State technology leader puts focus on Lawrence
Developing an increasing number of high-tech businesses in Lawrence will be a top priority for the new leader of the state’s largest technology organization .
Tracy Taylor, the new president and CEO of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp., said Wednesday during a visit to Lawrence that the not-for-profit, state-sponsored technology corporation will focus on Lawrence as one of the most promising areas to develop new high-tech businesses.
Tracy Taylor, new president and CEO of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp., visits with members of the Lawrence Technology Assn. Taylor said Wednesday he is optimistic about Lawrence's efforts to develop a base of high-tech businesses in the community.
“We want to have success creating high-tech business all over the state, but we also know we have to focus on the research universities because we know there is tremendous potential there, and nowhere in the state is there more potential than here in Lawrence,” Taylor said.
Taylor took over the top KTEC position two weeks ago, replacing Rich Bendis, who resigned to take a similar position in Philadelphia.
Taylor said he hopes to keep building on the mission of KTEC, which has focused on providing grants, education and other means of support to start-up technology companies in the state.
“I really feel like the state is on the verge of creating some real high-quality jobs and some new wealth,” Taylor said. “That’s all very applicable to Lawrence too. There are some very capable people working to make that happen in Lawrence.”
Taylor said Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway’s emphasis on research has boosted Lawrence’s potential to create a substantial high-tech industrial base. Taylor said he thinks the most likely type of businesses to locate in Lawrence will involve biosciences and information technology since the university has two state-funded “Centers of Excellence” that conduct research in those areas.
Kansas University is getting a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to federal research dollars, a university official said Wednesday.Jim Roberts, KU’s associate vice chancellor of research and public service, told members of the Lawrence Technology Assn. that KU is increasing its market share of federal science and engineering research dollars at a rate that is among the fastest in the country.Roberts said numbers compiled recently show KU’s market share, which basically amounts to the percentage of overall federal research dollars that the university captures, has grown by 30 percent since 1996. That growth rate was the fourth fastest of the top 100 public and private universities in the country.Those numbers include research funds for both the Lawrence campus and for the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. The growth rate for research funds that flow strictly to the Lawrence campus is even greater.Roberts said the Lawrence campus’ market share has increased by 44 percent since 1996, which ranks as the largest increase of any university in the country.
And he thinks once Lawrence lands its first major high-tech success story that many more may follow.
“Once you have some success then the capital to start more of these businesses becomes more readily available,” Taylor said.
“I think there is a good chance for a real positive cycle to be created here.”
Knowledge of high-tech funding is one of the qualifications Taylor brings to his new position. Before taking over at KTEC, Taylor was a professional investor in technology startup companies and advised other companies looking to make investments in technology companies.
Until 1994, Taylor also was a top executive with Sprint in Westwood, serving as both the corporate treasurer for U.S. Sprint and as vice president of administration for the company.
In 1995 Gov. Bill Graves appointed Taylor to serve on the KTEC board of directors and he remained on the board until just prior to accepting the CEO position. Taylor receive his master’s of business administration from KU in 1979.