From the age of about 12 or 13, Mario Casabona was curious about the physical science world. Now, at 60, the Cedar Grove resident is helping to build the foundation for science and technology in the state as a returning member to the New Jersey Commission on Science & Technology.
The commission, established in 1985, is one of about 20 agencies in the state. He was recently reappointed to the eight-member board.
“We foster science and technology in the state of New Jersey,” said Casabona. “We, as commissioners, are able to recommend programs to the state to better facilitate the growth of science and technology and businesses.”
The commission works to bridge the gap between academic institutions, public and private companies and policy makers so that all are working in conjunction to create advancements in science and technology, Casabona explained.
The commission helps spur economic growth by supporting public incubators – business programs designed to help start-up companies in the two fields become successful by providing support services such as networking, consulting and marketing. The commission also doles out thousands of dollars in grants to businesses throughout the state working on developing projects in science and technology. The Edison Innovation Green Energy program, for example, provides grants of $100,000 and $500,000 to companies interested in developing renewable energy and clean energy sources.
In addition, the commission encourages new business through an entrepreneurial fellowship program that pays the salaries for MBA graduates wanting to continue their career development in New Jersey technology companies.
Casabona spent his first term on the commission working with colleagues to develop new programs, such as the Edison Innovation Fund, which provides grants to companies for research and development of commercial technology.
Casabona admits that he always wanted to work in the science and technology arena.
He came from a modest Italian family; his mother was a seamstress and his father a barber. He emigrated with his parents from Sicily in 1954, when he was five years old.
Being young, he liked figuring out the mechanics involved in the everyday devices, such as his bicycle and his television set.
“It was really more of a curiosity about how things worked,” he said. “I remember taking apart my bicycle but I couldn’t remember how to put it back together.”
“I knew I wanted to be an engineer since I can remember,” he said.
He majored in Electronic Engineering at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He graduated in 1971 and began working at ITT in Nutley. After leaving ITT, he secured a job with the Aircraft Radio and Control, a supplier of commercial aircraft equipment. He then tenured with Raytheon, a defense contractor, before starting his own business, Electro-Radiation, Inc. in 1982. He sold the business to Honeywell in 2004.
He currently runs his own business, Casabona Ventures, based in Cedar Grove. The company provides management services, strategic planning and early stage (Angel) investment capital to technologydriven start-up companies.
Casabona said one of his passions is in the area of energy and renewable energy and one aspect of the commission’s work is also seeing that Gov. Jon Corzine’s energy goals are moving forward.
As the state tries to break free from a looming industrial image, the agency is helping by supporting initiatives in energy independence, Casabona said. The governor has designed a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, demand for electricity and utilize more renewable energy as the source of electricity, all by 2020. “We are really switching more into renewable energy. That’s really where I believe we are focusing and where we should be focusing,” he said.
Along with the state Board of Public Utilities, the commission makes recommendations for awards to companies developing progressive programs in the energy field, Casabona said.
The commission meets on a quarterly basis. It also holds monthly meetings to review various proposals and make recommendations on funding awards, he said.
Casabona also sits on the Board of Advisors for centers for entrepreneurial studies at several colleges including Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is also on the Board of Advisors for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Meadowlands Business Accelerator and on the Board of Directors for the Garden State AOC, a defense contractor association. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Center of Italian & Italian- American Culture based in Cedar Grove.
He is also a founding member of the newly formed NJ-Italy Trade Council, a cooperative between public and private organizations with the objective to increase business opportunities between New Jersey and Italy, He and his wife Norma have a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Daniel.
Casabona said he enjoys keeping busy and witnessing first-hand the growth of science and technology. “It’s fun, really. I really get a feel for what science and technology is doing in New Jersey,” he said. “It’s my way of giving back to the state of New Jersey.”
BY MOLLIE GRAY
of the Verona-Cedar Grove Times