More information on Local Tech Startup CICEFT, Inc.

May 26, 2010 CICEFT, a new Tallahassee-based small business, has received a $5 million federal contract to provide components for an international fusion energy project that if successful, would provide an essentially unlimited source of clean, carbon-free electricity. The Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County (EDC) in partnership with the City of Tallahassee, which announced the launch of the company today, said the magnet and materials-science company will result in the initial creation of five high-wage, high-tech jobs and the opportunity to help launch a new energy project with potential world-wide application. CICEFT is the vision of Tom Painter, an engineer at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The company specializes in the engineering, fabrication and testing of superconducting cable inserted into a conduit. “We are honored to be the U.S. national supplier of cable in conduit jacketing services for the International ITER project and are excited that these components could eventually lead to a solution to the world’s energy problems,” said Painter. “We couldn’t have done it without the developed base of intellectual property at the Magnet Lab and the assistance of the EDC, the City of Tallahassee, the airport and Flightline Group.” ITER is a joint international research and development project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. It’s made up of a seven-nation consortium including the European Union, the Russian Federation, Japan, China, India, South Korea and the Unites States. If successful, the ITER experiment will be a big step towards developing fusion technology as a viable commercial energy source. CICEFT will produce components in Tallahassee that will be used in the consortium’s Magnetically Confined Fusion Energy Experiment currently underway in Europe. CICEFT offices are located in the newly established Florida State University incubator in Commonwealth Center, but the U.S. ITER contract requires a unique placement of two facilities roughly 3,000 feet apart with a flat surface between them. The EDC assisted CICEFT through the formation of a collaborative team of industry, education and local government leaders, and located the airport site and designing facilities to support the $5 million award. “This is exactly what we need to happen…the commercialization of technologies in our research and development facilities by talented engineers like Tom,” said Kim Williams, chairman of the EDC. “It takes people and resources to get a business started and we are so fortunate to have such a dedicated group of business leaders to lend their expertise to Tom and his team and for the City and Flightline to provide the site at the airport.” CICEFT will lease two aircraft hangars just north of the Compass Pointe development to assemble and test the cable in conduit for the U.S. ITER contract. The initial five jobs pay an average wage $73,200 - twice that of the Tallahassee metropolitan statistical area average of $34,822. The company expects to add three technical positions in the next 12 months. “It’s not everyday that we get to help start a new business in Tallahassee,” said Tallahassee Mayor John Marks. “It is great to know that the Tallahassee Regional Airport can play such a vital role in the creation of this new company.” Danny Langston, president of Flightline Group, said he knew from the start that the airport site was the place for CICEFT. “It has been a great journey working with the EDC partners and Tom to provide a creative solution for a unique set of requirements.” Brian Fairhurst, associate director of the Magnet Lab, has long worked with the EDC to grow targeted industries, and is proud that one of the lab’s own engineers is the brains behind CICEFT. “The Mag Lab wholeheartedly supports entrepreneurial efforts by our faculty and staff that commercialize fundamental research and applied technology,” said Fairhurst. “We work closely with the EDC on projects that require a highly skilled work force and Tom’s launch of CICEFT reinforces formal studies that show for every dollar invested in the Magnet Lab, there is a very attractive financial return on investment.” Contact Beth Kirkland, Executive Director of the Economic Development Council, 850-521-3114; or Jay Townsend, Assistant City Manager, 850-891-8200 Read more at www.talgov.com