announces the Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Competition

Call for Entries

Successful entrepreneurs in:
- manufacturing;
- retail;
- service
- wholesale.

Qualifying applicants must demonstrate:
- 5 years of sustained growth across a number of metrics;
- Evidence of economic uplift in their local community;
- That they are operating in the most economically challenged communities within the Commonwealth of Virginia (go to: www.resilienceawards.info to see if your community is eligible).

Winning firms will receive scholarship funding to a select Darden Executive Education Program along with networking opportunities and recognition.

Go to: www.resilienceawards.info to see if your community is eligible.

The competition opens April 1st and the application deadline is June 30th, 2010.

Finalists will be notified in July and will be required to submit relevant tax forms.

Awards Celebration Dinner to be held September 1, 2010, in the historic Dome Room of the University of Virginia’s Rotunda – sharing ideas, stories and humor highly encouraged.

Questions? Contact Tayloe Murphy Center’s Associate Director, Marc Johnson: 434.982.4527, or send an email to tayloemurphyawards@darden.virginia.edu.

Businesses may apply each year, but may only win the scholarship funding once.

Why not make this your year?

Good Luck,

Tayloe Murphy Center FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: www.resilienceawards.info

The VTA will employ several strategies to accomplish its mission.

• Coordinate and enhance the efforts of the regional technology councils in promoting Virginia’s technology economy.

• Advocate for issues important to the growth and development of innovative technologies and technology-based organizations in the Commonwealth.

• Educate state and local policy makers by providing a representative and objective source of information and counsel on technology issues.

• Communicate the economic importance of technology to Virginia’s education, civic and business leaders.

Regional Technology Councils
In the 1990s, CIT helped create regional technology councils to leverage the innovation message and agenda.  Today, there are 10 regional councils across the Commonwealth.  Together they formed the Virginia Technology Alliance in 1996 in order to share best practices, profit from the experience of fellow councils and to coordinate certain efforts.  These regional councils:
1.    Advocate for issues important to the growth and development of innovative technologies and technology-based organizations in the Commonwealth;
2.    Educate state and local policy makers by providing a representative and objective source of information and counsel on technology issues; and
3.    Communicate the economic importance of technology to Virginia’s education, civic and business leaders.

CIT Programs
From its original mission to enhance the research and technology transfer activities of Virginia universities, CIT has moved its focus toward the new technologies, entrepreneurs and technology companies that make innovation happen.

In 2005, CIT celebrated 20 years of creating technology-based companies and strategies for the Commonwealth of Virginia. From its original mission to enhance the research and technology transfer activities of Virginia universities, CIT has moved its focus toward the new technologies, entrepreneurs and technology companies that make innovation happen.

For 2006, CIT’s operating structure consists of service lines that enable it to respond quickly and efficiently to new opportunities with government and private sector clients. The service lines – CIT Entrepreneur, CIT R&D, CIT Broadband and CIT Connect – establish a clear identity that allows us to meet our goals and close innovation gaps.

America’s Small Business of the Year Award

America’s Small Business of the Year Award is open to both members and nonmembers of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Virginia’s Fantastic 50

The Virginia Fantastic 50 recognizes the companies with the highest growth rates in five categories. To be eligible, companies were required to be privately held, with headquarters in Virginia, and to show sales between $200,000 and $100 million. They were judged on a four-year sales revenue history.

NCTC TechNite Awards

Recognizing the success of technology entrepreneurs and companies from the NewVa region. Award Categories include Rising Star, Entrepreneur, NewVA Leadership, Educator, and Innovation.

The American Business Awards

The “Stevie Awards” were created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide.

Roanoke Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award

The annual awards program showcases the accomplishments of the small business sector which is composed of 99 percent of the area’s business community.

Virginia Technology Fast 500 and Fast 50

The Virginia Technology Fast 50 annually recognizes the fastest-growing companies within the geographic boundaries of Virginia. The Technology Fast 500 recognizes the 500 fastest-growing technology, media and entertainment, telecommunications and life sciences companies in the United States, and Canada.

Fast Company Magazine’s Technology Fast 50

For Fast Company’s Fast 50 and Fast 50 Reader Favorites identifies the most innovative companies in the world.

The Inc. 500

These awards recognize the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America—the celebrated Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000. The Inc. 5,000 also recognizes the top 100 companies in every major metro area, the top 100 companies in several industry categories, and several other top 100 lists.

R & D 100

The top 100 innovations of the year, as selected by R&D Magazine’s panel of judges.

Technology Fast 500
A list of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and clean technology companies in the nation based on percentage revenue growth over five years.

Governor’s Technology Awards for Virginia

This awards program honors outstanding achievements and recognizes innovative technology initiatives in the public sector throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia Business Magazine’s Small Business Success Awards

Recognizes the overall contributions that small business makes to Virginia’s economy by honoring four examples of small businesses that embody the success and vitality of business in the commonwealth.

Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards

The FLC MAR Awards Program annually recognizes federal laboratories and their industry partners for outstanding technology transfer efforts.

TR35 Young Innovators Under 35

Since 1999, the editors of Technology Review have honored the young innovators whose inventions and research we find most exciting; today that collection is the TR35, a list of technologists and scientists, all under the age of 35.

Blue Ridge Business Journal’s Best Company to Work For

The Best Place to Work award is given to a business with a minimum of three employees located in the Blue Ridge Region and evaulated based on the following six criteria: job satisfaction, ethical standards, community contribution, employee development and support, product/service leadership, and quality of life/environment.

U.S. Small Business Administration Awards

Every year, the US Small Business Administration recognizes the contributions small businesses and entrepreneurs to America’s economic well-being. Local, state, and national award winners are selected in more than 20 categories.

The Partnership offers site location assistance and other services to domestic and foreign companies planning new or expanded facilities. It is a single point of contact to the network of private sector and state and local government professionals that supports a company’s facility location decision. The Partnership has four main work activities:

•    Marketing and New Business Attraction
•    Business Retention and Expansion
•    Workforce Development Services
•    New Small Business Formation

The Partnership is organized as a public-private, not-for-profit corporation funded jointly by the four local governments and approximately 200 area businesses. The partnership staff has a total of more than 150 years of economic and community development experience, which ensures that inquiries are handled in a professional and timely manner.

Services are provided at no cost to the company and with complete confidentiality.

Mission Statement
To help grow the Greater Richmond economy through the attraction of high quality jobs and new capital investment, the retention of existing businesses, and the continued improvement of the region’s business climate.

Virginia’s e-Region is located in southwestern Virginia and is an emerging East Coast center for key areas for modern business - electronic information technology, energy, education and emerging technologies.

A trendsetter in broadband access in rural America, Virginia’s e-Region has the workforce, low costs, tailored training and way of life that makes employers and their employee families very happy.

Virginia’s e-Region is a perfect U.S. alternative to off-shoring.

Marketed by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority
Historically referred to as the coalfield region of the Commonwealth, Virginia’s e-Region is marketed by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, a regional economic development organization created by Virginia’s General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the economic base of the seven-county, one city, coal-producing region.

Virginia’s e-Region includes Lee, Wise, Scott, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell and Dickenson counties and the City of Norton.

The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority - VCEDA - operates several unique incentive and financing programs to encourage new job creation and economic diversification. VCEDA provides financial support for fixed assets, construction of buildings for sale or lease, installation of utilities and direct loans to private for-profit basic employers and industrial development authorities. Financing is based in part upon the number of new jobs created, wage rates and amount of private investment.

The mission of the Hampton Roads Technology Incubator System (HRTIS) is to increase the technology business base in Hampton Roads by helping entrepreneurs build successful companies.

Target companies:
•    Computers & electronics
•    Engineering & technology services
•    Internet applications
•    Software
•    Environmental technology
•    Health and medical technology
•    Manufacturing
•    New media
•    Optical technology
•    Gaming
•    Energy

HRTIS is a structured environment that enables entrepreneurs to get the resources needed to be successful.

HRTIS provides cost-effective, high-tech professional business and strategic services to entrepreneurs and small business.

The HRTIS is also a means for businesses of all sizes to access technologies developed in Hampton Roads.

There are many online backup options, as well as offline options that can be put into play without doling out a lot of upfront, precious capital.