Tuesday, December 10, 2013

WA Names Tech Sector Leads


Department of Commerce Director Brian Bonlender recently named Maura Little  and Will Saunders  to the sector lead team in the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness.  All told, the three target industries they will focus on represent more than $35 billion in payroll for residents of Washington State: Information and Communication Technology and Life Sciences.

“Our sector-based economic development strategy is a reflection of the fact that we face intense international and interstate competition for good jobs. We have to be constantly vigilant about identifying opportunities and strategies for cultivating employers in Washington,” said Bonlender.  “We can’t rely on luck for the next Boeing, Microsoft or Amazon to develop here.”

Little joined the Department of Commerce as the Life Sciences and Global Health sector lead. She has deep background in the life sciences field, including liaison work for then-Congressman Jay Inslee with industry leaders and helping to draft and pass related legislation. After that, Little was Washington State Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network working on healthcare and other life-science issues at a state level.

Saunders brings more than a decade of experience in the information and communications technology field to his position of sector lead for the industry.  Most recently, Saunders has been the director of the Washington State Broadband Office since 2010 and has worked with app developers, educators, public and private providers and economic development agencies across the state.
Sector-based economic development heads the list of Commerce’s five core strategies for job creation, Bonlender said.

Little and Saunders join Kristine Reeves (Military and Defense), Alex Pietsch (Aerospace) and Steve Sewell (Maritime) to represent the State of Washington in their respective industry sectors.  They are tasked with identifying and pursuing new economic development strategies that keep Washington State in the forefront of these key industries, and advance the Governor’s goal of targeted company recruitment, retention and expansion.
 
The Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness supports the Governor’s Working Washington Jobs Agenda, which recognizes that these sectors are critical to our future prosperity --  if these industries are doing well, our economy will be doing well.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

e-PLU e-Business Day 2013





DATE:       Tuesday, December 10, 2013
PLACE:     Morken Center for Learning & Technology, Room 103
      Pacific Lutheran University

The School of Business and ePLU E-Commerce & Technology Management Center at Pacific Lutheran University invite you and your colleagues to join us for e-Business Day 2013. Business analytics is a top priority of CIOs and general CxOs for good reason. Effective business analytics – from basic reporting to advanced data mining -- enable enterprises to better understand market demands and innovate effectively.  We will discuss how to turn big data challenges into opportunities for organizations to create and sustain competitive advantage — Come hear from industry experts, share your business ideas and practices, learn about internship opportunities, and network with others!

SCHEDULE:

8:00 AM - Networking (Morken Center Atrium) w/ refreshments
8:30 AM - Dr. Nancy Albers-Miller, Dean, School of Business, Pacific Lutheran University
8:35 AM - Keynote Presentation: Ted Wham, VP, Travel Industry Solutions at Responsys
9:15 AM - Networking Break

9:30 AM - Panel 1: Real-Life Cases: Analytics Technology Helps Businesses to Win Customers and Make Smarter Decisions
Moderator: Justin Foster, Co-Founder/VP Market Development, Liveclicker
Panelist 1: Neil Crist, CEO Venuelabs
Panelist 2: Henry Chou, Onvia
Panelist 3: Josh Howell, EMC
Panelist 4: Aaron Fossum, Society Consulting

10:30 AM - Networking Break (Morken Center Atrium)

10:45 AM - Panel 2: Education and Training of Business Analytics
Moderator: Dr. Chung-Shing Lee, Director of ePLU
Panelist 1: Aaron Fossum, Society Consulting
Panelist 2: Jason Phelps, Microsoft
Panelist 3: Josh Howell, EMC
Panelist 4: Professor Laurie Murphy, PLU Department of CS&CE

12:00 PM - Event Wraps (Dr. Chung-Shing Lee)

12:05 PM - Lunch

For more info:  

Dr. Chung-Shing Lee (李中興)
Professor
School of Business
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington, USA