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Experts Share SEED's Promise
August 15, 2007
By Christopher Dunagan, Kitsap Sun
Kitsap County has what it takes to become an important hub for clean energy research and manufacturing.
That's the word from Carol Kraus Lauffer of Business Cluster Development, a major consultant for the Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Project.
Lauffer, whose office is located in Palo Alto, Calif., spoke to about 80 Kitsap residents Wednesday evening, laying out a plan for a new Northwest Clean Technology Incubator that could be under construction this fall near Bremerton National Airport.
"The vision for the NCTA is to grow a thriving business community," she said. "The idea is to create new wealth, new jobs and new businesses in Kitsap County."
In the incubator stage, new firms would be offered help in writing a business plan, managing operations and understanding markets, said Lauffer, whose company has developed 35 incubators in various economic sectors -- from electronics to computer software to biotechnology.
As the new businesses mature, they would be offered a permanent home on a 75-acre campus across from the airport, according to the business model for the SEED Project. In time, as many as 2,000 high-quality jobs could result.
Another element of SEED is the Sustainable Practices Institute, which will coordinate research and education in the clean-energy field. Another consultant, Kathleen O'Brien of O'Brien and Company, said the institute is the "living heart" of SEED, where problems are studied and solutions can lead to funding, training, knowledge and invention.
When it comes to big ideas, Kitsap County seems to have an inferiority complex, said O'Brien, who lives on Bainbridge Island.
“We don't deserve that inferiority complex," she said. "What I see for SEED is that we can be proud of what we do.”
As people came out of the meeting, some, like former Kitsap County commissioner Phil Best, said they were impressed by the presentation. Best said he hopes that the Kitsap SEED Project will be the economic engine that the county has been seeking for decades.
Other people, like Silverdale resident Bob Benze, questioned the very nature of a project that requires government subsidies to make it work.
The first construction contract, for site work, could be issued this fall, according to Ken Attebery, executive director for the Port of Bremerton, which owns the property and oversees the SEED Project. The $6.5 million project has secured more than $2 million in grants and has prospects for securing the rest.
Designs by Mithun, a Seattle architectural firm, call for the highest environmental standards to be integrated into an office and laboratory building as well as a separate manufacturing building, said Bert Gregory, company president and CEO. The buildings themselves would be a showcase and test laboratory for the kinds of technology to be developed at the industrial park.
Bremerton Port Commissioner Mary Ann Huntington said the SEED Project is recognized as the leading clean-tech project in the region. The idea fits into Kitsap County's need for economic diversification, as well as growing movement into new energy supplies.
One of the companies that could join the SEED Project is Nova, which is developing a method to turn wood waste into ethanol. With some alterations to its process, the company could produce hydrogen to help power fuel cells produced by another promising company called Cenergic, the experts said.
Products to improve power generation, efficiency, storage, transmission, measurement and conservation could become part of the mix.
Lauffer said 87 percent of all companies that start within an incubator environment are still in business. In general, 50 to 60 percent of startup businesses fail in the first five years.
She said the Navy's presence gives Kitsap County a leg up on expertise required to develop clean technology. The passion of local residents is impressive, she said. If SEED Project is well planned, she anticipates that it will attract between 12 to 18 business within a short time.
“The distance and perception of distance (from population centers) is a challenge,” Lauffer noted, “but if you offer something compelling, companies will choose to locate here.”
© Kitsap SUN
cdunagan@kitsapsun.com
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