"Idaho still needs to beef up support for tech" - by Ken Dey. I wrap up my second tour at the Idaho Statesman on Friday. By next week, I'll be the new public relations coordinator at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center. It's a bittersweet departure. I'm looking forward to the new opportunity and the growth potential the health care industry offers, but at the same time I'll miss my many colleagues and the opportunity to in some way serve as a voice for Idaho's high technology industry.

Over the last six months or so as I've been blogging on the industry, I've had the chance to share many of my thoughts on what I think needs to be done.

Not everyone has agreed with me, and it has stirred some interesting debates. But I've tried to offer up what I hope is best for the community.

That's why I've been such a strong advocate for helping grow the high technology sector.

And I admit that over the last year, it's been frustrating to watch the lack of any significant action. The Governor's Science & Technology Advisory Council is no more, the State's Office of Science & Technology remains woefully underfunded, and efforts to improve the state's education system and encourage more Idahoans to go to college are floundering.

And even things as simple as providing local communities a tool to improve public transportation can't get past the agendas of a few legislators.

I was heartened to see Gov. Butch Otter veto the legislation this week that would have eliminated the research and development tax credit. Of the few incentives the state has, this credit was one of the few aimed at high-tech companies.

I can only hope now that Otter will take the lead and jump-start the effort to grow Idaho's high tech sector. First on his list and the list of new Commerce Director Don Dietrich should be a commitment to find a viable replacement for the now disbanded Governor's Science and Tech Advisory Council.

The council has provided much of the framework needed to grow the tech industry. I think now we need a group that can show the governor and others how to take the next step.

And in my opinion, the group should be made solely of those in the industry. I do think one of the former council's major drawbacks was that it was too big an organization and it had too many differing agendas. This time around, I wouldn't include representatives from the universities, nor would I include the Idaho National Laboratory. It's not that they have nothing important to say. They do. But I think the needs of the lab and the universities are much different than those of the small, medium and large tech companies.

On one final note, I can't leave without one last mention of Micron Technology. As many people know, I haven't had the best relationship with the company. And quite frankly, I won't miss talking to spokesman Dan Francisco's answering machine.

I know there's been no shortage of criticism aimed at the company since it started laying off employees, including criticism of how it responded to the majority of the media. But all companies react differently to the media, and I never took it personally.

Whether you like Micron or not, most people would agree that no other company has had as significant an impact on the Treasure Valley economy, and much of our success is due to Micron. I sincerely wish Micron the best and hope it makes it through these difficult times.

Article By Ken Dey - kdey@idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 04/18/08

Ken...your voice will be missed. Thank you for your contributions.