other two pieces are $500 million for biomedical research and early stage capital funds and $100 million in low-interest loans to support high growth job opportunities and advanced manufacturing. That money will come from Ohio's share of the tobacco settlement and from capital budget bills.
Unfortunately, the voters of Ohio rejected the $500 million issue. The Taft administration is looking at other sources of revenue to bring new products to the market, recruit world-class researchers, entrepreneurs and industrial fellows and support exiting and start-up companies to create more jobs.
We would urge the governor to pay close attention to what is happening in Youngstown, especially with Turning Technologies. His Third Frontier initiative was designed with companies like Turning Technologies in mind.
Company President Mike Broderick says the software is already in 40 universities and that by fall, the product will be in virtually every university across the country. Broderick has hired four people to its technical and office staff in the past two weeks, giving it 12 employees. Additional hiring -- could be up to 20 -- are expected by year's end.