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Boise State’s TechHelp asks for small recurring support for StudioBlue workforce and manufacturer assistance
Summary
TechHelp’s executive director told the committee the StudioBlue new-product development program assists Idaho manufacturers and students; the program seeks modest state support to sustain a partially grant‑funded director position and stressed measurable impact metrics.
Kevin Campbell, budget and policy analyst, presented TechHelp’s budget. TechHelp is administratively housed at Boise State University and focuses on engineering, design and product development assistance for Idaho small- and medium-sized manufacturers. TechHelp officials said the unit also provides workforce learning opportunities for students through hands-on projects.
Brad McDonald, TechHelp executive director, described StudioBlue (TechHelp’s new product development arm) and said its work is measured through national "impact metrics" used by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership network. Those metrics include new and retained jobs, sales and cost savings for client firms, client counts and gross revenue related to projects. McDonald said independent third-party surveys collect client feedback; he reported strong net-promoter results in recent quarters.
Funding and requests: TechHelp has three authorized FTP and most spending is personnel. A small FY2025 enhancement of roughly $11,700 (and a subsequent minor increase) supported a StudioBlue director position that was partially grant funded; that federal grant expired in September 2024, and TechHelp is asking for modest state support ($5,000 in the current ask shown in presentation materials) to help stabilize the StudioBlue director position while the unit seeks long-term funding.
Committee members asked for impact data; McDonald said TechHelp measures retained/new jobs, sales growth and client outcomes and agreed to provide the committee its impact reports and quarterly net-promoter data. Senators and representatives also asked about the decline in federal grant support and the program’s plan to replace expiring grants with a stable state appropriation.
Takeaway: TechHelp said StudioBlue provides measurable, third-party-validated benefits to Idaho manufacturers and student workforce development; the program seeks modest, predictable state support to stabilize a partially grant-funded director position while pursuing other grant and revenue streams.
