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Syracuse Chamber Announces Local
Partnership With NASA
Congressman
James T. Walsh recently announced at a press conference hosted by the
Greater Syracuse (NY) Chamber of Commerce that he has secured funds in the
2001 NASA budget that will expand an extremely successful NASA economic
development program to include the Central New York region.
The program is called
the Space Alliance Technology Outreach program, or SATOP which lets small
and medium sized businesses tap the top minds within America’s space
program to solve technical challenges in a variety of areas including,
manufacturing, communications, software and other fields. This free
program, which was developed in 1995, is available to all types of
businesses through the Greater Syracuse (NY) Chamber of Commerce.
“SATOP has assisted
hundreds of companies, saved small businesses from closure, sped product
development, and helps to pump millions of dollars into local
economies,” Walsh said. He continued, “This program is one way
everyday citizens can benefit from the billions of dollars of investment
that the American people have made, and continue to make, in the space
program.”
Over the last two years
the program in Florida has created more than 500 jobs and saved more than
450 jobs, served more than 1,000 companies, lead to the development of 16
new products, generated more than $47 million in new sales revenue for
participating companies and prompted more than $23 million in capital
investments.
According to Dan
Goldin, NASA Administrator, who stated at the annual dinner, ‘The Space
Alliance Technology Outreach Program is a fine example of how NASA works
with industry for the betterment of individuals, businesses and the local
economy. At NASA we realize how important small businesses are to the
economy and to the intellectual advancement of technology.
There is no more
important ingredient to discovery and success than the entrepreneurial
spirit, and we not only salute that, we try to assist in many ways. We
believe that this program will fit well with the Chamber’s Entrepreneurial
Council and its ability to attract Angel Investors to assist entrepreneurs
and develop the region’s small business community.”
SATOP’s key to success
is the easy access to the program, a simple one-page application form and a
fast response from a team of engineers usually within 90 days. The New York
Program will be coordinated by the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and
will be housed at the Chamber’s Samuel W. Williams Jr. Incubator Center
near the Chamber offices.
This will be the first
center that is not located near a NASA facility. The other 3 SATOP centers
are located at Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida, Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas and White Sands Test Facility in Los Cruces, New
Mexico. The local SATOP office will use the already established network of
partner aerospace companies, university, colleges and NASA Centers to help
solve the specific problems or challenges outlines in the brief forms
submitted by businesses.
The Chamber will also
be looking to establish new alliance partners in New York. In addition to
opening the new office at the incubator center, the Chamber will be hiring
additional staff to handle the requests. The new staff will include a
secretary, marketing/sales staff and a project engineer.
For more information
about the SATOP program, please contact the Greater Syracuse (NY) Chamber
of Commerce at 315/470-1848 or e-mail Chill@SyracuseChamber.com.
Editor: Brooke McLeod
Source: Greater Syracuse (NY) Chamber of Commerce at 315/470-1848
Date: May 8, 2001
© 2000-2001, American
Chamber of Commerce Executives
4232 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302
703/998-0072 (voice) • 703/931-5624 (fax)
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