Neil McLean, Exective Director of EngenuitySC and Lee Bussell, President of Chernoff Newman

MidlandsBiz:
Talk a little about the history of the hydrogen fuel initiative in this state. 

Lee Bussell:
Five years ago, Mayor Bob Coble announced that Columbia would become a hydrogen city with a slogan of, You can’t drive down the hydrogen highway without first coming through Columbia.  At the end of March, Columbia will be taking a major step toward achieving that goal by hosting the 2009 National Hydrogen Association (NHA 09) conference and expo. 

MidlandsBiz:
How did you land such a prestigious conference for Columbia?

Neil McLean:
Three years ago, our fuel cell leadership thought that it was time for Columbia to step up and be recognized on the international scene in the area of hydrogen fuel cells.  Our main champion was a member of the NHA board, Tony Boccanfuso, Director of Research and Economic Development at USC.  We brought a team of NHA board members to the state to tell our story, show them our plans for the fuel cell district in Columbia, and to take them on a tour of our regional assets, from Columbia, to Clemson, to Aiken and the Savannah River site, to the University of South Carolina. 

The hospitality infrastructure that has come on board in this city over the past five years has really opened up the possibility of Columbia hosting major international conventions such as NHA. 

MidlandsBiz:
Who is the official host for the conference?

Neil McLean:
The official host for this is the South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance, and its Executive Director is Shannon Baxter-Clemmons. 

Lee Bussell:
We have three main goals for the conference.  Firstly, companies large and small are being affected by cutbacks on travel, so we want to make an extra special effort to help draw a crowd.  

Secondly, this is a wonderful economic development opportunity for this region.  Rather than having to get on planes to go and visit these companies, they are all going to be right here.  It’s an opportunity to bring to light our local assets to people outside of our state. We want people to have a great time at the conference and leave with a positive impression both of our quality of life and the business model. 

Lastly, we want to make people in this region understand that hydrogen and fuel cells are not about what this region can do, but rather, what we are doing! We already have a top location in the country for scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurial startups. 

MidlandsBiz:
What other benefits will come out of this NHA conference?

Lee Bussell:
The global exposure that Columbia will receive during this conference is incredible.  The NHA has a membership that extends into over 40 different countries.  This list includes over 400 companies, and some very big companies that you typically don’t see at conferences will be represented here – BMW, Chevron, Shell, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Daimler, Volkswagen, and Praxair.  Large companies often hold off their big announcements until a major conference such as this.  We already know of 16 internationally significant announcements that will be made during the conference and that number will rise to 5 times that amount when all is said and done.  All of these will have a dateline of Columbia, South Carolina.  How cool is that!

MidlandsBiz:
Do you have a dollar figure on the economic impact of the conference?

Lee Bussell:
The economic impact is predicted to be  $1.5M. 

MidlandsBiz:
What are some of the events that will be taking place?

Neil McLean:
The core of the conference will be held the week of March 30 – April 3, Monday through Friday, with a whole week of events. 

On Wednesday April 1, NHA will host a public day where for FREE people can test a hydrogen fueled car, visit our hydrogen and fuel cell demonstration zone, and see first hand applications such as forklifts and other stationary fuel cell applications.  We will also be showcasing portable applications like the ones that Trulite makes here in Columbia. We want this to be the best public day in the history of the conference. 

We also see this as an amazing opportunity to get student of all ages involved and for them to see science at work.   We are working with school districts to make it a field trip destination.  We are inviting K-12 to come down and see the first hand application of science and to participate in a scavenger hunt.  The public day will be great way to introduce South Carolinians to the technologies behind hydrogen and fuel cells. 

Also, our hydrogen fueling stations should be complete down on Williams Street, and we are anticipating the arrival of our hydrogen hybrid bus.  The Central SC Alliance and the SC Department of Commerce are helping to sponsor some of the public receptions and are committed to having a presence in our one of booths.  It’s a coordinated effort across all the major players.

MidlandsBiz:
What are the economic opportunities for hydrogen and fuel cells in this part of the state? 

Lee Bussell:
We have a 50 year track record in the state of thinking economic development was all about going out of state to get some big company to relocate into the state.  Research Triangle Park, the petroleum industry in Texas, Silicon Valley – none of these was an overnight success.  They took decades.  We have to have the patience to stay focused on our strategic plan.  It’s a different process. 

MidlandsBiz:
So what is the strategic plan?

Neil McLean:
When we first sat down four years ago, we put together a twenty year plan that outlined specific five, ten, and 20 year targets with focusing on building a foundation where companies can grow here within our state.  We are on track, and have achieved each and every of our five year objectives. 

Establish an effective statewide mechanism.  We now have the South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance. 

Formalize regional hydrogen organizations.  We established the USC Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative. 

Build the discovery engine.  Four years ago, we had no endowed chairs.  Today, we have four endowed chairs funded and an additional two in place for hydrogen and fuel cells. When we fund an Endowed Chair such as Dr. Ken Reifsnider, it is in perpetuity.  Dr. Reifsnider now has 20 people on his staff and has brought around in $25M in funded research. 

Set development infrastructure in place to facilitate commercialization. Four years ago, we had nothing in place.  Today, we have multiple companies in the SC Launch! program and specific buildings under construction at USC designed to house these companies and foster innovation.   

Prepare policies for employment and innovation zones.  We formed the Columbia Fuel Cell District and the General Assembly passed the Hydrogen Infrastructure Development Act. 

MidlandsBiz:
What are the objectives for the next five years?

Neil McLean:
Our goals for years 6-10 are leadership in multiple segments of energy innovation such as nuclear energy and solid oxide or PEM fuel cells.  We look to have outstanding leadership as a producer of new ideas and discovery.  We want to accelerate the growth in new enterprise by establishing an entrepreneurial culture and converting these ideas into new companies. We want to attract new industry partners either by bringing in global companies and by fostering our own startups.  Trulite is a great example of a company that is based elsewhere (in California) but has decided they want to locate its headquarters in Columbia.  We anticipate 1,000 to 2,000 net new jobs in the hydrogen fuel cell startups and spin-offs. 

MidlandsBiz:
Do we have the entrepreneurial talent here in this city to pull this off?

Lee Bussell:
We have lots of people in this town who love to grow businesses and who have already been wildly successful at doing so.  These are people who we often refer to as serial entrepreneurs who will take the profits from one company and help start others.

MidlandsBiz:
Do we have the workforce development infrastructure in place?

Neil McLean:
I will hold our regional workforce team development up to any other in the country.  MidlandsTech has created one of the leading fuel cell technician programs in the country. 
Although this is a new industry, the underlying skills needed to operate hydrogen fuel cells are not dissimilar from those needed to be an HVAC technician. 

We also have the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Information Technology that is producing graduates, who increasingly want to stay and work here in Columbia because of these opportunities.

MidlandsBiz:
What has been the key to your success?

Neil McLean:
When companies come to Columbia, they see a Mayor, a city council, Richland County Council, a local Chamber of Commerce, a speaker of the House like Bobby Harrell, a federal delegation, and a local business community that all support this initiative.  Our success, so far, is a result of this shared vision. Everybody mentioned understands how this industry could be a springboard for this community. 

MidlandsBiz:
What accomplishment are you most proud of over these past four years?

Neil McLean:
Four years ago, when I first traveled out of state to the US Fuel Cell Council or the NHA conferences, nobody had even heard of South Carolina.  Today, we are very much a part of the discussion panels and widely recognized as one of the leaders in the country when it comes to future fuels. 

MidlandsBiz:
What are some of the roadblocks to success in the area of hydrogen fuel cells?

Neil McLean:
As is true of any new technology, uncertainty about how quickly the market for fuel cells will ramp up is a potential challenge.

MidlandsBiz:
What are the top five keys to your ongoing success in hydrogen fuel cells?

Neil McLean:
1. The University is, hands down, the key asset in this equation.
2. Continued effective public/private sector partnerships.  As mentioned earlier, the key to our success has been the level of cooperation and coordination between government and the local business leadership.  Our organization, EngenuitySC and SC Launch!, are both good examples, I believe, of effective public/private collaborations.
3. SCRA.  Here is an organization that has been recognized nationally for their innovative commercialization program.  In the end, if our research programs do not lead to creating new companies with revenue generation, then we really haven’t created anything.
4. Attracting talent.  Endowed Chairs are critical, but so too is keeping our graduates here and continuing to develop a culture where entrepreneurs can flourish. 
5. Focus.  We will be successful in this area of hydrogen fuel cells if we stay the course. 

Lee Bussell:
There is the sixth key element: the opportunity that this NHA conference presents.  Columbia, SC has gained national recognition in this field, but the vast majority of key people in this industry have never been here before.  Once they spend time here, they are going to walk away saying this would be an amazing place not only to live, but also to build a business.

 

 

 

To learn more, click to 2009 National Hydrogen Association (NHA 09)