An indelible mark: that's what Dr. Gary Spanner has left with his professional
achievement, civic leadership, community service, and support of CBC. Those are the reasons Spanner has been selected as the 2008 CBC Foundation Outstanding Alumnus.
Spanner is the manager of the Office of Small Business Programs at Battelle's
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. He applies PNNL's
technological resources to support technology-based economic development
througout the Pacific Northwest and the nation. Much of his focus has been on
small business support, developing innovative programs that help business start,
grow, diversify, and even relocate to the Tri-Cities. He is chairman of the
Tri-Cities Research District, a 1,600 acre area in North Richland surrounding
PNNL that is being developed to provide home to new and growing technology
businesses.
After leaving CBC, Spanner received his bachelor's degree from Washington
State University, his master's from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D.
in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University.
His long list of awards includes the National Economic Development
certification; one of only 25 ever received in the state of Washington. He also
won the 2006 Sam Volpentest Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. He has authored
more than two dozen publications on everything from strategic planning to an assessment of synthetic liners for uranium pods.
His community service includes work with United Way and TRIDEC, as an
in-class instructor for Junior Achievement, and as a guest lecturer at CBC.
One nomination letter on Spanner's behalf said it best: "Gary has a great spirit
of cooperation. But perhaps his best asset is his ability to inspire cooperation
among others."