SPOKANE, WA – Today, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) toured the new McKinstry Innovation Center in Spokane and then joined McKinstry CEO Dean Allen, local entrepreneurs and regional education officials to celebrate the center’s grand opening.

“Innovation means jobs in Spokane and across Washington state,” said Cantwell. “The new McKinstry Center and the Riverpoint Campus’ cutting-edge research will be a hub for Eastern Washington’s innovation economy. With the right incentives in education and incentives for entrepreneurs, we can ensure Washington state continues to lead in science and technology.”

The McKinstry Innovation Center is a local incubator of innovation and development of new technologies, products and services in clean technology, high technology, education, and life sciences. The center brings organizations together in one facility to encourage collaboration, including with McKinstry’s mentoring team. Today’s grand opening celebrates the Innovation Center’s first five tenants, as well as looks to the center’s future in building Spokane’s innovation economy. For more information, visit www.mckinstryinnovationcenter.com.

“McKinstry is excited to add to the vibrancy of the University District in Spokane with the opening of the Innovation Center,” said Dean Allen, CEO of McKinstry. “The University District is the connection between education and the economy, the bridge between student learning and greater regional prosperity.”

Cantwell has consistently supported boosting higher education to prepare the next generation of high-tech workers for a 21^st century workforce and maintain America’s competitiveness. Cantwell was an original cosponsor of the America COMPETES Act to improve investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education programs, and she is urging continued investment in STEM education as part of the bill’s reauthorization in 2013.

As a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Cantwell has advocated for tax incentives to help entrepreneurs create more jobs through innovative research and development programs. She is currently working to pass legislation that extends many key tax credits and deductions, including for research and development, clean energy, energy efficiency, and New Markets Tax Credits.

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