BEC Holds Algae Summitt

[Bill Ford]

From 1pm to 4pm about 17 or 18 folks gathered in the board room of the BEC out at theCorvallis Municipal Airport Industrial Park for a meeting with Stan Barnes the CEO of BioAlgene one of the newest BEC affiliate clients. Stan joins us from Mercer Island, Wa. and brings a wealth of information about the commercialization of algae to the Willamette Valley. Martin Desmond, a member of this site and Katleen Hutchenson the new Executive Director of the BEC invited experts from OSU (5), representatives from Private Industry (6), non profits (2) and other interested parties from the City of Corvallis and Benton County. We discussed the DOE FOA and who might be applying and how the teaming relationships might occur. We then discussed another DOE/USDA grant that has a very short application deadline. We discussed regional approaches to positioning our state for stimulus dollars. Oregon is very green and the Mid Valley can become the greenest part of the state if we all work together. Commercialization of algae and demonstrations of vermiculture, pilot projects and other green efforts are requiring more and more collaboration even on a state to state basis. Stan Barnes bring an opportunity to tie, Washington, Oregon and California. Not easy and it does take effort and money but the WVBIC and OBA are key and critical elements of our future and success. Lets all work together to create jobs and wealth. Go Green!!