GSMP: Announces Nominees for The Burdick Award
Posted by Staff
@CorridorNews
Local Companies Nominated for Using Technology in Innovative Ways to Grow their Business
October 24, 2014 – SAN MARCOS, TX – In today’s fast paced world, keeping up with technological advances can elevate a business’ customer base and increase revenue while keeping them relevant. The Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) in collaboration with emerging research institute, Texas State University, today announced the nine companies that have been nominated for the 2nd annual Burdick Award presented by Richards Rodriguez & Skeith. The finalists and winner will be announced at the Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit presented by Wells Fargo on November 5, 2014, at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos.
“The Greater San Marcos Partnership is delighted to have received nine nominations from companies that represent a wide range of industries in our two-county region. This is a big success for the Burdick Award, which was just open to the public for nominations this year,” said GSMP President Adriana Cruz. “Efforts to innovate the way business is done in the Greater San Marcos region by the nominees showcases that our region is poised to be the hub of innovation for the Austin-San Antonio corridor. At GSMP, we are proud to support our local businesses in Hays and Caldwell counties and are glad that we can provide this recognition to them.”
Nominees for the Richards Rodriguez & Skeith LLP 2nd annual Burdick Award
PetaOmics, Inc.
SioTeX Corporation
According to the September 19 press release announcing the open nomination, nominees for the 2nd Annual Burdick Award should be companies with operations in Hays or Caldwell Counties who are using technology in new and innovative ways to grow their business. The call for nominations was open to the public from September 19 to October 22, 2014. The finalists and winner will be selected from the nominations pool based on their work to establish Greater San Marcos as the innovation hub of the Austin-San Antonio Corridor. The finalists and winner will be considered based on information provided via the online nomination form by a diverse regional selection committee who represent entrepreneurialism, small business development, technology, economic development and regionalism. This information includes the nominees’ company description, a statement on how the nominees use technology in new and innovative ways to grow their business, and were also asked to provide a vision for the companies for the next five years.
“At Richards Rodriguez & Skeith, we believe that new ideas, when nourished by a supportive community, are the foundation of a thriving economy,” said Monica Emilienburg, Partner, Richards Rodriguez & Skeith LLP. “We are proud to help make The Burdick Awards possible because they give recognition to the businesses that are leading the Greater San Marcos region and the U.S. into the new era of business.”
The need for a community award that recognized the innovative work being done by companies in the Greater San Marcos region was realized in the summer of 2013 with the arrival of Adriana Cruz as the new President of GSMP. In collaboration with the GSMP Board of Directors, Texas State University leaders, and STAR Park Director, Stephen Frayser, Cruz launched the inaugural award, which was announced last October at the STAR Park Forum, now entitled the Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit, with over 250 civic and business leaders in attendance.
Named for the Thermon Group Holdings Chairman and Founder, Dick Burdick, the award highlights companies who are pushing the Greater San Marcos region past the status quo. In 2013, the inaugural Burdick Award honored Thermon – one of the Greater San Marcos region’s brightest success stories, and an internationally recognized industry leader. Award namesake and company founder, Dick Burdick, along with the company’s President and CEO, Rodney Bingham, accepted the award on behalf of Thermon.
“The Greater San Marcos region is making waves and people are taking notice,” Cruz added. “We have an abundance of diverse talent resources, such as Texas State University and our local school districts, which compliment our existing industries, high and unique quality of life, and affordability. These are the attributes that companies consider when they are looking to create jobs in an area and they are elements GSMP leverages as we tell the Greater San Marcos story to those decision makers.”
Since October 1, 2013, over 682 new jobs were announced in the Greater San Marcos Region through corporate expansions and relocations. These expansions and relocations represent a myriad of industries spanning from General and Advanced Manufacturing and Materials to Corporate/Professional Operations and Aerospace/Aviation and Supply Chain Management.
The Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit presented by Wells Fargo will include a Keynote Speech from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Matt Erskine, Chief Operating Officer of the Economic Development Administration, an address from Texas State University President, Dr. Denise Trauth, that will look at the research and innovation taking place at Texas State University and STAR Park, and panels from regional experts on the role that the University, and the Hays and Caldwell Counties region play in the innovation ecosystem.
In August 2013, Texas State University announced the arrival of Austin technology leader, Laura Kilcrease, as the Director for the Center for Entrepreneurial Action. The Texas State Center for Entrepreneurial Action supports economic development and job growth in San Marcos and Central Texas by providing support, assistance, and training to regional entrepreneurs and inventors. The center works to establish and support technology commercialization efforts at Texas State University, as well as providing students with an entrepreneurship curriculum.
In August 2014, Texas State University was awarded a $15 million grant from NASA to help train teachers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. Also that month, the Texas State University System Board of Regents authorized Texas State University to expand the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Park by acquiring an adjacent tract of approximately 20 acres.
“This is an exciting time for Texas State University and the Greater San Marcos region,” said Dr. Denise Trauth, Texas State University’s president. “In the last year alone, the university has achieved milestones in research activity, academics, and fundraising, and has experienced significant growth. The progress we make and our roles in innovation and discovery are key factors supporting the health and prosperity of the regional economy.”
The Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit, hosted by the Greater San Marcos Partnership in collaboration with Texas State University, is made possible through the generous support of Wells Fargo, Richards Rodriguez & Skeith LLP, Walton Development & Management, McCoy College of Business, STAR Park, Austin Business Journal, Community Impact Newspaper, San Marcos Corridor News, and Silicon Hills News.
“Wells Fargo believes that, as a company and as a member of the community, it’s our responsibility to support and encourage growth of our local businesses who are doing innovative work. We uphold that responsibility in all we do,” said Mark Curry, Wells Fargo Community Banking president for Austin. “In 2012, we created the Wells Fargo Clean Technology and Innovation grant program as part of our effort to donate $100 million for environmental projects across the nation by 2020. The Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit is a terrific fit for our vision, as it fosters and celebrates the development of new and emerging approaches to doing business that can positively impact our community.”
Registration for the 2nd annual Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit presented by Wells Fargo is available at http://bit.ly/1o0GDAA.
About STAR Park
STAR Park is a collaborative effort of Texas State University and research partners serving as a catalyst for continued public/private development of new or improved technologies. Anchored by the STAR One technology business incubator, STAR Park is currently home to five new and emerging technology companies, a soon-to-be-opened advanced polymers and nanomaterials center, Texas State’s Small Business Development Center and the Office of Commercialization and Industry Relations.
Press Release provided by Greater San Marcos Partnership
