Technology Environmental Winner's Tool

Technology is the tool today's winner of the Chamber's Tahoma Business Environmental Award utilizes in its environmental stewardship.

Carlile Transportation System (Carlile), a full-service transportation company that provides service in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, makes company-wide updates to their fleet continually.

Their freight operations in Tacoma got an environmental performance boost with the purchase of a hybrid diesel-electric truck, the first of its kind to operate on the West Coast, in December 2008. Quieter than standard trucks, the medium-duty Kenworth T370 is expected to cut fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. Advanced controls monitor driving conditions and automatically select the ideal power mode, switching between electric only, combined diesel and electric and diesel only. 2008 also saw the addition of two new Beall aluminum ULSD Fuel Tankers to their fleet.

Carlile’s entire Washington State fleet includes engines newer than model year 2000, (most are 2007 or newer), making them certainly more fuel efficient in addition to burning cleaner than the 1994 average model year for truck engines in Washington State. These environmental initiatives have helped Carlile meet the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy’s 2010 standard for trucks ahead of schedule.

Carlile has and continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental enterprises in myriad ways. Other Carlile environmental initiatives include:

• The installation of alternative power units (APUs) to power truck cab’s heating, air conditioning and other amenities without requiring the diesel engine to idle—lowering emissions and saving money by reducing parts wear and fuel consumption.


• Receiving SmartWay certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership program for demonstrating tangible results in reducing diesel and greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2003, the Chamber has annually recognized entrepreneurial efforts that meet a high standard of excellence for environmental, preservation and protection accomplishments through its Tahoma Business Environmental Award.

Come join in the congratulations for Carlile Transportation Systems as the 7th recipient of the Tahoma Business Environmental Award.

Tuesday, April 28
7:30 a.m.
Landmark Conference Center
47 St. Helens Ave. Tacoma 98402
Price: $12 Ambassadors
$15 Chamber Members pre-paid by April 27
$22 Chamber Members at the door
$25 Non-members pre-paid
$30 Non-members/Walk-ins
Register: Janice Hutchins, 253.627.2175 or online here

This year, Carlile has deservedly been acknowledged with the Tahoma Business Environmental Award by having invested money and thought into ways that would improve the environmental performance of their overall operations and thus, impacting our community’s quality of life.

Congratulations to Carlile Transportation Systems, who joins an elite list of local businesses that have displayed exemplary environmental stewardship and are recognized for their notable efforts by the Chamber’s Tahoma Business Environmental Award. Past worthy recipients of the award:

• 2003 Kay Parks/Dan Meyer Auto Rebuild


• 2004 Simpson


• 2005 McFarland Cascade


• 2006 Port of Tacoma


• 2007 Totem Ocean Trailer Express


• 2008 PLU


• 2009 Carlile Transportation Systems

The "S" in STEM Comes to the Foss

Today marked "ground- breaking" for the Urban Waters project facility on the eastern shore of Foss Waterway.

A dazzling little display of science - with dignitaries pouring flasks of liquid into a bigger container of blue fluid, turning the solution within clear - utilized the miracles possible with science as a demonstration of promises with a new facility dedicated to the science of the environment commenced.

This positive development in our community is a dividend with the University of Washington Tacoma. The cooperative effort among the City of Tacoma, UWT, Port of Tacoma and Puget Sound Partnership, is a seminal event for our community.

Best for Crafting Sites

Today, The News Tribune announced the recipients for the University of Washington Tacoma Milgard School of Business Business Leadership Awards.

The first feature story was for the website development company, Sitecrafting , Inc. well known in the tech scene for its professional commercial and community websites. Listed among those commercial endeavors are websites for MultiCare Health Systems, AirStream, and Tacoma Public Utilities. And Sitecrafting's community websites include TacomaAngel Network (TAN), whose leadership continuously hear envious accolades from other angel groups.

Larry Kopp, TAN Co-Chair has said: "That SiteCrafting is a quality company is testified to by our outstanding TAN website, which is probably the most advanced Angel and/or VC site in the US in terms of its look and even more importantly its functionality. And, almost all the work-sessions laying out and reviewing the actual work was done by word of mouth over the phone without even a piece of paper—what a refreshing way to operate with a website firm."

Our kudos to Brian Forth and all the great group at Sitecrafting. And our thanks, for being an integral part of the tech community in Tacoma metro.

Does Broadband Boost ED?

A new study released by IEDC (International Economic Development Council) seeks to answer the question if broadband boosts economic development.

The study, "The Economic Development Impact of Municipal Broadband," by Craig Settles of Successful.com, is not a study of the economic impact of municipal broadband systems, but rather a survey of economic development (e.d.) professionals' opinions of the contribution of broadband to effective economic development.

The survey begins with the observation that "elected officials have abandoned their free-muni-WiFi (broad)bandwagons, weaker but wiser." Nevertheless, Settles says this survey supports his 2005 survey of e.d. professionals that broadband investments improve economic development. The targeted population came from the IEDC (International Economic Development Council) membership.

Here are some highpoints from the 22% of respondents that report having muni broadband systems businesses can access. Most often respondents said, to the question of broadband's impact:

• new businesses moved to the area: too difficult to measure
• existing businesses stayed: too difficult to measure
• local companies bettered: too difficult to measure
• more tourists visiting: too difficult to measure
• increase in large events: no impact
• revitalized business areas: too soon to tell

Overall, the majority of e.d. professionals believe broadband is a major tool, especially if targeted, that should lead to significant economic benefits. Wireless networks are cast in a negative light (he cites the WiFi network failures in 2007). And, Settles asks the obvious question: if the existence of broadband is not an economic development catalyst, how do e.d. professionals use this tool boost e.d.?

Students Participating in Cyber Defense Event

This weekend, students from the Institute of Technology will be participating in the 2nd Annual Pacific Rim Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition on the Microsoft campus. Members of the student organization, the Grey Hat Group, will be presented with a pre-configured systems of a fictitious company that they are tasked to operate.

Then, as described by the competitions web site..

The evil red team, which sits next door, however, will attempt to vandalize and break into this network. The student teams need to defend against the attacks of this red team. In particular, the goals for each team are to:

• fulfill assigned business tasks (so-called injects)
• keep services operational
• prevent break-ins by the red team

Students are scored based on the goals above. The team with the most points of the two day event will be the winner of the Pacific Rim Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and will proceed to the National competition.

Justin Carton, the Grey Hat Group president, has been working the group through practice sessions to get them all prepared.

However, a former founder of the GHG and alumni to the program here at the Institute, Mary Jane Kelly, will be part of the "evil red team". She and another alumni John Hernandez, both from Casaba Security, will be tough to handle.

The Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, the University of Washington and Microsoft are helping to put on the event.

You have undoubtedly heard of the last two but perhaps not the first.

The CIAC is...

a Pacific Northwest research, education, industry and government community that provides innovation and leadership in the protection of critical public and private information infrastructure, and provides well educated information assurance and cybersecurity at all professional levels.

Good luck to all. (cross posted at andrewfry.blogspot.com)

What’s Online for Broadband Stimulus

The feds recently posted on the Federal Register information about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service plans for their allocation from the Stimulus Bill.

The NTIA was allocated $4.7 billion and the USDA $2.5 billion. The funds were expressly approved for “unserved” and “underserved” locations, but those terms remain undefined. Both agencies are looking for input to these definitions and other aspects NLT April 13.

Six public meetings were held, the last yesterday in D.C. Public comments still accepted.

A recent meeting of these agencies and the Federal Communications Commission produced these five goals:

1. Close the broadband gap in unserved and underserved areas
2. Leverage private investment
3. Create jobs
4. Upgrade connectivity to schools, libraries and other community anchor institutions
5. Stimulate broadband demand

The NTIA is instructed to allocate $250 million towards the Broadband Data Improvement Act for mapping and community initiatives, at least $200 million to expand public computer center capacity in libraries and community colleges and at least $250 million for programs encouraging broadband adoption.

An unusual feature of the allocation is $10 million for audits and oversight of all programs.

There will be at least one grant per state, made in three rounds. All allocations must be made by September 30, 2010.

Forbes: America's Most Wired Cities

Earlier this year, Forbes.com published one of its rankings again, repeated since 2007. This one: The Top 30 Most-Wired Cities.

In this one, Seattle vaulted to the top spot, helped out by a new criterion: wi-fi spots. While it is never certain what geographical area "Seattle" represents, this is good news, but with some challenging aspects. For instance, the most recent comment to the article scolds the writer for lacking in her research and citing Tacoma as "America's Most Wired City," a long-standing claim.

From a research perspective, we need to examine what these rankings are about. Forbes.com cites as its criteria:

• % of Internet users with high-speed connections
• number of companies providing high-speed Internet
• number of public wireless Internet hot spots

The last criterion is a new wrinkle in the Forbes.com rating mix. And, Forbes.com does give us their resources, even if they aren't publicly available, being proprietary.

Of note is the acknowledgement that Portland and Baltimore may deserve higher rankings due to Clearwire's super-fast wireless Broadband; but data lags (always). That's promising for Tacoma's ranking as Clearwire is busy here too. So we'll see what next year brings, especially with the FCC promise of "considerably more detailed" information on broadband access in coming months.

The comparison must be made with Tacoma's long-standing claim as "America's No. 1 Wired City." That claim is based on number of miles of broadband, stemming from the Click!Network municipal broadband development. That claim was bolstered by the competitive responses of Comcast and Qwest.

So, is Tacoma "America's Most Wired City"? Or do we need to heed the changing metrics of an evolving tech world?