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Pike Powers

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John Pike Powers IV (May 1, 1941 – October 31, 2021) was a Texas attorney, state legislator and civic leader.

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Pike Powers. Photo courtesy of The Austin Business Journal.
File:Neal Spelce, Pike Powers and Howard Falkenberg celebrate MCC.jpg
Neal Spelce, Pike Powers and Howard Falkenberg celebrate MCC's decision to locate its headquarters in Austin, Texas, standing in front of the University of Texas School of Engineering (now the Cockrell School of Engineering). Photo courtesy of Neal Spelce.
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Powers led a diverse coalition of university, government and business leaders to bring Sematech to Austin, Texas, jump starting an innovation ecosystem. Clipping courtesy of The Austin Business Journal.
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Then-Texas Senator Kirk Watson with Pike Powers. Watson is currently the mayor of Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of The Austin Business Journal.
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Texas Tribune Co-Founder Evan Smith with Pike Powers on clean energy. Photo Courtesy of Pecan Street.

Early life and career

Powers was born in Houston, Texas, attended Lamar University and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1965. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972 and represented Jefferson County in the state Legislature until 1979. In 1978, he opened the Austin office of the Houston-based law firm Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright) where he served as managing partner. He retired in 2006.[1]

Government investment and economic development

Powers served as executive assistant to Texas Governor Mark White from 1983 until 1985, working with business and political leaders across the state, to win two national competitions for technology consortia.[2] The first, the Microelectronics Computer Consortium (MCC), chose the small college town of Austin, Texas, over San Diego, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta.[3] In 1987, Powers is widely credited with crafting the incentives[4] that won (and later attempted to retain) the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SEMATECH), a public-private partnership jointly funded by the U.S. Dept. of Defense and the semiconductor industry to recapture U.S. leadership in chip manufacturing. Central to both selections was the support of the University of Texas, which over time benefited from an infusion of faculty and facilities that transformed its Cockrell School of Engineering into a world-class research institution.[5]

Powers led Austin's successful 1996 effort to recruit Samsung Semiconductor's initial U.S. manufacturing, or fabrication (fab) site, a $4 billion investment in the Central Texas economy.[6] At the state level, he worked with Texas Governor Rick Perry to draft legislation that continues to help Texas cities compete for projects with significant potential for job creation and capital investment.[7] Powers also served as an expert witness on the impact of government-sponsored innovation on national and regional competitiveness, in 2006 testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science.[8]

Collaboration and achievements

Powers' contributions to Austin's innovation ecosystem continued until the end of his life. The Pecan Street Street research project, which measures the impact of alternative energy sources on residential communities, is based at the Pike Powers Commercialization Lab.[9] Other collaborations included MassChallenge, the Army Futures Command, and the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School. Achievements include:

  • Member, Texas House of Representatives, 1972-1979
  • Executive Assistant, Governor Mark White, 1983-1984
  • Austin Chamber of Commerce, chair (1989) and vice chair (1990)
  • Texas Super Lawyer (2003)
  • 100 Most Influential Lawyers in the United States (1988,1991, 1994)
  • Member, State Bar of Texas Board of Directors
  • Member, Maritime Law Assoc. of the United States
  • Member, Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel
  • Member, National Assoc. of Railroad Trial Counsel
  • Governor's Science and Biotechnology Council (2002-3)
  • Austinite of the Year (2005)
  • Texan of the Year (2017)
  • George Kozmetsky Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)[10]

References

  1. ^ Powers, Pike. "Pike Powers, Godfather of Austin's Tech Boom Passes Away". University of Texas School of Law. University of Texas. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  2. ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (January 31, 1998). "Austin Rides a Winner: Technology". The New York Times. p. 7. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Wright, Lawrence (February 13–20, 2023). "The Astonishing Transformation of Austin". The New Yorker. No. February 13–20, 2023. p. 37.
  4. ^ Lammers, David (May 21, 2003). "Texas raises the ante in effort to retain Sematech". EE|TImes. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Gibson, David; Rogers, Everett M. (1994). R&D Collaboration on Trial. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. pp. 163–166, 484, 496. ISBN 0875843646.
  6. ^ Pope, Colin (November 1, 2021). "A powerhouse for Austin's economy passes away". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Lammers, David (May 21, 2003). "Texas raises ante in effort to retain Sematech". EE|Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "Innovation and Information Technology: The Government, University and Industry Roles in Information Technology Research and Commercialization" (PDF). Field Briefing Before the Committee on Science (Serial No. 109-48): 22–32. May 5, 2006 – via U.S. Government Printing Office.
  9. ^ Powers, Pike (3 November 2021). "A Fond Farewell to an Austin Legend". Pecan Street. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  10. ^ Powers, Pike. "Admiral Bobby Inman and Pike Powers Receive the George Kozmetsky Lifetime Achievement Award". Austin Technology Incubator. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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