Will create panel to develop capital, area infrastructure

By Dale Quinn

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.30.2009

Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc. announced a new initiative to help entrepreneurs at its annual meeting Thursday.

The region’s economic development agency will form a task force composed of business leaders that will help entrepreneurs grow new capital, said Joe Snell, TREO’s president and CEO. About 400 members of the business community attended the luncheon at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive.

The task force will focus on developing venture capital, attracting and retaining a talented work force and improving infrastructure, TREO says. It’s expected to come back to TREO with recommendations by February of next year.

By Carol Ann Alaimo

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.29.2009

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is poised to become a power player in the world of green energy.

Work is under way on a massive solar installation that will generate enough juice to power about 900 households on the military base, making D-M home to one of the largest solar-powered communities in the country.

By using sunshine instead of coal to produce that much power, the project will offset 570 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime (roughly equal to taking nearly 50,000 vehicles off the road for a year or to planting about 300,000 trees, officials say).

Deal worth $100M will create missile- intercept system

By David Wichner

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.27.2009

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded two contracts worth more than $100 million by an Israeli government contractor to design and develop a new missile-defense system.

The contracts with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. will fund development of the David’s Sling Weapon System, a joint program of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

The mobile system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets and cruise missiles in their terminal, or ending, phase of flight.

Israel is building up its defenses to counter missiles and unguided rockets from Syria and Lebanon, and the threat of longer-range missile attacks by Iran.

By Donna Borak

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.23.2009

WASHINGTON — Raytheon Co. said Thursday profit rose in the third quarter on increased demand for the defense contractor’s Patriot missile by foreign governments, and for its soldier-training programs.

The company, whose products include missiles, sensors and radar systems, lifted its earnings guidance range for the rest of the year, but offered an outlook for 2010 slightly weaker than Wall Street’s forecast.

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems — Southern Arizona’s largest employer — recorded sales growth of 3 percent to $1.4 billion on big sales of anti-armor and ship defense missiles.

While the 2010 forecast was below analysts’ estimates, it didn’t seem to concern investors. Raytheon appears poised to be on track for a solid performance this year, and beyond, as international sales drive growth.

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.21.2009

Tucson-based High Throughput Genomics Inc. (HTG) has entered into a supply agreement with Roche NimbleGen Inc.

Under the deal, Madison, Wis.-based company will provide the local company with high-density DNA microarray slides for advanced gene expression analysis.

HTG will apply its proprietary technology, called the quantitative nuclease protection assay process, to the microarrays to enable researchers to quickly measure the gene expression levels in a variety of sample types, the companies said.

Roche NimbleGen is part of Swiss-based drug giant Roche.

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.17.2009

Tucson-based SynCardia Systems Inc. said its new Companion Driver System has received CE Mark approval to power the company’s temporary CardioWest Total Artificial Heart in Europe.

Proven Process Medical Devices, a medical equipment manufacturer, has committed to producing 85 Companion Drivers by year’s end, along with equipment carts and portable caddies, SynCardia said.

The new drivers will supplement the 36 ‘Big Blue’ hospital drivers currently in use, more than tripling implant capacity by year-end, SynCardia CEO Rodger Ford said in prepared remarks.

The company said it has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of the Companion Driver in the U.S.

By Ian Friedman

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.12.2009

When Bob Breault graduated with a doctorate in optical sciences from the University of Arizona in 1979, there were no major optics employers in the area. So he decided to build one.

Breault Research Organization Inc. is celebrating its 30-year anniversary, and Breault said he knew, in 1979, almost exactly what the industry would look like today.

Considered one of the world leaders in optics-cluster development, Breault said he has traveled more than 2 million miles to promote the optics industry and the cluster format, helping to found 37 clusters nationwide. A cluster is an organization in which competing companies work together to advance technology and industry.

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.10.2009

Tucson’s University Medical Center and four other academic medical centers have received the 2009 University HealthSystem Consortium Quality Leadership Award.

The award is given to academic medical centers that demonstrate excellenece in delivering high-quality care, according to the University HealthSystem Consortium. It’s the second year in a row UMC has received the honor.

The Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland and the University of Kansas Hospital Authority in Kansas City also received the award.

This year, 93 University HealthSystem Consortium member institutions were ranked.

By Otto Ross

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.06.2009

UA researchers say the same cosmic-ray technology developed during the Cold War race to build nuclear weapons can be used to predict weather and document climate change.

“Nuclear physicists have understood these neutrons for decades because of the former Soviet Union-U.S. competition in nuclear weapons,” said UA professor and meteorologist Xubin Zeng. “What’s new is to bring that technology for new applications.”

Zeng is part of a team of UA researchers who recently received a $5.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation for further research into their Cosmic-Ray Soil Moisture Observing System, which they call Cosmos.