4_CWU Tech Transfer Agenda 20260519

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Old Heat CERB Feasibility Study | 43 IDENTIFICATION OF THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE MARKETING STRATEGY. DESCRIBE THE GROUP’S CAPACITY TO COMPLETE THE RESPONSIBILITY. The implementation structure for Old Heat is designed to ensure accountability to the project’s four core objectives: creating high-wage employment, commercializing and diffusing technology statewide, reusing state assets efficiently, and modeling a replicable Eastern–Western Washingotn economic alignment. Each participating entity plays a defined role in advancing one or more of these objectives through coordinated management, stakeholder engagement, and public oversight. The Old Heat Project will be managed through a collaborative governance structure that ensures both operational focus and strategic alignment with regional economic development priorities. OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT The CWU BCS Director will serve as the lead manager of Old Heat’s activities. This role provides direct oversight of day-to-day operations, program deployment, and alignment of Old Heat’s facilities with its strategic foci: commercialization, advanced manufacturing, agricultural technology, entrepreneurship support, technology infusion, and workforce development. The BCS Director brings institutional resources, professional staff, and applied research capabilities from CWU to ensure that Old Heat’s programs are executed effectively and tied to measurable outcomes. More importantly, the Director will maintain Old Heat’s integrity by ensuring that tenants and activities are focused on accelerative and multiplicative enterprises, as defined by the BCS Regional Contribution Continuum (RCC). This safeguard prevents mission drift into low growth, extractive or low-wage service ventures, which do not advance long-term prosperity in the region. In SECTION D this way, the Director functions not only as a manager, but also as a strategic gatekeeper aligning Old Heat’s activity mix with its purpose of catalyzing high- wage, innovation-driven growth. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT The Kittitas County government, under the direction of the Board of Commissioners, will provide strategic engagement and support for alignment with the community’s current and future needs, ensuring that Old Heat’s deployment reflects countywide priorities for economic diversification and high-wage job creation. Commissioners will collaborate with CWU and other stakeholders to shape strategic direction and inform priority-setting, particularly as Old Heat expands its role as a regional commercialization hub. The Kittitas County Conference of Governments has taken a substantial leading role in the region’s economic development. Along with the KCCOG, the Kittitas County Department of Public works (Bowers Field managing entity), the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, and private industry partners, will serve as advisors and collaborators. Their engagement will help align Old Heat’s activities with the needs of regional businesses, supply chains, and community partners, reinforcing its role as a multi-sector innovation platform. CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT The combined capacity of CWU’s BCS Director, Kittitas County and regional partners provide a robust structure for implementation. CWU contributes institutional infrastructure, faculty and student engagement, applied research, and workforce development capabilities. The County provides legitimacy, public accountability, and access to regional planning frameworks. The Chamber of Commerce and private partners bring essential connections to local and state business networks, ensuring that Old Heat maintains market relevance and long- term sustainability. Together, this structure balances operational execution with public accountability and private-sector engagement. It positions Old Heat not simply as a facility, but as a coordinated regional enterprise capable of delivering on its marketing strategy and sustaining its role as a catalyst for economic development. SECTION D