ANN ARBOR – Ann Arbor SPARK, a new technology focused economic development group in Washtenaw County, has named its first board of directors, elected officers and set out to find an experienced CEO to lead the organization.
The SPARK Board will be chaired by Rick Snyder, the Ann Arbor-based chairman of Gateway and CEO and founder of Ardesta LLC, a venture firm focused on small technology. The Vice Chair will be Washtenaw County Executive Robert Guenzel. Ken Nisbet, executive director of the University of Michigan Office of Tech Transfer and chairman of the Ann Arbor IT Zone, will be treasurer. The secretary will be Ed Pagani, senior director and head of Strategic Alliances for Pfizer Global R&D in Michigan, and president of MichBio.
The Board is looking for a CEO with real-world experience in startups, business operations and economic development who will be SPARK’s public face and lead its five areas of operation: business acceleration, talent recruitment and retention, start up company funding, business outreach, and marketing and events.
“This will have to be a very special person,” Snyder said. “We’re looking for a passionate, savvy, evangelist with a solid background in management, teamwork and business development to leverage and expand our resources and opportunities.”
SPARK aims to double the number of technology companies and triple the number of technology jobs in the greater Ann Arbor region by 2010. The organization will focus on developing and growing high-tech companies built on innovation, including biotech, information tech, small tech, energy, advanced manufacturing and security. Its stakeholders are a public-private mixture of the region’s universities, businesses, state and local governments and entrepreneurial membership organizations.
Additional board members include:
Roger Fraser – City Administrator, Ann Arbor
Sabrina Keeley – President, Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce
Tim Marshall – President, Bank of Ann Arbor
Jeff Mason – Senior Vice President, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
David Mielke – Dean, College of Business, Eastern Michigan University
Bill Milliken – President, Milliken Realty Co.; Chairman, Washtenaw Development Council
David Parsigian – Partner, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone law firm
Fawwaz Ulaby – Vice President for Research, University of Michigan
To date, SPARK has raised more than $2 million from business, academic, government, and community partners including the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, the Herbert and Grace Dow Foundation, Pfizer, Washtenaw County, the City of Ann Arbor, the Bank of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
For more information, click on AnnArborSpark.Org
