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animation studio last year, the Silicon
Valley beckoned. But the perfect home
turned out to be, well, home.
TimeGate, one of the largest video
game developers in the world, forged
an agreement with the University of
Houston System (UHS) with the assis-
tance of the county economic develop-
ment agency, the Greater Fort Bend
Economic Development Council. “This
agreement represents the beginning of
a long-term relationship with UHS to
develop a world-class Computer Science
and Digital Simulation program right
in our back yard,” says Alan Chaveleh,
TimeGate’s chairman of the board.
In another example, road clearing
has begun in Conroe, TX, on the Deison
Technology Park, a 248-acre “tech-
savvy, eco-friendly” park designed for
nature and business to act in harmony.
“We did a study on the needs of technol-
ogy companies,” says Larry Calhoun,
executive director of the Conroe Indus-
trial Development Corporation. “In the
top tier of those needs was quality of
life.” The park, expected to be ready for
occupancy in March 2013, will feature
outdoor meeting areas, walking trails
and botanical gardens. “Innovation and
technology come from people working
in a setting that fosters the thought
process,” Calhoun explains.
The logistical and practical side of
business, meanwhile, is by no means
ignored: The park is adjacent to the
Lone Star Executive Airport. Moreover,
the Montgomery Westland Data
Center is located about 15 miles west
Conroe. At Westland, major companie
including United Airlines, store their
data in a bunker 60 feet underground.
Even states like West Virginia, once
known for its coal production and
eco-tourism, are now at the forefront
of attracting new technology venture
to the state. “West Virginia has a
multi-pronged approach to develop n
technology jobs, including incentives
for new and growing technology
companies, programs to help existing
companies grow and efforts to attrac
federal research investments,” says
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
“Although West Virginia did not have
the infrastructure to win federal
research projects on a large scale in
years past, that is changing.
“Basic research can lead to product
or intellectual property that can be
commercialized in spin-off companie
or licensed to corporations. Because
of the state’s firm commitment to
nurturing university research, West
Virginia is winning an increasing sha
of federal research dollars and center
In November 2011, the FBI hosted a
“topping off ” ceremony to celebrate t
placement of the final steel beam in
the new Biometrics Technology Cente
in Clarksburg, WV. The new center on
the FBI’s Criminal Justice Informa-
tion Services’ campus is expected to
completed and operational by 2014.
In January 2012 , The Scientist
international journal recognized Prot
Biosciences, Inc. , in Morgantown, WV,
among the “Top Ten Innovative Tech-
nologies” in the life sciences industry.
Protea earned the distinction for its
Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionizatio
(LAESI) technology – the first technol
ogy in the world that allows real-time
“WEST VIRGINIA HAS A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH TO
DEVELOP NEW TECHNOLOGY JOBS, INCLUDING INCENTIVES
FOR NEW AND GROWING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES,
PROGRAMS TO HELP EXISTING COMPANIES GROW AND
EFFORTS TO ATTRACT FEDERAL RESEARCH INVESTMENTS,”
MANWITH A PLAN
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s state
is now at the forefront of attracting new technology ventures.
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