Friday, October 31, 2008

A quick update from CBusTechLife - the movement is growing

Good morning,

A few weeks ago I sent a post out about CBusTechLife. Since that time it seems as our "Tribe" (as Seth Godin) puts it is forming and a energy is growing in the Columbus Tech Community. Check it out - www.cbustechlife.com, http://www.meetup.com/columbustech/

I want to point out a few items:

1. As of this morning 97 people have contributed content to www.cbustechlife.com - the site is organically growing as a great resource. On the site you will find:

People: A list of folks involved in Columbus Tech Life
Networking Groups: Various groups, social networks, and information resources
Bloggers: Links to Columbus technologists and digerati with blogs
Twitters: Links to people who tweet
Organizations: Professional organizations, groups and resources
Companies: those involved with Columbus Tech Life
Web Companies: dot coms, consulting and design firms focused on the Internet specifically
Jobs: A list of jobs and job resources from our members
Meetings: The calendar of upcoming events and meet-ups
Resources: Links to Resources that may interest Columbus Tech Life members
Nonprofit Resources - Resources for those improving the quality of life in CBus - generally social service and art agencies

2. Columbus Tech Life Meetup -http://www.meetup.com/columbustech/

We've grown to over 300 members in the last few weeks. 7 gathering/events in the last month and 5 events on our calendar for Nov and Dec.

Here's what our members are saying:
Mark Juras

" Solutions that bring people and technology together have the greatest impact. The people in this community get this andI love to hear their stories. "

Steve Weiker
" The Columbus Tech community is rather tight knit which makes it important to stay connected. "

Robert J Biro
" I am a techman at heart and I just moved up from Cincinnati and found out that I didn't know anyone up here. I need to change that! "

Doug Bond
" I love what I am seeing happen in Columbus tech and the uptick in networking. The more I see, the more I want to get involved - to me it has never been better! "

Peace out,
Ben

A day in a Twitter Life - CbusTechLife style - Thursday 10/30

8101harris
8101harris Just got off the phone with @bblanquera looking into a post horseshoe tour tweetup at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. 1pm - 3pm. about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

SyncCreative
SyncCreative Working on Huntington Plus website files. about 14 hours ago from web

Tim Eby
timjeby Haha - it's the 70th anniversary of the infamous War of The World broadcast and "MY" station is rebroadcasting it http://is.gd/5gto about 14 hours ago from web

Chris Anderson

canderson @rickcoplin Borrow some wisdom from @guykawaski top 10 lies from entrepreneurs for our upcoming what Not to do session http://is.gd/5gm7 about 14 hours ago from twhirl in reply to RickCoplin

8101harris
8101harris Indy Startup Weekend is back on. Anyone else making the trip december 5-7th? about 15 hours ago from TweetDeck

8101harris
8101harris Looking into open source portal platforms. Liferay looks interesting. http://www.liferay.com about 15 hours ago from TweetDeck

Jeremiah
jowyang Social Media starts to monetize, expect pro accounts http://tinyurl.com/6ydkky about 15 hours ago from web

davehammond
davehammond I am now a certified scuba diver. Yea! A long day of meetings today, off to Tahiti on Saturday!! about 15 hours ago from web

Jeremiah

jowyang Headed to give a presentation to a large software company in Silicon Valley, talk to you later. about 15 hours ago from web

Dispatch Alerts
DispatchAlerts M/I Homes' losses deepen in third quarter http://tinyurl.com/5zsd5o about 16 hours ago from twitterfeed

Eric Yruegas

shpef Short workday today and tomorrow. Looking for my super-duper Cashew Chicken recipe for tonight's dinner. Now where did it go... about 17 hours ago from web

Mike Bowers
MichaelBowers New post at Ideas to Deals on the National City Bank Buyout by PNC...http://is.gd/1e3K about 17 hours ago from twhirl

Nick Seguin
NickSeguin launched new Charley's site with everyone over at b&a. Check out the site: http://snurl.com/4ul89 click on Gifoy and history at top about 18 hours ago from twhirl

Jody Dzuranin

jodyNwellness New post on the Consumer Health Information Summit in Columbus, Nov 17 http://tinyurl.com/5hy4dl #CITIH about 18 hours ago from web

CbusInternships

CbusInternships New internship: Compter Help Desk Technician at RNA Pro: Under supervision of the .. http://tinyurl.com/5ptr9u about 18 hours ago from twitterfeed

MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs Yammer = Twitter for enterprises: http://tinyurl.com/5uye56 about 18 hours ago from web

Doug Hazelman
VMDoug Just finished a presentation for about 100 VMware partners, I think it went well... about 18 hours ago from digsby

Mike Gray
mikergray RT @ITJobsColumbus: Hosting a PHP Meetup tonight at Dawson - Front-End Optimization using the YSlow tool http://tinyurl.com/6geb77 about 19 hours ago from TweetDeck

Alvin
wyliemac RT @itmartini: IT Martini 3 comes to BOMA on 12/11! register FREE with the code ITMARTINITWEETS at http://itmartini.eventbrite.... about 19 hours ago from twhirl
MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs I missed this today, but it's great: 10 Best SM tools for Journalists/PR: http://tinyurl.com/6gohcz about 8 hours ago from web

Kelli Nowinsky
knowinsky well, 15 minutes left for trick or treat. I am pretty much out of candy. i guess the next kids just get worldly advice. about 11 hours ago from web

Dan Schawbel
danschawbel Men Are More Interested in Performance than Brand Image /Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel/ http://tinyurl.com/6mxzzt about 11 hours ago from FeedBlitz

Suzy Tonini
Infosourcer High-end mobile applications remain vastly under-used by U.S. consumer, according to consulting giant Accenture...http://is.gd/5hgH about 12 hours ago from twhirl

10TV.com
10TV 10TV: 2 Injured In Crash Involving School Bus: Two people are injured after their car clipped a school .. http://tinyurl.com/5tma9z about 12 hours ago from twitterfeed

Guy Kawasaki
guykawasaki My most viewed Posterous post: http://tinyurl.com/5ata8v Trust me, click thru... about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck

McKinsey Quarterly
McKQuarterly Conversation starter: Seven ways China might surprise us in 2009 http://tinyurl.com/5mn9s6 about 19 hours ago from twitterfeed

8101harris
8101harris Check out this video search article. Good stuff! http://tinyurl.com/5lflvw about 19 hours ago from TweetDeck

Guy Kawasaki
guykawasaki - Why companies should let employees use Facebook et al ( http://tinyurl.com/6nvaov ) about 20 hours ago from twitthat

Kirk Phillips
KirkPhillips Great article on brand differentiation, "The Pyschology of Sameness" http://is.gd/5ehK about 20 hours ago from TweetDeck

leighhouse

leighhouse Catching up on The Social Path. Great post from @griner about the changing profile of social media use. No more 1% rule. http://is.gd/5egg about 20 hours ago from twhirl

soundadvice4you
soundadvice4you "I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2000-step process." Thomas Edison about 20 hours ago from web

dave ungar
dave225 retweet from @itgirl: ppl take risks and rally around causes, not plans. But how to turn vision into real innovation? Believe in something. about 21 hours ago from TwitterFox

Suzy Tonini

Infosourcer Twitter Tools for Community and Communications Professionals | TECH cocktail http://tinyurl.com/5n4mxn (via @twittea) about 21 hours ago from twhirl

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Shift Happens - AITP and Tweetstream






A few months ago I was asked by Ron Morgan to present at a local AITP meeting on the topic of “How Does Web 2.0 Affect IT Professionals?” I’d like to share the presentation I made last night entitled – “Shift Happens”


As part of the process I reached out via my LinkedIn network. That feedback is incorporated into the presentation


Also attached is Jody Dzuranin’s Tweetstream from the event (Thanks Jody):
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23aitp


jodyNcolumbus: @SBlanquera nice meeting you at #AITP, it is nice reading your #CTL tweets from last night. I was tweeting CSMC, cbus is buzzing indeed.

jodyNcolumbus: RT - @SBlanquera @bblanquera 's speech at #AITP called Shift Happens...link to presentation - http://tinyurl.com/58g2s2 (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: @bblanquera Nice job at the #AITP columbus meeting. Integrating the videos was powerful. Tweet stream http://tinyurl.com/5zofwv (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Info on 11/7/08 - 11/9/08 Region 18 Leadership Retreat, Pittsburgh, PA http://tinyurl.com/57a5cm (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Columbus http://www.linkedin.com/ AITP Columbus Group and here is tonite's tweet stream http://tinyurl.com/5zofwv (expand) (sorry 4 2xs)

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Association of Technology Professionals, Columbus chapter was founded in 1951, wow, they have history.

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Ben Blanquera presented, what a great meeting! Here is the AITP Columbus website http://www.aitp-columbus.org/

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP annual conference in pittsburgh next week http://www.aitp.org/

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP talking about intellectual property, citations, 40% of IT professionals in room have facebook profile

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP sorry for the double posts, wifi delays. the first wakes it up and the second maks the post

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Ben talking about new career, managing energy source for data centers

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Web 2.0 the Web is us video: http://tinyurl.com/yw8co3 (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Ben just showed video, Did you know? It blew me away. http://tinyurl.com/2rzrn9 (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: #AITP Ben just showed video, Did you know? It blew me away. http://tinyurl.com/2rzrn9 (expand)

jodyNcolumbus: at #AITP Ben Blanquera of Progressive Medical presenting Web 2.0 for IT professionals, very interacive. Good stuff!

Labels: ,

GroundWork Group Looking for Disaster Recovery Workshop facilitator

GroundWork Group is looking for a volunteer to facilitate a 2-3 hour workshop on Disaster Recovery for our nonprofit member organizations. We were hoping to do the workshop prior to Thanksgiving and we would anticipate an audience of roughly 25 people.

If interested please contact Tom Guy. - tguy@groundworkgroup.org

Thank you!
Ben

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Art of Thank You Note Writing - Hi touch in a hi tech world

In today's high tech world we sometimes lose track of the high touch things that matter -thanks to Matt Curtin for sharing this link to a great post on the lost of art of writing a thank you note...

Click here  - http://tinyurl.com/thankyou1

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Branding Me on Social Media

Vs.


By Sandy Blanquera

Consider these two images. Would one image make you more likely to “click” at a social site? Perhaps one image tells you more about the person. There is a movement by employers and recruiting firms to view your brand. And individuals as well as social communities are scrutinizing your brand. Have you considered whether social media is bringing you closer to what you want in life or whether it is hindering you? Do your posts reflect a high level of ego vs. sharing with the community? Do they reflect that you are real and personable, or do they look more like a cold encyclopedia of business references? Perhaps they tell people that you are an emotional rollercoaster.

Ultimately, building a brand for YOU is essential for people to understand who you are and where you are going in your life. So, as you post to your social communities, you may want to consciously build your brand. I found this great e-book (free) that gives some insightful information on how to do that.

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/img/broganbranding.pdf

Good luck with your efforts to connect!

CBTS Business Technology Forum - Nov 6

Learn how to prepare & protect your business for unexpected events - be sure to check out our Security, Storage & Disaster Recovery sessions!


The symposium will include technology stations as well as breakout sessions that will educate your company on ways to:

• Increase Operational Efficiency
• Reduce Costs
• Improve Customer Satisfaction
• Mitigate Risk
• Communicate The Way You Do Business
• Lay A Foundation For Your Business Future

Breakout sessions include:

• Next Generation Conferencing
• The Real Story Behind Data Security
• The Economics of Networking
• Open Storage Solutions
• Wireless Security
• Storage Consolidation & Virtualization
• Next Generation Security Services
• Unified Communications
• Optimizing your Wide Area Network
• Leveraging Ohio’s IT Resources
• Ethical Hacking in Forensics
• The Virtual World: On Demand Computing
• Desktop One – Unifying the Phone & the Desktop
• On Line Data Backup & Recovery
• Disaster Recovery
• Evolution and Trends in Data Security


The Business Technology Forum has been scheduled for November 6th at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Café in Columbus, where we will provide food, beverages and fabulous giveaways throughout the day.


Register here: http://www.cbts.cinbell.com/columbus

Contact Tina Koczeniak (tina.koczeniak@cbts.cinbell.com) for more info

Monday, October 27, 2008

XP users Group Meeting Wed 10/29

Good Morning !

Reminder - If you are considering/planning on attending the event below, Agile Technologies is providing pizza and pop for lunch. Additionally, there will be a raffle at the end for gift cards at Cameron Mitchell's restaurants. To ensure that enough pizza is ordered, could you please RSVP for the same.
Thank you to all who have already RSVPd and let us know about their availability status.
See you there,
Smita


Next Meeting: October 29th, 2008

Agenda:

11:30-11:45am Networking
11:45- 12:00pm XP discussion topic of the month: What has been your experience using Agile when the stakes were high?
12:00- 1:00pm Creating breakthrough results with Agile


Date and Time:
Next XP User Group meeting will be held 11:30 am to 1 pm, October 29th, 2008 at the OCLC Kilgour Building presentation room. Click here for directions. <https://mail.cardinalsolutions.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://mail.cardinalsolutions.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://mail.cardinalsolutions.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://coqaa.org/index.php?pr=OCLC>

Creating breakthrough results with Agile
Andrew will discuss creating break-through results while using Agile and Extreme methodologies. He will walk you through a case example where the stakes, emotions, and pressure were high and failure was not option. With obstacles in every direction, Andrew will show the best practices he leveraged to maneuver to the finish line as a winner.

About the Presenter
Andrew Holowaty, MCDBA, MCSD, MCAD, PMP, MBA
Andrew Holowaty is a solution architect and managing consultant for Agile Technologies. He has 15 years of experience creating solutions for large enterprises in the finance, insurance, supply chain, and government industries. Andrew's passion is technology and how to apply it to simplify and solve complex business problems. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a BS/BA and MBA. He has his Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and has recently become a core PMP instructor for the central Ohio PMI chapter. He primarily works with Microsoft technologies and is a MCDBA, MCSD, and MCAD. He resides in Dublin with his beautiful wife and four kids.

TechColumbus Releases Innovation Capital Report

TechColumbus recently released the Central Ohio Innovation Capital Report - An overview of Venture trends within Central Ohio's Innovation Economy (we're rocking!)

A few excerpts...

..$594mm invested between 2003 -2007 - 8% CAGR in total innovation investment in startups - 89% of money came from outside central ohio
....43 deals in 2007
...% by industry 2003 - 2007
  • Healthcare - 21%
  • Information technology - 12%
  • Retail and Consumer - 63%
  • Advanced Materials - 4%

....Angels are having the biggest impact in the critical Pre-Seed and See Stages, making up almost 68% of all investments in the earliest stage companies in 2007

For more go to.....http://tinyurl.com/central-ohiovc

Peace out,
Ben

Friday, October 24, 2008

Urgent news - Critical Microsoft Product Vulnerability

Good afternoon!

I know my friend Dave will be smiling proudly at his Mac when he gets this message, but as one of my guys put it, Microsoft is officially "freaking out" about the patch mentioned below. They have had nationwide webcasts this morning and are calling every partner contact. Apparently this is a large vulnerability. There are several known exploits at this time. It sounds as if they are trying to avoid a Slammer or Nimbda type outbreak.

In short, please make sure your Windows servers and workstations get this patch (MS08-067, Vulnerability in Server Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (958644)). Should any of you want/need assistance, please call. Also, please note, the Microsoft sites for downloading this patch seem to be intermittently down due to volume, so you may have to try more than once to successfully get the patch.

All the best,
Kurt


Kurt W. Hoeft
EasyIT - "Expert Technology Services for Business"
a division of Capital City Consulting, Inc.

Office: 614.336.1399 ext 201
Mobile: 614.519.9664
khoeft@EasyIT.com

http://www.EasyIT.com
http://www.capcityinc.com

A day in a Twitter Life - CbusTechLife style - Thursday 10/23

A day in the life of the Twitter tweetstream - enjoy - see what you've been missing


DispatchAlerts Columbus State climbs to No. 1 spot http://tinyurl.com/6d3l3v
brandthunder 6 conditions of a sticky idea: http://twurl.nl/lzflie
AMANDA_WCMH
2 ax's near the split on I70. 1 on I70 WB at Miller/Kelton area, another reportedly at the split. Also I70

danschawbel
150+ Resources and Tips To Help Manage Your Reputation Online http://tinyurl.com/5r8muh

guykawasak
i IT geeks: http://it.alltop.com/ now open

Thu, Oct 23 08:59:48 from TweetDeck
tom8williams
Coffee with @drewdillon this morning. Latte here I come.

Thu, Oct 23 09:11:42 from TwitterBerry
chiefgadd
busy day and busy week! Finalizing business plans and investor presentations for some Central Ohio IT Startups. Meeting investors Monday.

Thu, Oct 23 09:15:27 from TweetDeck
JamieTimm
getting ready for PRSA Intl Conference - want to say hi to a room full of PR pros? Say hi on Monday at 3 p.m.

Thu, Oct 23 09:30:53 from twhirl
KidsLinked
So excited about the launch of our new landing page!!! Check us out! New changes coming out on a weekly basis!!

Thu, Oct 23 10:24:43 from web
Jupe
Can a Well-Designed Office Pay Off? - BusinessWeek podcast http://ping.fm/YVXhP

Thu, Oct 23 10:37:48 from Ping.fm
danschawbe
l Twitter 59.4 million - Facebook’s 39 million - hits in September....Twitter is so much better!

Thu, Oct 23 11:11:21 from web
blinkdaddy
Ok. Fellow Columbus web-ites. Made a new page on Tech Life. It's terribly incomplete. Please help: http://tinyurl.com/6rg8e6

Thu, Oct 23 11:11:48 from web
DispatchAlerts
State Auto reports loss for third quarter http://tinyurl.com/6absou

Thu, Oct 23 11:36:24 from twitterfeed
JamieTimm
Chamber Value: You’re increasing your network – we’re hosting 20+ events this year connecting 1000's of people to do biz and share resources

Thu, Oct 23 11:50:10 from twhirl
Infosourcer
Nielsen Online reports today that Twitter is the fastest growing social site.Twitter's traffic has grown 343% in 1 year. http://is.gd/4BJZ

Thu, Oct 23 11:55:06 from twhirl
MichaelBowers
Retweeting @Figliuolo: RT @aveeck: New blog post: 3rd Quarter Venture Activity Summary http://tinyurl.com/5ujyca

Thu, Oct 23 12:05:15 from twhirl
tom8williams
Columbus Tech blogged about me and InnoGage. It's a great post! (Pics are family at the White House). http://is.gd/4Dzw #CbusTechLife

Thu, Oct 23 12:13:53 from twhirl
ikeif
links for 2008-10-23: Search for "social media" | Scribd A collection of social media papers.. http://tinyurl.com/5enqds

Thu, Oct 23 13:08:40 from twitterfeed
10TV GASTRACKER 10
: The cheapest gas price we've found today is at Bethel and Sawmill (NW). $2.26 at both BP and Shell.

Thu, Oct 23 13:28:30 from web
Infosourcer
Bill Gates launches new technology company http://is.gd/4DWg

Thu, Oct 23 13:35:14 from twhirl
KirkPhillips
Just finished excellent 4-hour interactive marketing planning session with new client.

Thu, Oct 23 13:59:58 from web
canderson
Retweeting @vctips: There is a thin line separating healthy optimism from deadly overconfidence. (@albertwenger)

Thu, Oct 23 14:04:13 from twhirl
NickSeguin
CbusTechLife Joe (coffee)... will you be there? Gonna be some good #brainSwell http://snurl.com/4mzhr #cbustechlife

Thu, Oct 23 14:38:53 from twhirl
timjeby
RT @acarvin NPR wants to talk to folks who aren't voting this year. If this includes you, please email Arwa Gunja: agunja @ npr.org

Thu, Oct 23 14:45:09 from mobile web
HarvardBiz
Perhaps current economic woes will provide the adversity organizations need to emerge stronger than ever before. http://tinyurl.com/5mge7d

Thu, Oct 23 15:11:53 from web
MichaelBowers
Retweeting @bambi100: Jobs gets AT&T to show him the money... up front -- http://tinyurl.com/6s5ses

Thu, Oct 23 15:45:49 from twhirl
dbajec
@getshust, blondie's on upper east side is the place to watch the bucks in NYC.

Thu, Oct 23 15:47:44 from txt
tom8williams
Retweeting @brianbehlendorf: Wind power was 1/3rd of the new electric generating capacity installed in the US in 2007: http://bit.ly/2Lvo4a

danschawbel
Tom Peters and Seth Godin SPEAK (Video) - http://tinyurl.com/6pvta8

Thu, Oct 23 16:27:58 from web
Jason_WCMH
530 today at the South Oval on OSU campus, students are trying to set the world record for the largest pillow fight. Video at 11p.

Thu, Oct 23 16:28:38 from web

Thursday, October 23, 2008

TechColumbus CIOhio 2008 Conference - Featured Keynote Speakers

Dear readers - I've been a part of organizing this event since its inception and the slate of speakers continue to grow more impressive. This is do not miss event for Senior IT leaders. - Ben Blanquera

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
The NEW Hilton Polaris, Columbus, Ohio



TechColumbus CIOhio 2008 Conference

~ Leading at the Speed of Global Business - presenting sponsor: HITACHI

The premier annual conference for CIO's, business executives and IT leaders.


MORNING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
John M. Seral
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
GE Energy Infrastructure



A true Global Team Leader - John brings over 25 years of GE experiences to share with the CIOhio program. His current responsibilities include global applications, IT infrastructure, and security. He leads a team, made up of global GE employees as well as contracted resources, who implement information technology tools and solutions to drive “Lean” business growth. Comprised of GE Energy, GE Oil & Gas, and GE Water & Process Technologies, GE Energy Infrastructure had combined 2007 revenue of over $30 billion.


AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ram Charan
global business advisor and author



Ram Charan is a highly sought after global business advisor and speaker famous among senior executives for his uncanny ability to solve their toughest business problems. For more than thirty-five years, Dr. Charan has worked behind the scenes with top executives at some of the world's most successful companies, including GE, Verizon, Novartis,Dupont, Thomson Corporation, Honeywell, KLM, Bank of America, and MeadWestvaco. He has shared his insights with many others through teaching and writing. His most recent book is The Game Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation.



CLICK HERE to learn more about our Keynote Speakers
http://www.ciohio.com/keynote.html
_____________________________
Don’t wait! Registering online is quick and secure.
TechColumbus Members - $270
Non-Profit - $295 • Non-Members - $375
Multi-Attendee Discounts 10% and Up Available
http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=639543

Internet Safety, a program designed for both parents and their children

Help your children remain safe while they are on the Internet!

Jewish Family Services Family Life Education Series presents
Internet Safety a program designed for parents & their children

Sunday, November 2, 2008 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Jewish Family Services
1070 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43209

Officer Donald Stanko of the Upper Arlington Police Department will share information about on-line safety issues, presenting real life scenarios to help parents and their children understand why and how perpetrators commit on-line crimes. Utilizing age segregated breakout sessions, Officer Stanko will pose Internet Safety questions and share the results with the other age group.

Cost: FREE
Registration, which must be in
by Wednesday, October 29, is required
as seating is limited

Call Bobbie Shkolnik, 614-559-0127
or email bshkolnik@jfscolumbus.org
to confirm your attendance.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

CBusTechLife Tailgate this Saturday - The Ohio State vs. Penn State

Looking to root on the buckeyes and connect with members of the Columbus Tech Community - check out the CBusTechLife tailgate @ http://www.meetup.com/columbustech/calendar/8981894/

Interview with an Entrepreneur - Tom Williams InnoGage



















What is InnoGage?


InnoGage, LLC is the little company with a Big Voice – on its way to be the market leader in social media solutions for recruiting. InnoGage is grounded on the core belief that the onset of Web2.0 and Social Media makes it absolutely necessary for companies, colleges and organizations to innovatively engage (aka “InnoGage”) people in marketing and recruiting.

What problem does InnoGage Solve?

InnoGage solves a communication problem. In the college market, fifty year-old VPs of marketing and admissions are trying to figure out how to reach Web2.0 savvy 16 and 17 year-olds. Companies and organizations are trying to figure out how to use social media to make their recruiting efforts less expensive and more effective. We solve these problems by offering thought leadership through strategic management consulting and the implementation of public and proprietary web-based tools.

In short, we help institutions execute the right social media strategy to connect with people more personally, while improving efficiencies and driving out costs.

Where is the Company at its maturity?

InnoGage was founded at the end of 2006 in Chicago and then moved to Columbus shortly after its formation. We have three equity partners on the team: Tom Williams, Founder & President, Drew Dillon, Head of Marketing and Andrew Strader, IT Lead. We also have a group of developers in New Delhi whom we work with on a regular basis for outsourced IT work.

We have one web product selling in the higher ed. market, MyCollegeVid, which is a video sharing platform designed specifically for colleges. We have two more products in development, MyCollegeBlogger and MyCollegeIM. MyCollegeBlogger, our blog engine designed for colleges, is scheduled for beta release at end of October, 2008 and MyCollegeIM, a radical new spin on Instant Messaging, is on track for a beta release by the end of December, 2008.

Why did you start InnoGage?

I started InnoGage out of a combination of frustration and opportunity. Having worked in three multi-billion dollar companies, I grew weary of watching good people walk out the door while poor managers were promoted and protected by their internal political connections. I also came to the realization that I was much more of a risk taker than my peers, willing to work harder and stretch further than most. With my love for marketing and the onset of Web2.0, I saw a huge wave of opportunity and decided to get off the beach and grab my surfboard.

Tell us a little about your background

I have a bachelors degree in accounting from Ohio State and an MBA in marketing and management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. I am also a CPA – but I try to kept that quiet…please don’t hold it against me. I worked for KPMG, LLP in Chicago and two other multi-billon dollar companies before founding InnoGage, LLC during my MBA at Kellogg.

A little about yourself personally

I grew up on the west side of Cleveland in Elyria, Ohio. My father was a music pastor at our church and my mother taught first grade. As you can guess, money was not abundant in our home - but work ethic and character was. My family is made up almost entirely of artists and musicians. I began taking piano at Oberlin college at age 6 and grew up playing the piano, violin and singing. I credit much of my creative approach to business and problem solving to the influence of music and art in my childhood and young adult life. I also played ice hockey in high school and in intramural leagues at OSU and I enjoy bike riding, playing with my two boys and working out. My favorite book right now is Groundswell by the Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff at Forrester Research.

What are your aspirations for InnoGage?

My aspirations for InnoGage are to establish its dominance as the market leader in Social Media for Recruiting and to grow the company aggressively while maintaining quality and control. My hope is that InnoGage spurs innovation and new ways of thinking as well as adding jobs and revenue to central Ohio. Eventually, I would welcome the opportunity to sell InnoGage at the optimal time to the right buyer.

What would you like to tell our ColumbusTech.blogspot.com readers?

I would like to encourage all the columbustech.blogspot.com readers who are trying to start their own companies to stick with it. I know what it’s like to want to quit every day. I know what it’s like to pass up lucrative job offers to barely make ends meet in pursuit of the dream. It’s the dream that makes us tick and keeps us working late into the night. It’s the dream that binds us together. Don’t quit on that dream.

I also want to challenge all the readers to get involved in Columbus. We have the opportunity to do something amazing here in central Ohio – to establish the silicon valley of the Midwest. Without an active tech community, we will never achieve our goals. Columbus has all the right DNA– from strong Universities to talented people to financial capital. It’s all here for the taking. Get connected, get involved and make a difference.





Tech site of the day

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Boulder needs more kickass developers

Check out what Boulder is doing to attract talent....hmm as if mountains and good lifestyle wasn't enough they are getting aggressive about bringing in talent.

Columbus - what are we doing???

click here for the full article

Boulder Needs More Kickass Developers

Want a FREE trip to beautiful Boulder, Colorado? The Boulder tech scene is growing like crazy. Twenty of our top tech startups (you can see a few in the sidebar) have banded together to fly in one hundred top software developers, programmers and engineers from across the country, all expenses paid. You can apply to be one of the hundred.

Why Boulder?

The tech community in Boulder is thriving. We are the host to the nations 2nd largest New Tech Meetup and have over 200 startups in town. Boulder is the smartest, most active, best place for singles, families and much more. So, what is keeping you from moving here? Apply to come visit, on our dime.

How Does It Work?

Every one of our sponsoring companies is looking for really smart developers and engineers just like you, so they’re contributing to a fund that we use to fly in up to 100 qualified candidates. We pay for your airfare, hotel and transportation. (We’ll also make sure you don’t starve while you’re here.) You’ll spend three days and two nights here in Boulder; one day will be spent checking out Boulder, another day will be spent meeting with all of the sponsoring companies, and yet another day will be spent following up with the companies you’re most interested in. In short, there is no easier (or cheaper) way to explore a really cool town, learn about a bunch of killer startups, and search for your next career change, all in one. Don’t wait to tell us about yourself.

click here for more...

100k job - Senior Oracle DBA

Click here to go see the Senior Oracle DBA job - http://techlife.pbwiki.com/Jobs

Connect and collaborate with the Columbus Technology Community - CBus Tech Life

Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago several of us got together over Macaroni Grill food, wine and beer at my house and came up with a cocreated vision for Columbus Tech Life.
Those at that first meeting were: Nick Seguin, Jamie Timm, Ingrid Field, Sandy Blanquera, Cindy Groeniger, Tracy Moran, Ray Bohac, Rhonda Davis, and Brian Link.
Since then a draft was sent (see below) to a small pilot audience that shaped the initial concept. Since then I've gotten some encouraging feedback regarding the concept. As with most early stage concepts we don't know what we don't know but we have to start somewhere - we just know that there's a unmet need to be filled.
The reality is that we're all busy people with busy lives that contain elements of work, family, community, etc. We're all trying to juggle competing priorities. Where can Columbus technology community member (from one of many disciplines) go that provides a one stop shop that acts as a clearing house for professional and personal development while providing opportunities for social networking in a time effective manner? How can we enable others and ourselves to create the world we want to live in? Those are the questions at hand and the unmet need for Columbus Tech Life
I understand that we've got some potential overlap with other organizations in town (i.e TechColumbus, Social Media Cafe, etc.) and we will work with those organizations as Columbus Tech Life unfolds to make sure our work is governed by the spirit of collaboration and community building. Remember Columbus Tech Life is a movement not a organization and that there are plenty of unconnected people not involved with any organizations.
So here's the ask, check out http://www.cbustechlife.com and help cocreate a "you" driven site (by contributing content) that would be valuable to "you" and your colleagues. This is a participative democracy espousing a startup mentality for bootstrapping and fast prototyping.

What is Columbus Tech Life ? A draft

In my mind Columbus Tech Life (CbusTechLife)is the creation of a ecosystem that supports both online and offline components(events and gatherings) that facilitate and accelerate community building. The online components facilitate a 'grassroots driven',easy, asynchronous exchange of information available to people where they are. Brian Link event prototyped a starting point to begin gathering information that could drive a website - http://techlife.pbwiki.com/ .

Creating a 'one stop' for the tech community, that leverages social networking, will also enable all those who are already self organized in the tech sector (i.e professional orgs and user groups) to become more effective by perhaps helping to promotion to audiences that they don't normally reach and providing them tools to better interact and dialogue with the consituents.
http://www.cbustechlife.com
Peace out,
Ben

Monday, October 20, 2008

Internet Contract for Parents & Kids

by Sandy Blanquera

After reading the interesting commentary Dan Harris included on the article Age Restrictions for Social Media, I decided to provide a follow-up blog for those of you who are parents or work with parents about how to handle internet expectations in the home. The Family Online Safety Institute has a great contract we found years ago and use with our kids. I encourage you to check it out.

We review this contract at least annually with our daughters and have them sign a new copy each year. I love that it puts the responsibility on both the parents and kids. Under the contract, parents are expected to communicate with their children, understand websites, set rules and create a safe environment for kids to talk about "bad" sites that pop up for example. When it comes to children, the contract creates dialogue around setting safe passwords, not giving information out online, using manners, respect and more. Perhaps this contract will be beneficial to you.

Email Sandy@ sandyblanquera@hotmail.com or visit her blog My Fabulous Home.

Central Ohio .NET Developers Group: October Meeting is THURSDAY Oct 19

This month’s Central Ohio .NET Developers Group (CONDG) meeting is taking on the format of Lightning Talks! Each 10-15 minute presentation gives the audience a taste of topics near and dear to the .NET world. The schedule includes:

  • Mel Grubb: WF Rules Engine Tricks
  • Craig McKeachie: A lap around SiteFinity
  • Greg Malcolm: MONO
  • Kishore Patel: GIS/Mapping with .NET
  • Alex Moore: Parallel Extensions to the .NET Framework
  • Steve Horn: jQuery
  • Chris Treisch: The Human Side

Every fourth Thursday of the month, CONDG meets from 6-8pm on the fourth floor of the Microsoft Office at Polaris. If you’re a .NET expert, or just getting started, check it out!



Sunday, October 19, 2008

In praise of conquering something hard - congratulations marathoners!

A little inspiration on a Monday morning.

On Sunday I went downtown to check out the marathon and perhaps run into a few friends that I knew were running. It was inspiring to see after 26.2 miles the faces of those just as they were coming down the last quarter mile. There was a incredible satisfaction of completing something that was incredibly hard. While everyone had their own reasons for running they were all tied together by the bonds of having set a goal, toiled countless hours training for it, and overcoming both real and imagined obstacles. What personal marathon are you training for?


Congrats to all that ran in the Columbus half and full marathon!! A special congrats to Kevin Gadd, Chris Anderson, Michael Bowers, and Kirk Phillips





Peace out,
Ben

Streamline Mind Mapping with Mindjet

by Sandy Blanquera

If you like to mind map and lay out your ideas in an easy to view summary, I’m sure you’ve tried tools of the trade. Years ago when I started in HR Information Systems, I was introduced to Visio and have used it in every job since then. Today mind mapping has moved to a whole new level. Recently, Ben and I stumbled onto a tool you may want to check out. It’s called Mindjet and it offers great flexibility in taking free form thinking to new places.
With Mindjet you can use this visual and interactive technology to capture your ideas, but also connect and share those ideas with other people via the web. No more stagnant storage on your laptop! You can use it for team structures, process flow, idea mapping and strategic outlines. We tested out Mindjet, which Ben now uses at Progressive Medical, and found some interesting features. We liked the ability for two or more people to look at a visual flow and even make changes concurrently due to the live web environment. This is an awesome benefit for people who are geographically located in different spaces. Productivity can be increased during meetings that deal with mind maps by being able to make these changes in real time.
For more information on Mindjet, check out their site. Also check out the Mindjet blog. They also have Mindjet white papers you can download for interesting reading or check out some Mindjet recommended books. There is so much information for all of us to wade through today, why not stand out from the crowd by making your ideas succinct and visually effective? Start mapping today and move away from linear thinking.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Age Restrictions for Social Media

By Sandy Blanquera

Social media is growing at such an incredible pace that it’s hard to keep up with the many sites that exist. With a little information, you can make informed decisions about which sites are worthwhile. If you have children, you may be interested to know that many sites are governed by age restrictions. Friendster requires participants to be 16 years of age, while Myspace requires members to be 14 years old. Members should be 13 years and in high school for Facebook. There are many sites that are available to children 13 years and older such as xanga, Hi5, There, Second Life, Chamber of Chat, Tickle, Bebo, and many more. Some sites have no age limit like Active worlds, Boom Bang, Club Penguin, Webkinz and Neo Pets.

Although having an age limit doesn’t imply the safety or risks of the site. As a parent, it is important to check each site out thoroughly before you allow your child to participate.

Email Sandy@ sandyblanquera@hotmail.com or visit her blog My Fabulous Home.

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Columbustech meetup group

Stay connected - check out the columbustech meetup group - Over 270 CBus Tech members and growing (in less than a month!) - http://newtech.meetup.com/136/


The focus of this meetup group to accelerate the pace of getting to know really cool tech people in town. Join now and get the insider invites to our get togethers. Some are impromptu and some are planned. Either you'll never know if you don't sign up

This is the face to face version of what we're doing on columbustech.blogspot.com - Our mission is to create dynamic connections between individuals and companies, ultimately establishing strong coalitions that build awareness and grow our technology economy. We encourage dialogue, sharing, and learning.

Peace out,
Ben

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Why Social Media?

by Sandy Blanquera

Social media is all the rage. With millions of people on Facebook and MySpace alone, it’s hard to ignore this cultural tidal wave. But, why use social media? Are you using social media to it's fullest today? Here are some ways to consider how social networking tools can help make your social life better:

  • Find friends and family members you may be disconnected with now (high school, college)
  • Create a brand or presence for your small business
  • Connect to your kids who are away from home
  • Connect to your kids and their friends to know what’s going on with them (teens)
  • Make connections in an entirely different way with people than in person
  • Create a bigger social circle than you have today
  • Find a path to develop business (recruiting, business relationship, sales)

I reconnected recently with a friend, Marla, from college using LinkedIn. Marla and I rekindled our friendship with memories of our past and stories of our lives today, laughing like the eighteen year-old girls who met in college. Since then we have developed a strong friendship as if we walked through a worm hole and nothing had changed. This was a gift of joy that landed on our doorsteps via social networking. I've also been able to connect to several of my daughter's friends on Facebook, which has given me a greater understanding of the social issues that they deal with at school as well as the joys and pressures of social networking for these high schoolers today. And, ultimately, I'm connecting to more people in business and friendship circles than ever before, making my life richer. So, if you haven't considered starting a social networking account, today just might be the day to do so.

email Sandy @ sandyblanquera@hotmail.com or visit her blog My Fabulous Home.

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Innovation Award Nominations!!


Get your nominations in for this year TechColumbus Innovation Awards. Nominations close on 10/17. Nominations can be made at - http://www.techcolumbusinnovationawards.org/categories.html




The TechColumbus Innovations Awards celebrate and honor individuals and teams in a variety of disciplines. Each category is an important component of the technology and innovation community. Receiving the top honor showcases an individual or team which is dramatically impacting Central Ohio and beyond.

And the categories for 2008 are...

COMPANY AWARD CATEGORIES

Outstanding Startup Business
Outstanding Product (company with less than 50 employees)
Outstanding Product (company with more than 50 employees)
Outstanding Service (company with less than 50 employees)
Outstanding Service (company with more than 50 employees)
Outstanding Technology Team
Minority Owned Enterprise
Green Innovation
Innovation in Non-Profit Service Delivery


INDIVIDUAL AWARD CATEGORIES

Executive of the Year (company with less than 50 employees)
Executive of the Year (company with more than 50 employees)
Outstanding Woman in Technology
Inventor of the Year

BioOhio Annual Conference - Jobs Stimulus Gameplan

Ohio's bioscience industry—from research to business—continues to thrive. Expanding square footage and adding jobs despite the nation's economic tightening. For this reason, Ohio is looking to bioscience to help lead our state's economic resurgence. The $1.57 billion bipartisan Jobs Stimulus Program will invest $100 million in the state's biomedical industry.

The 2008 BioOhio Annual Conference, Oct. 20-21, will focus on the Jobs Stimulus Program, specifically how companies and institutions alike can promote biomedical job growth.

KrenzelAn opening reception with a bioscience student poster session and sponsors' booths will occur on Oct. 20. The Oct. 21 agenda will feature a cast of state officials and industry experts to discuss funding details as well as bioscience market growth opportunities. And we're very pleased to welcome former Buckeye quarterback Craig Krenzel as our Keynote Speaker in the afternoon. A Keynote Coffee & Dessert Reception will follow his inspiring talk on leadership and teamwork.


Click here for more information and to register

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Central Ohio Chapter DAMA meeting Oct 22

DAMA COC - Meeting Specifics
Date:Wednesday - October 22, 2008
Time:12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
DAMA-COC welcomes the participation of non-members at this special event, at the cost of $25.00

2008 Fourth Quarter Meeting - Agenda
The agenda for our upcoming meeting is below:


Time Agenda Item
12:00 - 12:30Sign In & Lunch

Member Sign In Lunch and Networking
12:30 - 12:45Welcome & Introduction

General Chapter Updates: Membership 2008 Chapter meeting schedule training
12:45 - 2:45Laura L. Reeves

Practical Advice for Addressing Advanced Dimensional Modeling Challenges

Dimensional modeling principles have been applied to many different industries and business functions. Some are straightforward but more and more we see challenges that do not fit into a simple textbook solution. Practical tips for how do address several challenges will be presented. Dimensional modeling techniques to manage the increasing complexities of today’s data will also be shared. These techniques can also improve the communication between the project team and the business community. Keeping everyone involved helps ensure long term success.
2:45 - 3:00Break - 15 Minutes


3:00 - 4:00Eric Juttner

Data Warehousing and BI at BMW Financial Services

This presentation will cover the history of DW/BI at BMW FS including what's gone well and what hasn't. We want to share our experiences so others can learn and benefit. We'll cover the original business drivers technology and architecture organization project & maintenance life-cycle SDLC budget and political climate business benefits trends and future vision.
4:00 - 4:15Sponsor overview: TBD


4:15 - 4:30Meeting Wrap Up

Tech site of the day

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Video of speakers at 2.Ohio now available

Thanks to our Friends at Sync Creative - we now have videos of our speakers available at


http://www.2dotohio.com/ - check it out!! This is simply amazing - professional video footage - like you were almost there

Reid Hoffman, founder LinkedIn




Judith Estrin, CEO JLABS




Michael Nelson, Georgetown University




Enjoy,
Ben

Monday morning message from Lt. Governor - Lee Fisher

Monday, October 13, 2008

Good morning.

Did You Know?

  • Almost 94 percent of Ohio business establishments have 50 or fewer employees. (Source: County Business Pattern data for Ohio from 2005)
  • Together, minority-owned businesses make up 7.3 percent of Ohio businesses.

Strengthen our Strengths – Link and Leverage our Inventive Past with our Innovative Future

Throughout our state’s history, entrepreneurship and small business development have been dynamic and strong parts of the growth of Ohio’s economy. Today, small business is absolutely critical to Ohio’s economy, which continues to account for the majority of our state’s job growth.

This week, I want to continue discussing our Goal to Strengthen our Strengths turning to one of this goal’s 3 strategies:

Grow and Support Minority- and Women-owned Enterprises and Small Businesses. Our Minority Business Enterprise Division led by Phil Shotwell and our Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division led by Iris Cooper will have lead responsibilities for implementation of this key strategy.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2006 Ohio Small Business Profile:

· Ohio firms owned by women increased 12 percent between 1997 and 2002, representing 28.1 percent of our state’s total businesses in 2002, the most recent reporting period.

· Asian-owned firms totaled 13,740 and generated $5.1 billion in receipts;

· Black-owned firms numbered 35,658 and generated $3.6 billion in receipts;

· Hispanic-owned businesses totaled 7,109 and created $1.3 billion in receipts.

Every large business was once a small business. William Proctor and James Gamble founded a small company built on soap and candles. Today, Ohio’s Proctor & Gamble is one of the largest companies in the world and offers more than 300 products. Jerome Monroe Smucker pressed locally grown apples into cider and apple butter. Today, Ohio’s J.M.Smucker Company exports more than 650 products to 40 countries.

Our Ohio Small Business Development Network, directed by Michelle Abraham, includes 36 centers throughout Ohio and is a partnership between our Department, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and selected chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, and economic development agencies. The Network is the premier provider of business support services to entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Ohio. In 2007, our Network helped small businesses increase sales by more than $165 million, secure more than $9 million in export contracts, and over $126 million in government contracts. In addition, advisors worked with 8,500 small business clients to provide over 350 training sessions, obtain more than $124 million in capital, and to create and retain over 48,000 jobs.

With the new initiatives set out in our plan, we are working harder than ever to strength and increase financial and technical assistance at every stage of the business development continuum to support the growth and expansion of Ohio’s minority- and women-owned enterprises and small businesses.

New Initiatives

  • Our new Check Ohio First initiative will be a business-to-business service designed to promote and encourage companies operating in Ohio and those attracted to our state to maximize the use of Ohio businesses when making purchases. This initiative is about taking the “buy-local” effort statewide, with a special focus on matching the supply needs of Ohio’s larger companies with the products and services of Ohio’s small and medium-sized businesses.

  • Ohio’s new Urban Entrepreneur Partnership initiative will be a public- private partnership to provide a comprehensive business assistance model designed to enhance the growth, scale, and infrastructure of minority-owned and operated businesses.

  • Our Ohio Lender Participation Program will link Ohio’s small business communities to Ohio’s financial services industry. Finance is all about risk, and a lender’s risk is mitigated with information about the borrower’s product, character, and fiscal track record.

  • The Minority Business Initiative will renew and invigorate our commitment to minority-owned and women-owned business in Ohio by working to increase participation in the state’s EDGE (Encouraging Diversity, Growth, and Equity) program to prepare more businesses to have greater access to procurement opportunities awarded by the state. We also are revitalizing our programs for minority business – the Minority Business Loan Program and the Capital Access Program – by significantly increasing outreach to our state’s business and lending communities, streamlining the program’s operations, and increasing the flexibility of the program to support minority business. Our goal is to invigorate programs that have experienced unacceptably low levels of activity for many years.

A central objective is to make state government more responsive, more customer-friendly, and more inclusive. With the help of the exciting new initiatives contained within our plan, we are doing even more to create increased opportunities for small- and minority-owned businesses to access the capital, entrepreneurial skills, and resources they need to succeed. Already we can point to a number of successes, including:

  • This week we are launching two Minority Business Development Organizations, in Akron (October 14th) and Cincinnati (October 17th). These organizations will facilitate training, strategic management, networking, and mentoring opportunities with major corporations working to ensure minority businesses in Ohio have access to the assistance they need to be productive and profitable. The launch of our two new Minority Business Development Organizations this week is one of the first initiatives to be implemented as a result of our Strategic Plan.

  • On October 2, our Global Markets Division, our Minority Business Enterprise Division, and our Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division partnered in hosting Ohio’s First Annual 2008 Minority Business International Trade Conference. I was pleased to participate in this highly-successful event, with more than 150 attendees, which was designed to help Ohio companies determine if they are able and interested in conducting business globally.

The breadth and depth of workshops at our conference included topics such as: Exporting: the Rules & Regulations and Are You Export Ready? The conference also offered real-life testimonials from Ohio CEOs who are currently exporting to countries outside the U.S. including Brian Hall with Innogistics; Truman Irving with American Diversified Services; Ravi Kunduru with Ventech Solutions; and Andre Thornton with ASW Global.

Directors from Ohio’s international trade and investment offices in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil were present along with industry professionals who spoke about China and the Export-Import Bank. The conference highlight was the keynote address delivered by Earl Graves, Jr., Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine.

I want to extend our thanks and a special recognition to Phil Shotwell, Evelyn Cleveland, and our entire Minority Business Enterprise Division; Deborah Scherer, Ele Garcia, and our entire Global Markets Division; and Iris Cooper, Wendy Boortz, Sheilah Bradshaw, Karen Shauri, and our entire Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division for their hard work in making the trade conference an enormous success.

Norwalk Furniture - A New Future

For more than a century Norwalk Furniture has been a cornerstone of Huron County’s manufacturing sector and a valued component of Ohio’s economy. Threatened by serious financial challenges, the company halted operations earlier this year in Norwalk and faced the prospect of closing its doors permanently. You may recall that that Our Department quickly stepped in with an offer of a significant loan that served as the catalyst for the entry of some private investors. Unfortunately, the proposed agreement between the private investors and Norwalk fell through.

But we and the community refused to give up. We have been working quietly and diligently to keep Norwalk, both the company and the city, strong in Ohio.

Through the swift action of some generous local Norwalk area entrepreneurs and the continued persistence of state, regional, and local partners, I am very pleased to report that the Norwalk brand recently resumed operations, although with a smaller workforce. On Monday, September 22nd, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a state incentives package from our Department that will keep 260 people employed at Norwalk Furniture.

Last Monday I participated in a dedication ceremony with Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch at the new Norwalk Transition Center. Mayor Lesch has been a tremendous leader in our effort to keep Norwalk Furniture alive and well. The Center was established to help the dislocated workers of Norwalk and Huron County find the resources they need to get new jobs. It will provide resume services, training and education options, and information on employment opportunities.

The establishment of this Center was a truly collaborative effort between our Department and our regional partners at the Huron County Job & Family Services, the Norwalk-Huron County Chamber of Commerce, the Norwalk Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Norwalk. I want to thank Sue Lesch, Mayor of Norwalk; Bethany Dentler of the Norwalk Development Corporation; Melissa James of the Chamber of Commerce; Teresea Alt, Chris Robertson, Carmen Ross, Sue terVeen, and other staff from the Huron County JFS, and Erich Hetzel of the Office of Workforce Development in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

I want to extend a special thanks and recognition to our great team of Tracy Allen, Mark Barbash, Patty Huddle, Martin Irvine, and Herm Stine for their exceptionally hard and effective work on this important project to rescue one of Ohio’s most important and historic small businesses.

Governor Strickland Announces Sale of $240 Million in Bonds for Infrastructure Investment

Last Wednesday, the state sold $240 million in Ohio bonds, half of which will function as the first installment of our $1.57 billion jobs stimulus plan enacted in June. All of the proceeds from the bond sale will be used to invest in Ohio’s infrastructure through the completion of road, bridge, and water and sewer projects in communities throughout our state. The Public Works Commission will distribute the funds through its existing public works process, which allows the state to partner with local communities in responding to the effects of the current economic downturn.

Our bipartisan jobs stimulus plan is making major investments in workforce, infrastructure, and new and emerging industries to spur job creation in Ohio. It is working in concert with our new strategic plan, our new energy policy, and other key initiatives to lay the foundation for our state’s future economic prosperity. In close collaboration with our partners, we are investing in Ohio’s communities, giving them the tools they need to compete for economic development and to achieve increased prosperity.

Thanks. Have a great week.

New Albany TechStart Event - Oct 14