Delaware Earns Honor Roll - Delaware received a B+ for overall management in the latest "Grading the States" report, jointly issued by the Pew Center on the States and Governing Magazine. The Grading the States report grades states on a number of categories including money, people, infrastructure and information. Delaware scored high on a number of categories including those pertaining to overall financial management. "Delaware has strong financial practices that include excellent long-term planning, budgeting and maintenance of a sound structural balance," according to the report. Only three other states received a higher grade than Delaware’s B+. The full report is available on the Pew Center on the States Web site at www.pewcenteronthestates.org and in the March issue of Governing magazine.

State Capital is a Place to Live and Launch - The state capital of Delaware made another national list. Fortune magazine ranked Dover No. 55 on its list of 100 best places to live and launch a small business. Fortune compiled its list by assessing local tax rates and business startup activity along with livability features such as natural beauty, affordable housing and access to entertainment.

Dover was picked for a number of business and leisure amenities. "Delaware is known nationally for its aggressively pro-business tax policies," the article reported. "It has no sales tax, no personal property tax, no business use tax and no inventory tax... The city has significant resources for small-business owners, with a cluster of city, state and federal offices available for technical assistance, advice and loan programs."

Access to the long stretch of beautiful Atlantic beaches and major cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington were highlights, as well as the capital’s local Revolutionary War-era history and the Dover Air Force Base.

Delaware Prepares for BIO2008 - DEDO is coordinating the Delaware Pavilion at BIO2008, scheduled for June 16-20 in San Diego, CA.  The following partners have already committed financial and in-kind resources toward the event:  ADESIS, INC – DE BioScience Association – DE State University – RatnerPrestia – CYMA Builders and Construction Managers – PROTECS Professional Turnkey Engineering and Construction Specialists – DE Biotechnology Institute – DE Technology Park – Creative Communications.

With additional support anticipated from at least three other organizations, there will be a strong representation of Delaware’s innovation and exceptionally robust science-related businesses!  This is an event that will contribute to the success of Delaware’s existing science-based businesses and serves an outstanding recruitment opportunity. For more information, please contact Ross Tyler, director of Market Development at ross.tyler@state.de.us or 302- 577-8471.

Delaware Workforce Recruitment and Retention Conference - Save the Date! - Budget permitting, DEDO’s Workforce Development Center will partner with the Delaware Society of Human Resource Management to co-host the Governor’s RRR SHRM Conference again this year.  The event will be held November 18 -19 at the University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall. For upcoming information, visit www.deshrm.org.

Manufacturing Firm Moves to Sussex County - The partners of Craig Technologies, Inc. a manufacturer of precision ground plastic balls located in the Seaford Industrial Park, Seaford, Del. are pleased to announce the purchase of 75 percent of the controlling stock in Flow Smart, Inc., located in Warren, NJ. Flow Smart’s staff and inventory were recently relocated to Seaford, Del. and future expansion plans will bring manufacturing in-house for many of their specialty gaskets. Craig Technologies is an example of DEDO’s targeted initiative to expand emerging sectors within the Automotive Manufacturing Cluster. For more information about plastics manufacturing, contact Cluster Leader Terry Deputy at Terry.Deputy@state.de.us or 302-672-6802.

DEDO Updates

Asset Management Legislation Passed - The Delaware General Assembly recently passed SB 213, the Asset Management Bill. This legislation will modernize the Delaware Code by creating a new definition which will provide Asset Management Corporations with a single factor system of apportionment for determining corporate income tax. This new law will enhance Delaware’s existing financial services industry, help attract similar companies and further solidify Delaware’s position as the premier state to do business.

New Projects Announced - At its March meeting, the Council on Development Finance recommended for approval grants to four Delaware companies.  Of special interest is the commitment of more than $50 million in capital investment for the Invista manufacturing facility (formally DuPont Nylon) in Seaford and the company’s pledge to remain at the current employment levels for 10 years.  The three other companies are Quantum Leap, Comcast and Abacalab. 

Once these recommendations are approved, the state will invest more than $2 million to the four companies through the state’s Strategic Fund, Tech-based Seed Fund I and the Competitiveness Fund.  The companies, in turn, would invest more than $64 million into their businesses and add at least 800 jobs to Delaware’s workforce.

Dover Manufacturing Firm Expands Product Lines - On April 10, Governor Ruth Ann Minner and Kraft Foods Dover Plant Manager Kevin Ripley announced the expansion of the company's production lines at the Dover manufacturing facility. The expansion will result in 40 new sustainable-wage jobs and an additional $23.6 million capital investment in state-of-the-art production equipment and employee training.

The Delaware Economic Development Office awarded Kraft Foods a Competitiveness Fund grant to help offset the capital expenditures for the expansion. The investment will generate an additional economic impact of $8.5 million.

The Dover facility currently manufactures various food and beverage products such as Stove Top stuffing mix, Jell-O desserts, Dream Whip whipped topping mix, and Kool-Aid, Country Time and Crystal Light soft drink mixes. The plant currently employs approximately 500 employees, ranking Kraft as the second largest manufacturing firm in Kent County.

Career Fair a Success - DEDO assisted the Delaware BioScience Association in executing their first ever Life Science Career Fair with 20 companies represented, including Nemours Foundation, QPS, Adesis, ANP Technologies, WL Gore, ThermoFisher Scientific, DuPont, and Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnologies, to name a few. DEDO managed student volunteers, who helped with the event with a variety of tasks, including but not limited to registration, runners for the company representatives, greeters, collecting resumes and survey response cards. 

Approximately 400 highly-qualified applicants participated. The employers expressed appreciation for the quality of the high-tech applicants that were recruited to participate, using a broad spectrum of marketing strategies, including radio and print ads, as well as distribution through the available networks and members of the planning committee.

Health Sciences Cluster Identifies Growth Opportunities - Momentum continues to build following the January release of the Delaware Health Science Cluster Report, which indicated positive economic growth and organizational progress for the newly formed Health Sciences Cluster. This month, key stakeholders met to prioritize short-term recommendations, which will serve to further enhance the growth of the industry in Delaware. These recommendations included:

• To identify Resource Mapping of Simulation opportunities across the state of Delaware related to the Health Sciences Cluster.
• To implement video targeting post-grad and post-doc level professionals to Delaware, using CEO’s similar to the Advantage Wilmington video.
• To Continue to meet and work together as a Cluster on a quarterly basis.
• To support the ongoing innovation of the Delaware Health Information Network, which is earning national recognition as the first statewide Regional Health Information Organization.

For more information, please contact Patty Cannon, Health Sciences Cluster Leader at patricia.cannon@state.de.us or call 302-577-8485.

Memorandum of Agreement Finalized - Director Judy McKinney-Cherry executed a Memorandum of Agreement between DEDO and the Small Business Development Center which set forth understanding of both parties as they move collaboratively to foster small business development and increase entrepreneurial activity in the state of Delaware. The agreement was reached collaboratively and is performance-based with a number of new performance metrics for the SBDC.

Statewide Executive Small Business Advisory Group Formed - DEDO has formed a Statewide Executive Small Business Advisory Group. The mission of the Group is to identify, advise and to assist the Office in directing a coordinated strategy in support of entrepreneurialism and small business development throughout the State. The group consists of twelve small business advocates throughout Delaware. The group agreed in the first meeting to focus on the challenge of “determining strategies for creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure the maximum opportunities for the creation, growth and maturation of small businesses throughout the state of Delaware.” This team will begin working strategically with the Delaware Workforce Investment Board. The group will meet four times through November.

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Information Session Held - On April 30, 2008, DEDO held a special Entrepreneurial and Small Business Information session for entrepreneurs and early-stage small businesses. The program discussed all New Economy program initiatives, Delaware Main Street program and upcoming initiatives for small businesses interested in taking advantage of upcoming BRAC opportunities. It is anticipated these sessions will be conducted periodically as the demand dictates. For more information, please contact Ken Anderson, director of DEDO’s Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Center at ken.anderson@state.de.us or call 302-577-8946.