From our Director









Judy McKinney-Cherry
DEDO Director



Holiday Greetings!

The Thanksgiving season gives me an opportunity to express my appreciation to my colleagues, stakeholders and business leaders who have been supportive and instrumental in providing the Delaware Economic Development Office advice and constructive feedback.

I am blessed to work with an exceptionally talented and professional staff and to work for a Governor who is committed to Delaware's future. We should all count our blessings to work in a state that has a committed, vibrant and innovative business community, a progressive and robust higher educational system and K-12
educational system. I am thankful for a resilient workforce that has grown over 5,000 jobs in the past year even with the transitions occurring in some of our major sectors.

We all should be thankful to our scientists and engineers since Delaware was recently listed as the No. 1 state in the U.S. for innovation as measured by international patent applications. This information comes from a new study on U.S.-based global intellectual property creation released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. TheDuPont Company was among the 25 corporations listed in the study as responsible for the greatest number of PCT applications.

During the fall, we have been active with new business startups and expansions.  We've celebrated MyZaca, a Wilmington-based IT start-up business involved in sports fantasy football data, as well as business expansions for Wilmington PharmaTech, a bio-tech firm in Glasgow; Agilent Technologies in Wilmington, and the newly relocated Metasheen division of Ciba in Newport.

Of special note, Delaware is now home to the world's third largest chemical company -- INEOS Films has made a $30 million investment to renovate the vacant VPI Mirrex property near Delaware City.   INEOS created a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that produces products for both the credit card and pharmaceutical industries. This is an excellent example of cluster-based economic development.

I am very honored to welcome our newest members of the DEDO team. Ross Tyler, our Director of Market Development, is a member of the DEDO Executive team, Ken Anderson is our  Director of Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development, and Sally Wojceiszyn is DEDO's first Workforce Development Representative focused on the recruiting needs of our businesses. The expertise they bring compliments the talent of our existing DEDO staff, and will enhance our efforts with our clusters, small business assistance, and workforce recruitment.

As you begin your holiday shopping, please remember to find Delaware made items and support our local entreprenuers!

Warm Regards,



ABOUT THE DELAWARE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
The mission of the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) is to be responsible for attracting new investors and businesses to the State, promoting the expansion of existing industry, assisting small and minority-owned businesses, promoting and developing tourism and creating new and improved employment opportunities for all citizens of the State.

This e-newsletter is distributed to the contact list of the Delaware Economic Development Office to share information similar to that which prompted the addressee to initially provide DEDO with that contact information. If you'd prefer to NOT receive further e-newsletter mailings, click the link in the footer below and you will be removed from future e-newsletter mailings only. Similarly, if you've been forwarded this e-newsletter and would like to continue receiving it at YOUR email address, simply send an email to steven.hicks@state.de.us with "SUBSCRIBE"as the subject line.

WHAT'S NEW?

Welcome New Team Members – DEDO welcomes Ross Tyler as the Director of Market Development. Ross is a member of the Executive Leadership team, and oversees the state's Market Cluster Leaders in their efforts to target and attract new businesses to the state. Ross's background includes global private sector sales and marketing experience in Chemistry, packaging, franchising, and a solid track record of successful economic development initiatives for the World Bank, USAID, and The U.S. Department of State. Contact Ross at ross.tyler@state.de.us or (302) 577-8471.

Ken Anderson is the Director of the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he will be responsible for encouraging new business start-ups and overseeing the state's support services for technology-based small businesses. Ken is also responsible for developing minority businesses in Delaware, and encouraging new business growth in each of Delaware's Main Street and downtown communities. Contact Ken at Kenneth.R.Anderson@state.de.us or (302) 577-8946.

Sally Wojcieszyn joined DEDO as a Workforce Development Representative.  Sally comes to the office with more than 25 years of successful workforce recruitment and placement experience.  A graduate of Wilmington University, Sally is charged with expanding Delaware's highly skilled workforce through targeted regional, national and international recruitment initiatives. Contact Sally at sally.wojcieszyn@state.de.us or (302) 672-6828.

Summit Aviation Among Top 15 Small Workplaces – The Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit group Winning Workplaces named Summit Aviation in Middletown as one of the 15 Top Small Workplaces in the country. Summit, an aircraft modification and avionics company, was founded in 1960 and currently has 95 employees.  The companies were judged based on how they encourage collegiality and professional growth among employees, and on their benefits packages and employee retention rates. Profiles of Summit and all 15 companies can be seen at www.winningworkplaces.org.

U.S. Dept. of Labor Uses DEDO Program - The U.S. Department of Labor is using a DEDO Workforce Development Program designed to increase productivity, retention and personal responsibility in the workforce. Career Essentials are lessons that reinforce "soft skills," business skills that employees can develop to be at ease and excel in the workplace. Originally designed to pave the way for entry-level workers, these skills have been cited as among the most important training needs for Delaware's employers. The program contains 15 lessons, including interactive chapters that cover accountability, time management, and anger management, to name just a few. All the lessons are customizable for your specific needs. And your employees can learn from the modules individually, in teams, and in a training classroom. For more information contact Helen Groft at helen.groft@state.de.us or (302)672-6807.

Did You Know DEDO Has A New Website?  Check out our new and improved website at www.dedo.delaware.gov. Visitors to the site will continue to find substantial information about DEDO’s programs for businesses. Be on the lookout for more new features being added all the time.

VIP Mid-Atlantic Quest - Mark your Calendars!  Thursday & Friday, March 13-14, 2008. Do your meetings and events make you feel like you are in a race?  Mid-Atlantic Quest has the solution for you. The legendary Meetings Quest Tradeshows are coming to Dover Downs Hotel & Casino.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to be a vendor! Call 800-735-7770, or visit www.vip-quest.net today.

2008 Governor's Tourism Summit – Save the date!  -  The Delaware Tourism Office is pleased to announce that the 2008 Governor's Tourism Summit is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2008 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. More details coming soon!


DEDO NEWS

New and Expanding Businesses --The Chemistry & Advanced Materials Cluster had a busy fall with business start-ups and expansions. INEOS, the third largest chemical company in the world, opened its new rigid films production site near Delaware City. Governor Ruth Ann Minner joined with other officials to mark the official opening of INEOS Films new manufacturing plant.  INEOS made a $30 million investment to renovate a vacant facility and bring manufacturing jobs in support of our pharmaceutical and credit card industries. Another ceremony marked the opening of Ciba Specialty Chemicals' new Metasheen line, a unit to produce metallized film. Ciba moved the operation from Canada and invested $10 million in the Newport facility. DEDO was actively involved in both of these projects to help position Delaware as the place of choice to build these state-of-the-art facilities. In October, MyZaca, a new business start-up in the sports fantasy football data industry, opened its new office in downtown Wilmington. If you play fantasy football, MyZaca has a wealth of computerized statistical information to help you make informed decisions about your team. Also in October, Wilmington PharmaTech received a total of $400,000 through the Matching Strategic Fund loan program to assist the company in expanding its operations in Glasgow.  At that time, Governor Minner and Citizens Business Bank extended an agreement for a Matching Funds Program for the state's Strategic Fund Program. The total impact is expected to be about $64.7 million on Delaware's economy.

DEDO's Innovation Ranking from Kauffman Foundation – Delaware received a #1 rating as a leader in innovation as measured by international patent applications, according to a study on U.S. Based Global Intellectual Property Creation from the Kauffman Foundation. Delaware had 82.1 PCT applications per one hundred thousand workers in 2006. The largest amount of patents came in the Chemistry, Metallurgy category, and the second largest came in the Electricity category. The top companies include DuPont, Interdigital Technology Corp., Exxonmobil Chemical Patents, ISP Investments and AstraZeneca.

Sponsoring Events – DEDO is involved in the community by supporting a number of economic development activities. We provide sponsorship funding to a select number of projects and events, which promote economic development and tourism activities in the State. All sponsorship requests are evaluated by the DEDO Sponsorship Review Committee based on established criteria. Download the criteria from here:
http://dedo.delaware.gov/FY08Sponorships.pdf. For more information, contact: Nikki Boone, Public Relations Specialist, at nikki.boone@state.de.us or (302) 672-6857. Get involved today!

FY 08 Tourism Advertising Plan – The Delaware Tourism Office's FY 2008 advertising plan is in full swing! The DTO has some exciting opportunities for our partners. The FY 2008 Delaware Tourism Office advertising plan and calendar are now posted on DEDO's Website at the Tourism page. Check it out for a chance to get involved. Here's the link:
http://dedo.delaware.gov/Tourism.shtml. The PDF is located on the right-hand menu.

Aviation Industry Soaring in Delaware -- PATS Aircraft, Dassault Falcon Jet, and Summit Aviation are three growing companies that make Delaware a great place to live and work.  DEDO is working with this promising industry, and our local universities and colleges, to recruit new highly skilled workers.

Did you know Delaware is one of only five states that now has a workforce recruiter in the economic development department? In addition, the Department of Labor's Veterans Affairs is promoting advantages of working with re-entry veterans. For more information on this program or assistance with workforce recruitment for your business and development strategies for your company, please contact Cora Bonniwell at cora.bonniwell@state.de.us or (302)672-6830.