Utah effort on commercialization tops Directions 2011 agenda

The top executive of a Utah initiative that's successfully linked entrepreneurs with university researchers will keynote Directions 2011.

The annual economic event, sponsored this year by the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, is Feb. 3 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

Keynoter Ted McAleer is executive director of the Utah Science, Technology and Research initiative known as USTAR for short.

Created by the Utah state government in 2006, USTAR is a long-term, state-funded project to strengthen Utah's position in the knowledge economy.

The initiative includes funding for the University of Utah and Utah State University to recruit world-class researchers. It also establishes programs to create commercial applications and new companies from that research.

An 18-month-old grant program, for instance, has provided seed revenue for 44 companies that are working in fields ranging from streamlined rail-car maintenance to bone grafts that release their own antibiotics.

During Directions 2011, McAleer will discuss the resources that Nevada has available to rebuild its economy and the ways that they can be put to use.

He's former chief operating officer for Teleoptic Digital Imaging LLC. He earned a master's in business at Harvard along with engineering degrees from the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Other speakers will include:

* Congressman Dean Heller, who will provide a legislative and political overview from the national level.

* Jon Ralston, veteran political analyst, who will discuss state politics and their effect on the economy.

* Michael Bosma, managing shareholder of Bosma Group, who will review tax implications of business decisions in the next year.

* Robert Barone, managing partner and portfolio manager of Ancora West Advisers, who will discuss the banking and finance sectors.

* Bill Eadington, professor of economics and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, who will speak on the future of the gaming sector.

Directions 2011 will run from 7 a.m. to noon. Along with the speakers, the event includes exhibits from northern Nevada businesses, nonprofits and governments.

Tickets are $90 or $40 for fulltime students. Purchase them at http://directionsnv.com.