Technolink News Letter

March 2001 Newsflash

A Special Message from the Editor:

As the effects of the dot.com phenomenon wears off and the uncertainty of a recession forecast continues to loom over the state of the economy, many businesses are soul searching for the power of successful leadership to get through these challenging times. To some, challenges are the positive attributes to the character of a true leader-- using one's defeats and failures as lessons for successes. According to one of our greatest leaders of the 20th Century, Winston Churchill: "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." The history books show that Churchill had many failures, yet when faced with his greatest challenge he was prepared to save the world.

For the next several months, we will feature who you think is successful in leading a company or organization by inspiring their human capital team to be a productive enterprise. We will recognize the top three choices at this year's Digital Divide Dinner and Forum held in July. We look forward to receiving your leadership nominees at:
Fax: 949.443.4043 or e-mail: info@fortedesigns.net

Thank you, Ssusan Forte O'Neill

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

"New Directions for Jet Propulsion Laboratory"

Dr. Charles Elachi has been named the new Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Elachi has an impressive record of accomplishment from his 30-year tenure at JPL. He has served in a variety of research and management positions and most recently served as Director for space and Earth science programs. He will begin the post May 1st.

MEMBERS' SPOTLIGHT

FPD Technologies, LLC has produced the first working prototype of a new generation of flat-panel display that combines florescent materials onto a conventional liquid crystal display. The breakthrough technology, termed FLCD, overcomes the major disadvantage of LCD screens - wide angle viewing. Additionally, FLCD promises brighter, better quality images, lower energy consumption and greater ease in manufacturing. FPD Technologies LLC, a spin-off of MATECH, is a privately held company that was founded in 1998 by Edward Pope, Ph.D.

TECHNOLINK ASSOCIATION IN THE NEWS

On March 20th, the American College of Cardiology will award Dr. Richard J. Bing its Presidential Citation at its annual meeting in Orlando. A Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) veteran since 1969, one of HMRI's most widely heralded medical scientists has been Dr. Richard J. Bing, who was recruited to the US by Charles Lindbergh and Alexis Carrel to work on artificial heart development at the Rockefeller Institute. Subsequently, his studies of cardiac physiology and vascular biology have brought widespread renown to him and his Pasadena laboratory

Pomona Unified School District's Village@Indian Hill project was selected to participate in the prestigious CUE Conference, a national education and technology gathering to be held on Thursday, May 27, 2001. As a "Techno Excursion" site, the Village will receive hundreds of attendees from across the United States.

TECHNOLINK ASKS THE EXPERTS
Are There Real Estate Bargains in LA?

As summarized by a recent Los Angeles Times article based on the Milken Institute report authored by Ross DeVol, "The clustering of high-tech industries in urban areas may spur a revival of downtown Los Angeles and aging business districts in several other U.S. cities…the report suggests that the next round of beneficiaries from the trend could be areas such as downtown Los Angeles, which offers lower rents and an ambiance that could attract firms in creative technology and media-related fields."

Michael Smooke, Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. agrees with the findings of the study, but predicts a change in the landscape, "Downtown landlords will benefit greatly as long vacant space is absorbed by high-tech users. Unfortunately, many of these users, such as telecommunication companies, use vast amounts of space for computers and other equipment, which require relatively few employees. The space will be filled, but the restaurants and shops will not see the same increase in foot traffic which more traditional tenants would bring to the area."

Larry Bloomer, Vice President, Coldwell Banker Commercial WESTMAC sees a different situation developing in the West Los Angeles market, "The recent shift in market conditions has created a significant increase in available office space, and much of it is space for sublease. With the continued fall of the stock market has come the lack of Angel Investors and the capital necessary to drive and or keep many businesses going. Coldwell Banker Commercial WESTMAC believes office vacancy on the Westside will approach 12% by midyear."

	NEW MEMBERS
The Pasadena Health Careers Academy is a school within a school, designed and created with grant money from the State of California and partnerships with the healthcare industry. The program offers a high school education for students that are interested in working somewhere in the health care arena.

ON THE AIRWAVES…
Members of Technolink Association have recently shared their expertise with Bob McComick on KNX-All News Radio High-Tech Hour. Billy Robbins, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. talked about the Napster case and Dr. Bassil Dahiyat, CEO and President of Xencor address issues evolving around the Genome Project. While Dr. Edward Pope, President, MATECH discussed cloning, Bob Berliner, Intellectual Property Attorney for Fulbright and Jaworski L.L.P. spoke about genetic patenting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Technolink Association is a proud supporter of the National Association Business Economics "California: Can the Prosperity Be Sustained?" gathering on Tuesday, March 13, 2001. This month's guest speaker, Ted Gibson Chief Economist for the California Department of Finance, the Economic Research Unit, will share his most recent analysis on the important issues and outlook for the California economy.

For more information and registration please contact Faye Carnegie
(310) 998-2685 or e-mail: fcarnegie@milkeninstitute.org