Business Images Research Valley, TX 2010

BUSINESS

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What’ss Onlinee Experience life as an Aggie at Texas A&M

RESEARCH VALLEY, TEXAS

On the Right Track Texas T-Bone high-speed rail plan gains momentum

Serious About Science Expanded facilities create space for research and discovery

Ripe for The Picking Fruits and veggies grown here served on tables everywhere

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SPONSORED BY THE BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS | 2010

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What’ss Onlinee Experience life as an Aggie at Texas A&M

RESEARCH VALLEY, TEXAS

On the Right Track Texas T-Bone high-speed rail plan gains momentum

Serious About Science Expanded facilities create space for research and discovery

Ripe for The Picking Fruits and veggies grown here served on tables everywhere SPONSORED BY THE BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS | 2010

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Lifestyle A showcase of what drives The Research Valley’s high quality of life

Workstyle Serious About Science

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New and expanding facilities create space for research and innovation.

Ripe for the Picking See the Video Our award-winning photographers give you a virtual peek inside The Research Valley

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Local businesses put fruits and vegetables on tables across America.

Home to High-Tech Workstyle

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High-tech firms keep intellectual talent in the area.

A spotlight on innovative companies that call The Research Valley home

Insight

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Business Images Research Valley is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Brazos Valley Council of Governments. For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.

Overview

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Transportation: On the Right Track

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Energy/Technology

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Brazos Valley Council of Governments 3991 East 29th Street • Bryan, TX 77803 Phone: (979) 595-2800 • Fax: (979) 595-2810 www.bvcog.org

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Member

Livability Great Game Plan

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Education

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Magazine Publishers of America Member

Custom Publishing Council

Member Community Chamber of Commerce MANAGING EDITOR KIM MADLOM ON THE COVER TEXAS A&M ALBRITTON BELL TOWER PHOTO BY JEFF ADKINS

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I M A G E S R E S E A R C H V A L L E Y. C O M

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Overview

The Top 10 Reasons To Do Business in The Research Valley are fostered by The Research Valley Angel Network, which provides capital, strategic advice and mentoring to early-stage companies.

1. Intellectual Capital The region

8. Favorable Tax Structure The

is the home of Texas A&M University and Blinn College. With more than 55,000 undergraduate and graduate candidates, businesses are never at a loss for quality employees and trainees.

area’s tax structure makes it a lowcost center for doing business.

Major draws for the region include no personal state income tax or state property tax, and “freeport” exemptions.

2. Excellent Education School

9. Entrepreneurial Spirit The region is a “knowledge commercialization zone” where university, industry and government partners join forces. New ideas for the marketplace

districts in the region have earned a reputation for academic excellence.

Students and staff in the area’s primary and secondary schools are diverse, with more than 36 languages represented.

10. Quality of Life City or country, modern or quaint, a vast choice of lifestyles and housing is available in The Research Valley. The region has been designated a “Five-Star Quality-of-Life Metro,” where people can enjoy a career and raise a family at the same time.

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3. Prime Location Centrally located within a triangle formed

by Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio, the region offers easy access to big-city amenities and more than 13 million people.

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Madisonville

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5. Healthy Living Taking advantage

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of temperatures that average 68 degrees annually, residents enjoy the region’s more than 400 miles of cycling routes and trails over gently rolling terrain. An abundance of championship courses challenge golfers year-round.

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Bedias

Milano Rockdale

Iola 30

Bryan

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College Station Caldwell

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6. Business Incentives Research

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Brenham

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7. Robust Cultural Life Worldclass performing arts, museums, libraries and more are available here.

Centerville

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consistently ranks among the lowest areas in cost of living – meaning lower taxes, less expensive housing, and more disposable income for individuals and families.

Valley knows how to welcome businesses with incentives, including property tax abatements, tax increment reinvestment zones, performance-based grants and customized job-training programs.

LEON

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4. Affordability Research Valley

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Almanac 50 YEARS OF CARING In 1959, the Boys Club of Bryan opened its doors for the first time to area youth. Approximately 250 boys joined during its first week. Today, 50 years later, the Boys & Girls Club of the Brazos Valley serves over 2,500 youth in six locations.

In 2009, the club welcomed back alumni, past presidents, board members and community friends to kick-off its 50th Anniversary year.

Programs at the Brazos Valley Club follow the core themes of the Boys & Girls Club of America by emphasizing character and leadership, education and career, health and life skills, the arts and sports, fitness and recreation.

ONE MILLION TONS Nucor Bar Mill in Jewett is both a manufacturing and a recycling facility.

As a company, Nucor has a production capacity that exceeds 26 million tons making Nucor the largest producer of steel in the United States. But, more than a steel maker, Nucor is the world’s foremost steel recycler, and one of the largest recyclers of any kind.

The company has remained strong even in trying economic times. Nucor has never had a layoff for lack of work, and over the past five years its return to shareholders has out performed all other companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index.

Products include steel bars, wire rod, fasteners, bolts, metal building systems and more.

The Jewett plant transforms scrap steel into new steel products.

HOMEGROWN SUCCESS Washington County is fertile ground for business.

Ice cream, salad dressing, bedding and traffic structures are all made in Washington County.

Blue Bell Creameries and Del Sol Food Co. both make edibles that tantalize taste buds all across the country. Blue Bell has been in Washington County since 1907 and makes a variety of ice cream products, while Del Sol produces the popular Briannas Fine Salad Dressing line.

Meanwhile, Sealy Mattress, RR Donnelley and Valmont Industries, which manufactures structures that hold traffic lights, are keeping Washington County residents employed.

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COWBOYS WITH CREDENTIALS Henry Fox was just having a little fun with some locals when he coined the term “sidewalk cattlemen.” These days, that term is connected to a fun annual event that raises money for a good cause.

Fox was editor of the Madisonville Meteor in 1941 when he wrote a column that poked fun at people wearing cowboy boots around town who didn’t own any cows. The idea caught on and the Sidewalk Cattlemen’s Association was formed. Each year, the group sponsors events including a steak dinner and a two-day rodeo. Proceeds fund scholarships for high school graduates.

IT’S NATURALLY FUN

Even today unwary boot wearers who are unable to prove they own at least two head of cattle should be prepared for a ceremonial dunking in the watering trough on the courthouse lawn.

Enjoying a day at the lake is easy for the residents of The Research Valley.

Lake Somerville State Park and Trailway is less than a half-hour drive from Bryan and College Station. The Somerville Reservoir covers 11,630 acres, creating an excellent surface for all manner of water sports.

The lake attracts plenty of fishermen.

It is home to a good population of white bass, largemouth bass and hybrid bass.

The surrounding park is great for horse riding, biking, hiking and wildlife watching. In the spring, the landscape explodes with wildflowers including bluebonnets, Indian blankets and coreopsis. p

TRINKETS AND TREASURES The second weekend o of every month is busy in Jewett, located in Leon County.

That’s when the flea m market is open and shoppers can find anything from fancy saddles to estate jewelry to arts and cra crafts. Open from dawn to dark, this outdoor market has more than 150 dealers selling antiques, primi primitives, farm and ranch items and even livestock.

With so many local an and regional dealers, the flea market is a hub of community activity. It was founded by the Jewet Jewett Jaycees in 1975 and currently operated by the city.

Leon County is also home to the Fall Frolic Festival, a home and garden show and the Buffalo Stampede, Stamped an event featuring a parade, beauty pageants, music and more.

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Business Climate

regionalism

Spanning Generations New park geared toward clean-energy, high-tech ventures

Story by Joe Morris

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ith strong support from local municipalities, the business community and economic-development officials, the Next Generation Park is set to usher in a new era of high-tech innovation throughout The Research Valley.

The industrial park’s goal is to become a hub for companies focusing on clean energy and other innovative sectors, and it was made possible after The Research Valley Partnership was able to bring in funding from Bryan and College Station and Brazos County.

The three governments’ buy-in was key to making the park happen, says Todd McDaniel, president and chief executive officer of The Research Valley Partnership.

He credits all the players with looking to the future in terms of generating local jobs.

“Everyone had the patience and the vision to work through the process,” McDaniel says. “It’s called Next Generation for a reason. Whether companies are involved in clean energy, or life science, or something related, they can co-locate in an ambience that is truly world class.

We think this campus is going to be a new model for industrial parks; that’s really our objective.”

Early goals are to create at least 200 jobs and then build upward. The park will have first-refusal option on more acreage nearby, allowing it to grow to at least 1,000 acres over time. That kind of land bank is necessary, as McDaniel predicts the properties will be snapped up in large chunks.

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“The vision is to have a world-class park in the shadow of Texas A&M University, and to have rail and other necessary amenities,” he says. “We think we nailed down the best location.”

And despite the current slow economy, the park should be a draw for new and existing companies alike, says Tom Wilkinson Jr., executive director of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments.

“The failure to have opportunities for businesses means they’ll look elsewhere,” Wilkinson says. “We are out of industrial property in the county, and so we’re creating a new opportunity for both industrial and research types of businesses.”

Shannon Waddell, economic and community development program manager for the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, says “This park will bring together several concepts that will all be growing and expanding. We’re going to have clean and sustainable energy companies, but we’ll also attract other researchtype emerging companies and some in tech transfer.

Eventually we’ll also have incubator space.”

The all-encompassing nature of the park may well be its strongest selling point, notes Wilkinson.

“Companies will have rail access in a master-planned park, and they can locate next to firms producing products that they’ll need,” he says. It’s very innovative, and even in a slow economy, Next Generation Park already has some very solid prospects.”

We’re Serious About Science New facilities create space for new discoveries Story by Joe Morris • Photography by Jeff Adkins

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he name fits.

As three key Texas A&M projects come online, The Research Valley continues to live up to its name and build its reputation as a region rich in research resources.

A new campus is in the works for the Texas A&M Health Science Center, a new facility is opening for the Texas A&M Institute of Preclinical Studies and the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine is nearing completion. Creating space for research, education and innovation is vital to Texas A&M’s mission and to the region’s research-based economy.

The new campus’ education building should open in July 2010, followed by the research building in March 2011.

The highly anticipated opening of the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine will create a world hub for genomic research.

TIGM will house the world’s largest mouse genome library for use to study the roles of genes.

Established in collaboration with Lexicon Genetics and Texas A&M University System, the institute will utilize advanced technologies to accelerate the pace of medical discoveries. The breakthroughs discovered at TIGM will be further researched and tested in the new facility of the Texas A&M Institute of Preclinical Studies, or TIPS. TIPS trains

veterinarians, physicians, scientists, technicians and engineers to meet the needs of the biomedical industry.

TIPS offers space, equipment and expertise to study potentially life-saving devices and drugs in large animals.

TIPS researchers work to develop new drugs and methods to treat these diseases in animals and then move these discoveries toward development for humans.

TIPS association with the veterinary college provides access to expertise ranging from cardiology to orthopedics.

In addition, TIPS can pull experts from across the A&M campus in fields such as engineering, business and marketing to assist with development or commercialization.

TIPS works with a diverse group of researchers, everyone from Texas A&M and other academic institutions to the National Institutes of Health and other government entities, says Debra Bridges, associate director. The new advancedimaging component will ramp up those opportunities, and also help the facility to establish new industry partnerships.

“We’re looking forward to a very exciting and prosperous future,” Bridges says. “We’re now where we can provide a valuable resource to the local, regional and state research communities as well as industries that need these services.”

The new Texas A&M Institute for Genomic Medicine

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Ripe for the Picking Local businesses grow fruits and vegetables that are served on tables across America

Story by Danny Bonvissuto

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he sweet and earthy flavors developed in The Research Valley are appreciated throughout the country.

With 542 full-time employees and their own truck fleet, Monterey Mushrooms is Texas’ largest manufacturer. Though its headquarters is in California, the Madisonville facility, now in its 34th year, is one of many Monterey plants in the United States and Mexico that oversee the mushroom process from spore to store.

“We pack and ship 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” says David Nesselrode, general manager of the Madisonville facility.

Madisonville Research Valley

Snook

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“From this facility, 550,000 pounds of mushrooms are produced per week, which includes about 460,000 pounds of small-to-medium white mushrooms, 75,000 pounds of brown (baby or portabella) mushrooms and other assorted and specialty varieties, like oyster mushrooms.”

In simplified terms, the process begins with compost preparation and pasteurization, and the spawn is introduced from the mother culture.

Then comes the “flushing” technique to initiate the reproductive state, after which the mushroom grows to specifications and harvest begins.

“Every mushroom is picked by hand, roughly 65,000 pounds a day,” Nesselrode says. “We have no mechanical harvesters and every mushroom is graded for size and quality. Mushrooms have a very short life span and a seven-day shelf life, so it’s important we pick, pack and ship quickly. What we pick today, we pack today.”

It’s no wonder Madisonville is the official mushroom capital of Texas, and also the site of the annual Madisonville Mushroom Festival.

“We serve portabella fajitas all day

long,” Nesselrode says. “A mushroom will take on the flavor of anything you cook with it.”

Watermelons, on the other hand, have a distinctive sweetness.

In 2008, Wiggins Watermelons, which grows its product on leased farmland across Texas, sold over 100 million pounds of watermelons. Even

by Texas-size standards, that’s a lot of product for a company run by one man and his three sons.

“My wife’s grandfather started farming in the 1920s with his sons, and I married her and started farming watermelons,” says James Wiggins, owner of Wiggins Watermelons. “My sons farmed watermelons all through school. But we started concentrating on watermelons in 2000, and since then, we’ve almost tripled the business.”

Wiggins Watermelons ships round seedless, long seedless, dark-skinned seedless and specialty varieties to approximately 25 states and Canada.

“We follow them from seed to market,” Wiggins says. “We grow a good watermelon. We don’t bruise them up and they have a good shelf life. If you take care of a fruit and handle it right, it’ll be good for a long time.”

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What’s Onlinee Learn more about high-tech industries in The Research Valley at imagesresearchvalley.com.

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Home to High-Tech High-tech firms keep intellectual talent in the area Story by Joe Morris

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dvanced technology has moved out of the incubators and into the mainstream throughout The Research Valley.

By providing technology and services to a growing sector of government and private clients, Fibertown is one such success story.

The company, which began in the late 1990s and provides office space, storage/backup network capabilities and a host of other related services, has now launched a $3.2 million expansion to its downtown Bryan center.

This comes on top of some $18 million the firm has already plowed into its local operation, and shows how much confidence it has in the area, says Randall Spradley, executive vice president of development for Fibertown.

“We have two Tier 2 and one Tier 4 data centers downtown, and we serve people who have a tech bias, people who need the bandwidth and who want to have an urban experience,” Spradley says.

Proximity to Texas A&M is an asset, as is the city’s physical relation to the coast – near enough to Houston for convenience, but far enough inland to survive a hurricane.

“We are very popular with a lot of Houstonbased companies that have very specific and demanding backup requirements,” he says.

“We also have several hundred working stations for disaster recovery and business continuity.”

Also raising its local and regional profile is StarVision Technologies Inc., which was founded in 2003 and designs, develops and manufactures intelligent electro-optic technologies and products for unmanned vehicles, government and commercial satellite

and advanced missile-system markets.

In 2008 the company received the Texas Emerging Tech Fund Grant Award, which brought a $750,000 infusion to help complete the SpeedStar™ product, a new altitude determination sensor system that improves the performance and reduces the cost of satellites.

The recognition is the latest success for the homegrown company, a spinoff of Texas A&M University’s initiative to commercialize intellectual property. These days it continues to work on its research and development, as well as serve as an anchor for a growing hightech sector in the region, says Michael Jacox, president and founder.

“The Research Valley’s appeal for start-up and growth is collaboration with faculty that are engaged in cutting edge research, some of it ripe for transition to products,” Jacox says.

The availability of graduate students who have conducted faculty research creates a pool of young, entry-level employees, but the area is also attractive for more seasoned professionals who want to put down roots in a region that is rich in technology-based companies, Jacox says.

“Those people who have a lot of experience like to know they have options, and the Brazos Valley is starting to grow more of these companies,” he says.

Spradley agrees. “We are impacting the growth of a sustainable tech community here.

Texas A&M is one of the most important research centers, and Fibertown and other companies create a reliable tech infrastructure.

This is an environment in which professionals can work with confidence.”

Business Booster The Research Valley Innovation Center helps entrepreneurs succeed by providing business advisory services, funding-access support programs, investment networking, peer-to-peer networking, an Entrepreneur-inResidence program, and virtual and physical incubator spaces. The center is both a business incubator and a provider of support services.

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Livability

Coach Calvin Jackson huddles with the Brazos Valley Girls Softball Association’s Eagles little league softball team.

Great Game Plan Softball, soccer, baseball and more keep kids active Story by Kevin Litwin • Photography by Jeff Adkins

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he Brazos Valley is serious about fun – and teaching young people about teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship and the importance of physical activity.

Those lessons and others are taught on fields throughout the region where more than 2,500 children ages 5-16 participate in Little League baseball and softball. Teams from Bryan/ College Station, Franklin, Hearne, Madisonville and throughout the region enjoy play in both the spring and fall.

Calvin Jackson has been coaching girls’ softball for eight seasons, and praises the region for its commitment to youth sports. He currently coaches daughter Aley’s 12-and-under team, the Eagles, and 16-year-old daughter Tori’s traveling tournament team, the Venom.

“The softball, baseball and soccer fields throughout the cities of Bryan and College Station are always kept in excellent condition,” Jackson says. “I often hear people from visiting teams make comments on how well-maintained the facilities are around here.”

Jackson says Texas A&M University in College Station is an asset to youth sports in the region. He notes the players on the Texas A&M Lady Aggies softball team conduct seminars

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occasionally for teams of girls in the community.

Meanwhile, Brazos Valley has several other recreation offerings for young people, including a new Arctic Wolf Ice Center as well as several public swimming pools. The Brazosport Youth Soccer Association has six individual clubs that play competitive, traveling matches each year at a number of soccer complexes located through the Valley.

And in Bryan, a Pee Wee sports program is in place to teach children ages 3 to 5 the fundamentals of baseball, basketball, football, golf and soccer.

“You can’t drive through Bryan-College Station – in fact, most of Brazos Valley – without seeing some kind of sport being played,” Jackson says. “Whether it’s individual sports or team sports, Brazos Valley is a hotbed of youth activity.”

What’s Onlinee See Bryan’s energetic and friendly downtown in our quick online video at imagesresearchvalley.com.

Transportation

On the Right Track!

Texas T-Bone high-speed rail plan gathers steam Story by Danny Bonvissuto

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n the year 2020, how will Texans get from one side of the state to the other? Will they continue take a combination of country roads and highways, or hop short flights from here to there? Not if the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation has anything to do with it.

A not-for-profit corporation made up of transportation and elected officials from across Texas, the THSRTC is a grassroots effort to implement a high-speed rail system by 2020 in which trains running in excess of 200 miles per hour would move thousands of people at a time along a 440-mile corridor called the Texas T-Bone.

It means a new rail infrastructure, though it will be grade elevated whenever possible so farmers can run cattle and drive tractors underneath it. And its footprint is very small, requiring about 100 feet for the track itself.

“This isn’t just something we want to build because we want to build,” says Michael Parks, assistant executive director of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments.

“Here in central Texas, we experience pretty heavy growth, yet our transportation system doesn’t have the money to keep pace with that growth. Eighty percent of Texas lives within 50 miles of a triangle created by Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. In a state like Texas, where your runs are within 300 miles of each other, air travel is probably a good way to get around, but given our growth, what’s the alternative?

What technology is there that will allow us to grow if not for high-speed rail?”

Other benefits include airport connectivity from DallasFort Worth to George Bush Intercontinental and the route includes Fort Hood, one of the largest military posts in the world. Servicemen and women and their families would reap the benefits in the form of more education, employment and recreation opportunities, plus easy access to numerous V.A. hospitals in San Antonio.

“There’s nothing else like it in the United States,” Parks says. “You have to look in Europe and the Far East and they’ve been doing it for quite some time. California has a high-speed rail initiative, but Texas doesn’t have mountains to tunnel through or valleys to cross. It’s a relatively flat terrain and we can get speeds over 200 miles per hour. It’ll be like flying on the ground.”

Brazos County commissioner Kenny Mallard says the process has been slow but steady. “We’ve been working with the corporation for five years now, but after the spike in fuel prices, it became important for people to move forward instead of sitting on the interstate at $4 a gallon,” he says.

“Of course, there are people who say, ‘Why would I want to take the train when I can drive my car?’ But most are excited about the low impact on the environment.”

To have everything built and ready to roll by 2020 may sound aggressive, but President Obama included $8 billion in high-speed rail funds into his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and his FY2010 budget has a proposed annual $1 billion investment for the development of a national high-speed rail network over the next five years.

“We have ambitious goals, but we’re planning now for a system that will last us the next 100 years,” Parks says.

High-speed rail is a reality in Europe.

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Energy/Technology

Powered Up Energy and technology merge into development opportunities Story by Joe Morris • Photography by Brian McCord

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he marriage of new technology to the challenge of finding sustainable sources of energy is a happy one for businesses, academic institutions and economic development organizations throughout The Research Valley.

The area’s coal, gas and oil industry sectors remain viable, and providers of cleaner extraction and production methods continue to move into the region. In addition, research and development into wind, solar and other sustainable practices has raised the area’s profile as a new-technology center.

“Texas A&M University has research

College Station Research Valley

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into all types of energy, and firms here are working with the researchers,” says Tom Wilkinson Jr., executive director of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments. “There is a lot of interest in green technology now, and numerous efforts are under way to look for selfsustainable ways to produce energy.”

In College Station, Lynntech continues its work in fuel-cell technology, which eventually will be used to convert energy stored as hydrogen into electricity.

Applications range from powering laptops to home use and large machinery.

In Bryan, Texas A&M partners with businesses to transfer technology from the lab to the marketplace.

In the more traditional arena, several large-scale power plants and other developments are under construction or planned. To date, those include Luminant’s $2 billion power plant in Oak Grove, and NRG Energy and its growing presence at its operation just north of Jewett.

“There is a lot of momentum in The Research Valley,” says Todd McDaniel, president and chief executive officer of The Research Valley Partnership.

“We are working with all our partners in the university system to pursue clean energy initiatives, but there is really a convergence of focus on all kinds of energy as an emerging target opportunity for the valley in the next few years.”

The phrase ‘clean energy’ has several applications, depending on what type of production is being developed, and that diversity bodes well for the area, he adds.

“When we say ‘clean energy,’ we’re talking about everything from how existing energy producers can become more environmentally friendly when it comes to drilling a well, or managing the process of operating that well, all the way to fuel-cell technologies and the things that are really the future of energy,” he says.

Developing every aspect of the energyproduction market means the valley will benefit from the depth and breadth of its commitment down the road.

“The push is to make energy cleaner,” McDaniel says. “We’re focused on that with our partnerships, and we think it’s good for the region and for the whole state of Texas.”

Education

Aiming for the Top Texas A&M aims to be top 10 university Story by Lousie Gacioch • Photography by Jeff Adkins

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he moniker Lone Star State may not be fully accurate.

In terms of education, Texas has many bright stars, including two in The Research Valley: Texas A&M University and Blinn College. These two higher-education institutions work together to create excellent opportunities for students.

Texas A&M is focused on a comprehensive academic master plan, Accelerating Excellence.

Jeffrey S. Vitter, provost and executive vice president for academics, is leading this strategic plan designed to place the university among the top-10 public universities in the nation by 2020.

Three major thrusts of the plan are: research, teaching/learning and engagement.

Identifying landmark research involved soliciting white paper proposals from throughout the country. Vitter says that this pertinent research will help address needs of society and contribute to Texas’ – and the nation’s – economic development.

Meanwhile, the teaching roadmap calls for improved instruction and learning.

The engagement roadmap is intended to lay out Texas A&M’s role in impacting society through development of pathways to higher education, community and government engagement, entrepreneurship, and commercialization.

In terms of facilities, new classrooms and labs are planned. Thirty new projects are in various stages. In all, $700 million in new and future construction is under way or in the planning stages at College Station and Bryan.

Projects recently completed are the $95 million Interdisciplinary Life Sciences building and the $100 million, 230,000-square-foot Emerging Technologies & Economic Development Interdisciplinary building.

BLINN COLLEGE Blinn transfers more students to Texas A&M than any other two-year college – and boasts

the highest transfer rate in the state, plus the highest percentage of students who go on to earn bachelor’s degrees.

Co-enrollment and guaranteed transfer admission programs place Blinn and Texas A&M among the strongest junior-senior institutional partnerships in the country.

“It is a unique relationship that works well because students who start at Blinn College receive a quality foundation, which provides them with a distinct advantage when completing a degree at a top-tier university,” Blinn President Daniel Holt says.

Blinn College enrolls nearly 16,000 students at its campuses in Bryan, Brenham, Schulenburg and Sealy. Aside from academic transfer courses, Blinn also offers one-year certificates and two-year degrees as well as non-credit training in skills development.

More Insight The largest Blinn College campus, located in Bryan, boasts an enrollment in excess of 11,000 while the home campus in Brenham offers on-campus housing, sports and other extracurricular opportunities to more than 2,000 students.

Jared Carse studies on the campus of Texas A&M University.

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Blinn Offers a Fast Track

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advertisers Blinn College www.blinn.edu

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Economic Development Foundation of Brenham www.brenhamtexas-edf.com

Brazos Valley Council of Governments www.bvcog.org

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The Research Valley Partnership www.researchvalley.org

RESEARCH VALLEY

Fast, efficient, convenient and high quality: That’s the kind of education Blinn College offers.

Through the Fast Track program at area high schools, Blinn College and Sam Houston State University have created a pipeline for students to earn time-compressed degrees in criminal justice, education, social sciences and other fields.

Each 30 hours of transfer credits reduces by one year the time and expense of a university education.

The traditional path to education requires four years of high school, four to five years for a baccalaureate and an additional year for a master’s degree – for a minimum of nine years.

Speeding up the process are dualcredit classes (earning simultaneous high school and college credit), early admission classes and more.

“The opportunities for students to get ahead are ever increasing,” Blinn President Dr. Daniel Holt says.

“Partnerships such as this among high schools, colleges and universities allow students to compress the time needed to earn an advanced degree.

The value is immeasurable.”

In addition, college is no longer just bricks and mortar, thanks to Blinn’s Distance Learning program.

Students take classes via computers, both in and out of the classroom.

Meanwhile, 4,000 students at 25 high schools take college-level courses as part of the college techprep program. The technical courses count toward a one-year certificate or two-year associate in applied science.

“This program provides students with the opportunity to develop their decision making skills and learn about their future careers,” says Jim Lang, Tech Prep director. “The partnership also offers youths these tools through presentations, schools visits, career fairs and other career decision opportunities.”

– Louise Gacioch

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