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Chamber exceeds goal
The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce wants to build a better relationship with the university.
Granville
plans 'new schools'
Friday Institute
Stop-and-go
syndrome
The State Fair vs. the NCSU-Miami game
Critic's
Picks - Art
Gallery of Art and Design
Disease
Alert - Large Patch
Lane Tredway, plant pathology
Research
and Development Gains New Focus
Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center
Oct. 22, 2004
News & Observer
By AMY MARTINEZ
© Copyright 2004
Five months ago, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce set what seemed like a lofty goal: Raising $8.5 million for a new marketing campaign to help lift Wake County out of its economic doldrums.
This week, the chamber announced that it exceeded that goal, raising $9.15 million from private donors throughout the Triangle, despite a slow-growing economy.
As it turns out, the current economic conditions actually might have helped.
"When the economy is not as robust, people are interested in new strategies to get things moving," said Harvey Schmitt, the chamber's president.
Schmitt said another selling point was the chamber's new emphasis on thinking regionally. About $1.3 million of the money will go to the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, an economic development group covering 13 counties.
The two organizations have set a goal of creating 100,000 jobs in five years, mainly by attracting industries that play to the Triangle's strength as a research and technology hub. Those industries include agricultural biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Schmitt said the chamber will recruit corporate headquarters, build better relations with N.C. State University and reach out to businesses already here.
The fund-raising drive was led by William Atkinson, president of WakeMed, and James Roberson, chairman of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership.
The chamber raised $6.2 million during its last fund-raising drive at the height of the dot-com boom in 1999.
Oct. 21, 2004
Henderson Daily Dispatch
By CHARLIE RICHARDS
© Copyright 2004
OXFORD - Can high schools be redesigned to deal with the fact that more than a third of students do not graduate with their class and those who do are facing a changing world?
That is the question that must have been running through the minds of more than 50 business, civic and education leaders gathered here for a breakfast Wednesday.
The occasion was sponsored by several organizations to explain to the local people the planning that is going on in the Granville County School System as part of a "new schools project."
The meeting was sponsored by the N.C. Business Committee for Education, with local arrangements by the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission and financing by GlaxoSmithKline.
Granville is one of eight school systems in North Carolina using a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore innovation in high schools, to particularly deal with Gates' concern that individual students and their needs get lost in large schools.
The meaning and importance of the planning has been vaguely understood, and the breakfast sponsors said they want communities, employers and educators to be a part of the process.
That the new schools project could be just another reform movement was raised by one side comment at the breakfast, observing that something new comes up every few years in education.
But both local and state level speakers discussed their reasons for believing changes are necessary, despite such barriers as apathy, resistance to change and risk taking and control issues.
Joel Harper, executive director of the N.C. Committee for Education, said North Carolina has done "remarkably well in education in the last 20 years" in such matters as scores and salaries.
But the fact remains four of every 10 ninth graders today will not graduate with their class, he said, and that lends importance to the innovation being encouraged by the Gates Foundation.
Most of the program was devoted to an explanation by Superintendent Tom Williams of how Granville is using its $52,000 from the grant. (Williams once held the position now held by Harper.)
Williams also cited local drop out rates and added other pressures for change include the global economy and workforce expectations and the diversity of student needs.
The concept explained by Williams involves a redesign of comprehensive high schools into smaller communities sharing a campus, with added rigor and relevance in the curriculum and more personal relationships and more community involvement.
Williams said the bottom line goal for Granville is to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate.
The planning being done this year will lead to another grant application this December, with funds that may come later to be used for implementation.
As for specific results, Granville is looking at the strong health sciences programs at J. F. Webb and South Granville high schools. Those programs could become smaller "academies" within the larger schools.
Partners in the project with the school system include Granville Medical Center, the Federal Correctional Complex, Vance-Granville Community College, the Chamber, the Economic Development Commission, the Granville Education Foundation and the Friday Institute at N.C. State University.
Asked about the third high school being planned for the county, Williams said it, too, will be viewed in the context of smaller communities within the larger campus, which could affect its physical design.
But the Gates money, and matching funds, will not be for buildings or salaries, but for planning and implementing the new concepts of high schools that Gates envisions.
"Let's see one to five years from now what small schools can do for our communities," said Harper in closing the meeting.
Oct. 22, 2004
News & Observer
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Get ready for gridlock in West Raleigh on Saturday when N.C. State fans headed
for the Miami game converge with people attending the State Fair. Traffic officials
advise fairgoers and football fans to go early and be patient. And if you're
not going to the game or the fair, stay away from this area.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
8 a.m.: Parking lots open at Carter-Finley Stadium and RBC Center for pass holders
8 a.m.: State Fair opens
10 a.m.: ESPN College GameDay from NCSU FanZone, between Carter-Finley and the RBC Center
5:30 p.m.: "Walk of Champions" to mark team's arrival, Carter-Finley
5:45 p.m.: Red/White scrimmage, RBC Center
7:45 p.m.: NCSU vs. Miami kickoff, Carter-Finley
TIPS
* Put a sign in your window, "Fair" or "Game," so troopers can direct you.
* No tailgating on State Fair property.
* If you don't have a parking pass, take a bus or shuttle. Traffic officers will give them priority.
* No parking on Wade Avenue, Blue Ridge Road, Hillsborough Street, Trinity Road and Youth Center Road.
GOING TO THE GAME?
* If you have a parking pass, take Wade Avenue to Edwards Mill Road. Avoid Hillsborough Street, Trinity Road and adjacent streets.
* If you have a pass for reserved lots east of Carter-Finley on Trinity Road across from the fairgrounds, take Wade Avenue to Blue Ridge Road.
* If you do not have a parking pass, use park-and-ride lots. Shuttles will run from 8 a.m. to midnight.
* If you are an NCSU student with a parking pass, take Wade Avenue to Blue Ridge.
* If you are an NCSU student without a parking pass, take a shuttle from Dan Allen Parking Deck or the McKimmon Center.
GOING TO THE FAIR?
Use park-and-ride lots or take the bus or the train. Parking lots at Carter-Finley Stadium and the RBC Center are reserved for NCSU permit holders. Fairgrounds parking south of Trinity Road will be very limited.
Park-and-ride lots with shuttles to the fair:
* Wachovia Operations Building, Corporate Center Drive
* Museum of Art, Blue Ridge Road
* McKimmon Center, intersection of Gorman Street and Western Boulevard
* Moore Square parking deck, downtown Raleigh
* SAS Soccer Park, off exit 291 of Interstate 40 in Cary.
Park-and-ride lots with CAT buses to the fair:
* State employee parking lots Nos. 19, 20, 21 and 33, between Blount and Person streets across from the Executive Mansion. The bus stops in front of the Agriculture Building, 2 West Edenton St., and continues to stops along Hillsborough Street.
* Former Alcatel building, 2912 Wake Forest Road, near the corner of Six Forks Road and Wake Forest Road
* SAS Soccer Park, off exit 291 of I-40 in Cary.
Park and ride lots with shuttles to the game:
* NCSU campus, Dan Allen Drive Parking Deck
* McKimmon Center, intersection of Gorman Street and Western Boulevard
DATA bus stop:
* Downtown terminal, Durham
Amtrak:
* The Carolinian (train No. 80) leaves Charlotte at 7:50 a.m., with stops in Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham and Cary. The train arrives at the fairgrounds at 11 a.m. The Carolinian (train No. 79) departs the fairgrounds for the return trip at 4:50 p.m. Reservations: (800) 872-7245 (ask for station code NSF). Information: www.bytrain.org.
Oct. 22, 2004
News & Observer
By MICHELE NATALE
© Copyright 2004
Mark your calendars for the 20th anniversary gala of N.C. State University's Gallery of Art and Design on Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy refreshments, special exhibitions and conversations with friends of the gallery and artists Cynthia Bringle, Travis Owens, Mark Hewitt, Andrew Glasgow and Elizabeth Brim, among others. The gallery has a lot to celebrate, having grown from 170 objects to 20,000 over the past 20 years. The gallery represents works in outsider art, furniture, metal, works on paper, photography, glass, ceramics, textiles and painting. Tickets cost $20. Contact Jeanne Duvall at 515-6160 or e-mail jeanne_duvall@ncsu.edu.
GOP likely to hold onto Senate, but upset possible
Oct. 22, 2004
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE; Knoxville News Sentinel, TN; Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA; Troy Record, NY
By JOAN LOWY
© Copyright 2004
Less than two weeks before Election Day, Republicans are likely to retain control of the U.S. Senate, but Democrats have a realistic chance of pulling off an upset, political analysts, pollsters and party officials said.
In a contest nearly as tight as the presidential race, control of the Senate is expected to hinge on the outcome of nine closely fought races, nearly all of them in states where the electorate tends to favor Republicans.
The question of control may not be decided until December. If no Senate candidate captures a majority in the Nov. 2 vote in Louisiana, the top two vote-getters will meet in a runoff Dec. 4.
Republicans hold 51 seats, while Democrats hold 48, with the Senate's lone independent, Jim Jeffords of Vermont, voting with Democrats.
That Democrats should close out the election within striking distance of regaining control of the Senate is remarkable given that they are defending 19 seats in this election cycle to the Republicans' 15, including five Democratic vacancies in conservative Southern states -- Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina.
"When people first started talking about these retirements, Democrats were in despair thinking that if they'd have to defend these five seats and plus pick up two more, it's really tough. They thought they were going to lose all five," North Carolina State University political science professor Andrew Taylor said.
"Against those doomsday scenarios six months ago, it doesn't look quite so bad now for the Democrats," Taylor said, "but it's still an uphill battle."
Republicans almost certainly will pick up a seat in Georgia, where conservative Democrat Zell Miller is retiring. Democrats, however, are expected to pick up the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald in Illinois, where polls show Democrat Barack Obama with a massive lead over Republican Alan Keyes.
Democrats have waged surprisingly strong races in the South, with polls showing close races in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Republicans have found themselves on the defensive on traditional GOP turf -- Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
Democrats have been helped by gaffes and missteps by several GOP candidates. In Kentucky, where two-term Republican incumbent Jim Bunning was expected to cruise to re-election, a series of incidents has led to public speculation that Bunning has health problems that sometimes cause him to behave in a bizarre and erratic manner. Bunning has denied any health problems.
In Oklahoma, Republican Tom Coburn has been dogged by controversies, including a recent public statement in which he quoted another Republican as saying that lesbianism in rural areas of the state is so rampant that high school girls are escorted to the bathroom one at a time.
Democratic candidates also have been helped by a public perception, as evidenced in national opinion polling, that the country is on the wrong track, said Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"Voters know that Republicans run this town," Corzine told the National Press Club. "Republicans control the White House, the House ... and the Senate."
Oct. 21, 2004
Lawn & Landscape Magazine
By Nicole Wisniewski
© Copyright 2004
According to Lane Tredway, plant pathologist and extension specialist, North Carolina State University, large patch has been observed in several locations. The disease has become active during recent periods of cool, rainy weather.
Large patch is a common disease of warm-season turfgrasses in the fall and spring. The disease becomes active in the fall when soil temperatures dip to 70F, and the disease continues to develop throughout the fall and spring. Centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass are the most susceptible turf species, while zoysiagrass and Bermudagrass are more resistant.
Symptoms of large patch appear in roughly circular patches that are yellow, tan, or straw-brown in color. The patches are initially 2 to 3 feet in diameter, but can expand in size rapidly up to 10 feet or more in diameter. When the disease is actively developing, the outer edges of the patches are often red, orange, or reddish-brown. Close examination of individual plants reveals the presence of reddish-brown, oval-shaped lesions on the leaf sheaths of affected plants.
Large patch is favored by excessive nitrogen, poor soil drainage, over-irrigation, and excessive thatch accumulations. Correcting these cultural problems will help to reduce the severity of large patch development.
In many situations, fungicides are needed to prevent unacceptable damage from large patch. Now is the time to make preventative fungicide applications. Curative applications, after the symptoms appear, are much less effective. In most cases, one preventative application in the fall when soil temperatures dip to 70F will provide season long control. Where disease pressure is high, two to three applications on four to six week intervals may be necessary.
Research and Development Gains New Focus
Oct. 22, 2004
Nonwovens Industry
By Robert C. Frederick
© Copyright 2004
In the late 1990s, even as many U.S. roll good producers ignored a growing threat hovering over them like a storm cloud, the strengthening demand of many nonwovens technologies/markets easily grew their sales. A combination of high volumes and easy profits created a false sense of security and—for some producers—the illusion that existing technologies would sate customer demand in coming years. A casualty of this phenomenon was research and development investments vital in keeping the nonwovens industry fresh and open to new markets.
R&D is the driving force that helps roll goods producers remain innovative, competitive and, ultimately, profitable—the goal of anyone in the business. In nonwovens, R&D has seen a downturn for years, a trend that has spanned from raw materials to finished goods. Most importantly, said industry experts, R&D budgets were slashed because many roll goods producers fell into a state of complacency as they ignored threats posed by foreign markets such as Asia. When those threats arose, domestic producers were unable to respond quickly and were ill prepared to meet the lower prices offered by these emerging markets. Gradually, production was outsourced to cheaper production facilities across the globe in places such as Asia and Mexico.
The past year has seen a movement away from off-the-shelf technology by roll goods producers, with efforts accelerating in the past several months. Companies that have wisely and continuously invested in their R&D capabilities are leading this trend, and those that have not must adapt or be left out in the cold.
“The only way to succeed in this industry, or any industry in the U.S., is to innovate,” said Konstantin Goranov, the newly appointed director of fiber research at Foss Manufacturing, Hampton, NH. “For the past 10 years, companies have somehow forgotten that was the key to their success. Therefore, I think R&D is the driving force in this industry for the next century.”
Ahead Or Behind?
In the current nonwovens landscape, there is an increased reliance on internally
developed innovations. This trend is driven by the need for specialized, unique
properties in almost all segments of nonwovens. Companies that have preserved
their R&D capabilities in the face of economic pressure have been able
to take new technology to market more quickly and efficiently and meet the
needs of increasing customer demand. This shift is critical, as many roll goods
producers now realize that R&D lags have left them unable to respond to
market changes. Budgets were slashed, resources eliminated and many well-educated
workers let go. “No one was looking into new materials or technologies, no
one was there to make it happen,” said Dr. Garanov. At Foss, researching and
innovating specialty synthetic fibers and nonwoven fabrics has always been
the company’s top priority.”
In his first 45 days, Dr. Goranov said he has come to recognize his company’s focus on making R&D its main strategy. “The market has become much more demanding as customers demand more,” he said. “Everyone is trying to provide specialized, unique products and still remain cost effective.”
Specialization
Commodity materials definitely have their place in nonwovens, but for U.S.
manufacturers to remain competitive they must incorporate special, value-added
products that are difficult to produce, require unique technology and are not
widely available in their product mixes. This is tricky, as a downturn in the
industry has limited the supply of raw materials and the development of new
fibers, and tightened margins leave little room for a R&D budget.
Innovation is difficult to achieve when mid-sized companies, or large corporations, for that matter, have no resources to tap for the development of new products. “There is a glut of commodity-type products,” said Dr. Goranov. “The challenge is for companies to regain the intellectual potential and focus it into very specific new products and materials.”
One company known for this is industry supplier Clopay Plastic Products Company, which plans to carry on a long legacy of innovation by reinvesting heavily in R&D. A producer of specialty films and extrusion coated and laminated fabrics, Clopay does not supply commodity or generic-grade materials. The company works intimately with its customers to develop products that meet their specific performance and development needs. “We strategically cannot get away from reinvesting in R&D,” said Rick Jezzi, vice president of global technology at Clopay.
“We find that a lot of suppliers of nonwovens and films in the past few years have had to decrease and cut back their R&D expenditures.”
Executives recognize that much of Clopay’s customer base has experienced phenomenal cost pressures and, as a result of these pressures, have reduced some of their own internal development capabilities, most notably in the materials they use. They now look to Clopay, as a material supplier, to bear the brunt of R&D and material development. “Part of any company’s goal is to give added value in the performance of a material while maintaining cost at an acceptable level,” said Mr. Jezzi. “Everything we do has to follow that.”
Clopay recently opened a new technical center at its corporate headquarters in Mason, OH. The state-of-the-art, meter-wide pilot line duplicates commercial processes, and its modularity and flexibility allow Clopay to work intimately with customers to develop products to their specifications.
The facility includes a fully equipped testing laboratory and a research center staffed by experienced technicians and scientists. Pilot-run results can be quickly evaluated, and new formulations are developed right on site. As a result, development time is significantly reduced, and products get to market faster.
Executives at Clopay said one corporate growth initiative is to be the leader in innovation with 25% of sales generated from products that are less than three years old. This aggressive approach is backed with pilot facilities that mimic commercial plants to move ideas quickly from development to commercialization.
“That’s important for our customers to rely on because it shortens the development cycle with regard to implementation,” said Mr. Jezzi. “That’s what uniquely differentiates us from the rest of our competition.”
Bearing Fruit
Evidence of a widening gap between industry innovators and straight commodity
producers can be found in new product development. Executives at Polymer Group,
Inc., N. Charleston, SC, said their commitment to R&D has already resulted
in a number of new product announcements this year, each driven by its customer’s
needs. At the IDEA ’04 show in April, PGI announced a number of new offerings
that included imaged wiping products, an expansion of its Comfort line of products
with ComfortLace for the hygiene market, PGI’s MediSoft medical fabric, filtration
media and a series of flame-retardant fabrics for the home furnishings sector.
Company executives said they would continue to work with some of the best companies
in the world to bring innovative materials to the market. “We are focusing
on both internally developed innovation and joint development programs with
strategic partners,” said Dennis Norman, PGI’s vice president of strategic
planning and communications. “We want to be able to provide customers with
the best value proposition available whether that is through our own efforts
or by partnering with them or others to make that offering.”
A Working Model
One company that has taken a multi-faceted approach to R&D is Ahlstrom,
which has tightly integrated R&D with manufacturing. Ahlstrom’s businesses
and manufacturing sites have their own dedicated teams which are both supported
by a corporate research center. Company executives feel that this organizational
model demonstrates a clear commitment to making R&D an integral part of
the way Ahlstrom does business. Furthermore, it ensures that Ahlstrom combines
its knowledge in material science, manufacturing processes and customer applications
to deliver innovation.
“Ahlstrom approaches R&D in essentially two different ways,” said Larry Kinn, Ahlstrom’s director of technical nonwoven products for the Americas. “First, market-driven innovation ensures that the company delivers what our customers need. On the other hand, technology-driven innovation allows us to be more pro-active in expanding our product and process envelopes in order to anticipate future market needs.”
This approach lessens Ahlstrom’s reliance on off-the-shelf technology, enables it to develop processes that make a difference in the market and allows customers to differentiate themselves, thus avoiding the pitfalls of commoditization.
“This has been a major strength of Ahlstrom in the past and will continue to remain a driver for our innovation strategy in the future,” said Mr. Kinn.
Success with this plan has been proven through the introduction of recent products in filtration (clean diesel filters), wipes (flushable and abrasive wipes) and medical (breathable viral barrier) markets. Company executives said one unique driver for R&D is the company’s commitment to develop environmental solutions. Products such as biodegradable webs and waste treatment filtration were recently added to its platform.
Ahlstrom is also implementing an aggressive growth agenda, which will be supported by R&D activities. This strategy calls for both organic and external growth. Recent key investments have helped the company expand its capabilities in nonwovens, both in core wetlaid processes and others such as composites, spunlaid and fine-fiber technology. These investments are rooted in Ahlstrom’s belief that nonwovens companies must rely heavily on their ability to constantly adapt to market needs and therefore invest significantly in R&D.
Outsourcing R&D
A roll goods producer that lacks the internal capabilities to conduct R&D
has alternatives. Facilities such as The Nonwovens Cooperative Research
Center (NCRC) partners lab at North Carolina State University and the Textiles and
Nonwovens Development Center (TANDEC) at the University of Tennessee offer
state-of-the-art facilities at which collaborative studies on nonwovens materials
and processing can be conducted.
Utilizing substantial expertise in nonwovens and textiles, both agencies offer a series of pilot and testing facilities for manufacturing various types of nonwovens. Each will customize research programs to meet specific client needs. Planning for the $12 million NCRC lab began five years ago and was led by Subbash Batra, the facility’s founder, and its director, Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi. NCRC has an annual budget of $1 million that Dr. Pourdeyhimi uses to fund research projects selected by a member board. Meanwhile, TANDEC, at the University of Tennessee, is partnering with ExxonMobil and Reifenhäeuser for a more centralized research focus. TANDEC offers unique capabilities in fundamental science, process improvement and applications development.
Cost Justification
For those who are strategically committed to innovation, R&D is justified
as an investment in the company’s future and measured like other investments
for proper return. Those who invest in R&D see the cost a critical component
in achieving its goal of maintaining a leadership position in the industry,
yet others either fail to recognize this advantage or simply do not take steps
in that direction. Industry experts said there are a lot of cases in which
companies are buckling to price pressures and reducing their R&D budgets.
“We’re fortunate that we have experienced a growth trend in our business. We certainly have seen double-digit annual growth for the last 10-plus years,” said Clopay’s Mr. Jezzi. “The fact that we can grow our top line allows us to continue to invest in our R&D efforts at a certain percentage level. In absolute dollars, those dollars keep going up and we continue to hire new people and invest in new pilot equipment.”
At Foss, Dr. Goranov is a bit more cautious when discussing the benefits of R&D. “Costs and development? It is a little too early to tell. This is definitely an exciting time. R&D in 2004 is vastly different from R&D in the 90s,” he said. “The dynamics are vastly different. In the 90s, there was still an upstream flow, demand was continually increasing and there was not much competition out there for U.S. manufacturers.”
Quickly To Market
Investing time and money on innovation can damage cost effectiveness when ideas
or products do not make it quickly to market. Industry innovators understand
that there isn’t always time to develop technology. That’s how fast the market
wants to be satisfied. Patenting is an extremely expensive process, costing
upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ideally, technology that is
paper patented does nothing but stroke some individual egos,” said Clopay’s
Mr. Jezzi. “Our object is to patent (technology) that is ready to commercialize…(You)
must be serious about how you want to use it.”
However, as some experts point out, as roll goods producers tap foreign markets, simply patenting a technology will not protect it globally.
Driving Forces
As an industry, fewer participants are focused on innovation, mainly as a result
of cost pressures, but some are willing to continue to expand their efforts.
Slowly, more roll goods producers have become committed to providing innovative
solutions to their customers based on their specific needs. An emphasis to
bringing innovative solutions to customers is paramount. “The trick is people
want customized, exclusive materials that are commodity priced,” said Mr. Jezzi.
However, to stay ahead of the curve, chasing a trend is simply not enough.
Innovation should not be merely a practice but a philosophy.
“The rules of the game have changed a lot,” said Foss’s Dr. Garanov. “R&D has to learn a business language, and we must be extremely conscious of the dynamics of the market today.”