Port of Los Angeles, local Chambers hire "Incubator" expert to lead Port Technologies Development Center

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., announced today that Jeff Milanette has been named executive director of the San Pedro Bay Port Technologies Development Center(PTDC).

San Pedro, California October 21, 2009

An emerging technologies expert with extensive experience developing and managing business incubator projects such as the National EnvironmentalTechnology Incubator and the Rutgers Business Innovation Center, Milanette will lead the PTDC, a non-profit technology business incubator operated by a partnership between the Port of Los Angeles and the San Pedro and Wilmington Chambers of Commerce. “Jeff will play a central role in helping start-up companies produce green technology products for the maritime industry and create new green collar jobs here in the Harbor Area,” Knatz said. “The San Pedro Bay Port Technologies Development Center is predicated on the commercial development and global marketing of the cutting-edge green technologies that are marking our Port a world leader in environmental stewardship.”

The PTDC’s mission is to identify, attract, support and “incubate” companies with technologies that will enable the maritime industry to meet environmental, energy, transportation and security goals.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has identified the PTDC as an official CleanTech center, and it has the support of USC, UCLA, Cal Tech and other business and academic institutions working with the City’s CleanTech initiative.

“Step by step, Los Angeles is building a foundation for economic growth without compromising our environment,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Today’s appointment of a successful leader in incubator operations to take helm of our Port Technologies Development Center means that as other ports around the world follow our lead and begin to be clean and green themselves, existing, emerging and yet undreamed of technologies developed right here in the Harbor will be at the forefront and create significant export potential.”

Milanette and the PTDC will work closely with the Port of Los Angeles, particularly the Port’s Technology Advancement Program (TAP), which tests and supports emerging technologies to help meet the goals of the Port’s Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP). “Jeffrey will bring his vision and expertise to us at a critical juncture,” said Herb Zimmer, Chairman of the PTDC’s Board of Directors. “After guiding us through the completion of our feasibility study, he will lead us as we move into our operations stage.”

The PTDC plans to open a facility in 2010 in the Harbor Area to provide existing or emerging companies with shared services and conferencing space for business seminars by experts in finance, intellectual property and business practices. Zimmer said Milanette will lead the PTDC in a three-step process. First, the organization will determine what technologies are needed in the maritime industry, focusing on environmental, energy, transportation and security issues. Second, the PTDC will identify companies with appropriate technologies and attempt to bring their presence to the Harbor Area. Finally, the PTDC will assist and “incubate” those companies in a variety of ways, including Assistance with developing business plans, securing financial support and the commercialization of technologies.

“The potential for success here is extraordinary,” said Milanette, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA in Finance from The George Washington University. “With the worldwide reputation that the Port of Los Angeles has with respect to clean growth and the commitment and vision that the PTDC board already has in place, there is no better place to launch this initiative than the Harbor Area.” In addition to financial support from the Port of Los Angeles, the PTDC has also received grants from Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, the Bank of America Foundation and SA Recycling, a cutting-edge metal recycling company located on Terminal Island. It also has the support of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. Jane Harman, Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn, the Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency and the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce.