BY LAURENCE P. GOTTLIEB
This past February, a standing-room-only audience of regional dignitaries and invited special guests witnessed the birth of something quite special ”“ the opening of the nation”™s first MakerBot Innovation Center for 3-D printing on the campus of the State University of New York at New Paltz. As the founding organization of this unique initiative, the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC) was proud to see what started as a small idea had grown quickly into a stirring revolution.
The applause was deafening as elected officials, business leaders, faculty and students cheered for SUNY New Paltz President Don Christian and MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis, when both leaders held aloft a massive pair of special 3-D-printed scissors after officially opening the center and welcoming a new era in economic development to the Hudson Valley.
Pettis, the brilliant Brooklyn-based MakerBot founder, has often been called “the Steve Jobs of 3-D printing,” and rightly so, as he fully embodies modern entrepreneurism and the infectious energy America”™s sagging economy so desperately needs. He described the opening of the Innovation Center at SUNY New Paltz as a “step forward into the frontier,” claiming we are all “on an adventure we have never been on before.” He added, “We don”™t even know what will happen, because of the seeds we”™re planting here today. ”¦ The most exciting part is what happens next.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Pettis addressed more than 300 students and faculty members during a rousing afternoon lecture. Among the other keen insights he offered throughout his nearly two-hour session, Pettis noted “having a center in a place of business or university can change the new product iteration and innovation cycle.” A former educator himself (among a long list of other illustrious career stops along the way to starting MakerBot), the 3-D printing guru told the enthusiastic crowd, “Schools can train future innovators and be ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing students for the real world. ”¦ The center is an incredible opportunity for those using it to unleash the power of innovation and change the world.”
By bringing academia closer to innovative business leaders, SUNY New Paltz”™s exciting partnership with MakerBot ”“ a global industry leader ”“ exemplifies economic development at its best. That is why 3-D printing is evolving into a major catalyst for innovation and workforce opportunity in the region, and creating a new economic engine that will drive business growth in the Hudson Valley and New York state for years to come.
Since the May launch of HVEDC”™s latest cluster initiative, Hudson Valley 3D Printing (HV3D), the region has warmly embraced this exciting technology and its potential to transform modern business. With critical financial support from Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Hudson River Ventures and New York state, the new Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz (home to the MakerBot Innovation Center) was created, combining state-of-the-art 3-D printing equipment with the campus”™ academic expertise in the fine arts, sciences and engineering.
Out of this unique initiative, SUNY New Paltz launched a first-of-its-kind curriculum in digital design and fabrication (DDF), which will help prepare students for high-tech careers and provides regional entrepreneurs with opportunities to learn how to adopt this technology for their own business needs. This fall semester, SUNY New Paltz will take another significant academic step and become one of the first colleges in the country to offer a DDF minor.
Paul Kassel, interim dean of the School of Fine & Performing Arts, described the DDF program as an ideal blend of “creativity and ingenuity,” where the “scientists and engineers test, and the artists play.” This mingling of different disciplines has already expanded the group to include business owners, as the center”™s academic team ”“ composed of deans, professors, instructors and graduate students ”“ helps entrepreneurs solve design problems and print out 3-D objects for a multitude of for-profit projects.
HV3D has become the ultimate economic development tool, bringing together a community of industry experts, private and public investors, academics and entrepreneurs to maximize the benefits of this technology for deployment throughout the entire Hudson Valley. Together, we have started something spectacular, and as HV3D grows, the lesson learned remains change requires a group of dedicated individuals to buck the status quo in order to bring innovation and excitement back to the Hudson Valley economy. Simply put, you have to print your own future.
To learn more about HV3D, visit hudsonvalley3dprinting.com.
Laurence P. Gottlieb is president and CEO of Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. Contact him by phone at 845-220-2244 or email lgottlieb@hvedc.com.
