Greater San Marcos Partnership, Texas State University Host 2018 Innovation Summit

“Our city is the heart of the innovation corridor,” Thomaides said. “But our city along with our regional partners, we’re looking forward really to building on the momentum…”

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

On Tuesday, September 25, the Greater San Marcos Partnership and Texas State University came together for the Fifth Annual Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit at Embassy Suites San Marcos Conference Center.

The Innovation Summit is an annual event that brings leaders of higher education and technology and business together to listen and learn about current and upcoming innovations to keep the “innovation corridor” growing.   

This year, leaders in military technologies and higher education came together to talk about the future of innovation in the region and the nation.

Adriana Cruz, President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership, welcomed guests and announced the first speaker after the national anthem and presentation of colors by members of the San Marcos High School 921 Air Force JROTC Color Guard.

During the opening speech, Mayor John Thomaides discussed the partnerships and collaboration between the city, county, university and private institutions that helps drive innovation in the innovation corridor and makes the region unique.

Mayor Thomaides highlighted the San Marcos City Council’s establishment of two innovation districts, STAR Park and Downtown San Marcos, earlier this year, which are aimed to help drive the growth of the I-35 Corridor between Austin and San Antonio.

“Our city is the heart of the innovation corridor,” Thomaides said. “But our city along with our regional partners, we’re looking forward really to building on the momentum of this incredible part of this incredible state of Texas. With our abundant natural beauty and our proximity to two world-class cities, we’re a magnet for talented people and businesses. If you add to that our tremendous partnership with our university, our school district that here, our county and our willingness to utilize public-private partnerships, you have a recipe for sweet success.”

Dr. Denise M. Trauth, President of Texas State University, was the second leader to speak during the summit.

During her speech, Trauth discussed the impact the research, innovation and commercialization at Texas State University have on not only the region’s economy but on improving the quality of life in the health, environmental conservation and public safety fields and solving real-world problems.

“This summit also celebrates what’s possible through collaboration,” Trauth said. “We’ve brought together some of the key leaders from the Texas Innovation Corridor, who are at the forefront of this work. When the best and brightest in higher education, industry and government come together, there is no limit to the innovation we can bring to bear on some of our societies greatest challenges.”

The Keynote speaker for the 2018 Innovation Summit was Lieutenant General Paul A. Ostrowski. Lt. General Ostrowski has 25 years of experience in acquisition, operational and joint assignments.

Currently, he serves as the Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army Acquisition Corps.

The focus of Lt. General Ostrowski’s speech was modernizing the U.S. Army by developing new technologies to speed innovation on the battlefield and how these innovations affect the region as well as the country as a whole. 

According to Lt. General Ostrowski, the United States hasn’t made a change in its army since 1973.

“We have tens of thousands of soldiers engaged today in South Carolina and North Carolina providing mandatory assistance and disaster relief,” Lt. General Ostrowski said. “For an army that’s been at war for the last 17 years. There are young men and women that will be joining the ranks of your armed services next year that were not even born when 9/11 [occurred].” Ostrowski said.

He went on to discuss the changes coming to warfare and the domains it will be fought in: air, land, marine, cyber and even space.

Lt. Ostrowski said collaboration between the Department of Defense and private and academic institution leads the way for the innovations that will help the military prepare for those changes.

In July, the Army Futures Command headquarters opened in Austin at the head of the innovation corridor.

“If we are going to continue to be the most situationally aware and well-protected army that has ever walked the face of the Earth, we have to begin now right here in the innovation corridor in Texas,” said Ostrowski.

Attendees also heard from a panel of local leaders in health, economic development and education.

Panelists included Dr. Mini Kahlon, Vice Dead, Health Ecosystem & Associate Professor at Dell Medical at the University of Texas, Dr. Walter Horton, Associate Vice President for Research and Federal Relations at Texas State University, and Robert McKinley, Sr. Vice President of Economic Development at the University of Texas San Antonio.

Moderated by Dr. Gene Bourgeois, Provost and Vice President Academic Affairs at Texas State University, the panel discussed their institutions and how each they worked collectively to drive the region’s economy into the future and how academia and research translated into business and technological innovation.

The 2018 Innovation Summit was held during Texas State University’s Innovation Week, which brought speakers and leaders from around the country together as part of the university’s Common Experience initiative.

Cruz closed the summit with the presentation of the 2018 Dick Burdick Award; she recognized previous winners before naming all the nominees for this year’s award, which were Challenger Water Solutions, Bautex Systems and Blueshift Materials.

“This year was extremely challenging for our selection committee because we had three exceptional nominees who are leaders in their respective fields,” Cruz said.

Bautex System was awarded the 2018 Dick Burdick Award.

In the course of leading a complex, multi-million-dollar project that required a high-efficiency wall system, the company’s founders identified a critical need for new and better solutions for building energy-efficient commercial structures at costs that are competitive with traditional construction.

Bautex performed extensive R&D in designing a new, patent-pending, automated high-output manufacturing process. Using the Bautex Block, builders can construct storm- and fire-resistant wall systems that can cost-effectively compete with traditional construction methods while offering superior energy efficiency and enhanced design capabilities.