Larry Williams and Kyle Tothill With Technology Association of GA

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, CSU’s executive MBA program. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Larry Williams and Kyle Tothill. Larry is the President and CEO of Tag, and Kyle is the tag board chair. And we’re here to celebrate tag’s 25th Anniversary. Welcome, gentlemen.

Larry Williams: Delighted to be here. Happy to be.

Kyle Tothill: Here. We appreciate you.

Lee Kantor: Well, before we get too far into things, I’ll kick it off with Larry. Larry, how has tag’s role in supporting Georgia’s tech ecosystem evolved over the last 25 years?

Larry Williams: Lee, thanks for that. And, uh, delighted to be here and talking to you. You know, 25 years. I don’t think there’s a bigger testament to the evolution of Georgia’s technology community than if you just drive up and down I-85 and I-87 and 75. That connector, the way that our skyline has changed and Tag has been with our community every step of the way. If we think about all of the economic development that’s happened here over the last 25 years, and especially over the past couple of decades, all of that economic development has been driven by technology and innovation. So if we think about everything that’s going on, we’ve been with this community every step of the way and excited about what’s happening. So we used to have to really think about what we were telling the world about why Georgia is a top technology state. Now the world knows and the world has come to us. You know, when you see an NCR, Cisco, Microsoft, Google, etc. on our skyline, it has been absolutely transformational. So we’re excited to celebrate this 25 year journey that we’ve been on. This is an excellent year, but we’re also excited about what’s coming next and the next 25 years. And one thing that I can assure you is that tag will be with this community and this technology community every step of the way.

Lee Kantor: Now, before we look forward, let’s look back. Can you share some of the most significant achievements or milestones that have been accomplished?

Larry Williams: Lee, you got to go back. I mean, you know, you got to go back to the Hayes modem. You’ve got to go back to Scientific-atlanta. You know, when people when all this stuff was just really just starting. But I think, you know, the people who remember putting up the, you know, a phone handset on a little cradle and listening to it beeps and beeps and bursts to communicate just so that we could, you know, send a little basic message. But that was all transformational. If I think about the milestones of our cybersecurity community, you know, Georgia has been part of the evolution of information security now, what we call cyber security. Every step of the way back, you know, you might remember mainframes, you might remember network internet security. Well, before we called it cyber security, that all started right here on Georgia Tech’s campus with the Department of Defense. And that was that gave us the ability to create great companies like ES that later sold to IBM, Secureworks, that became part of Dell Secureworks, Airwatch, which was the first mobile cybersecurity application that Apple led onto its iPhone platform. It is the application that put the BlackBerry out of business. So this really just is testimony that in Georgia, we have been every we’ve been part of every evolution of these critical technologies. That’s right. You know, we didn’t just be you know, we didn’t just become part of the fintech community. We were processing checks and we figured out how to digitize that process. That’s why we have 70% of our debit credit reward card transactions processed right here in Atlanta and Georgia. Kyle, you’ve lived this. What do you think the next ones are?

Kyle Tothill: Well, the next ones, you know, the questions about the history and the milestones. You know, you talk about the internet revolution of the late 90s after the Olympics is really what what started to drive a lot of this technology innovation. And Atlanta was an enterprise hub. It was a place where technology came to be sold to to buyers. And over the last 25 years, we’ve really become innovators in that regard, as opposed to just buyers, just economic buyers of technology and users of technology and the and the the ecosystem has really developed from a very small micro regional technology hub into a global hub of innovation. You know, 25 years later and you can start off with the internet boom, you know, then the cloud boom, the mobile boom, the big data boom. And here we are now on the precipice of, you know, the AI boom. And then, of course, there’s stuff that’s coming. Yes. That question, Larry, when you start thinking about quantum, you know, quantum is the next, you know, the next big thing around the corner. So we have organizations here in Atlanta that are heavy and steeped in driving innovation. And each one of those areas, you know, and it’s been really, really exciting. The amount of growth that’s happened in the last 25 years in this community is remarkable. And it’s changed people’s lives, quite frankly, changed the trajectory, the trajectory of the state.

Larry Williams: Well, said. Kyle and Lee, I’ll just add one thing. You know, poisoning for the next 25 years is critically important. You know, Kyle said it. You know, we’ve worked so hard at being a top five technology state. Georgia is today a global hub of innovation, and we are driving innovation. We’re coming up with new products, next generation of ingenuity. And as we move to and through this world of AI and into the quantum verse, one stat is that Georgia Tech has more of its graduates working in artificial working in AI, working in artificial intelligence than any other major university in the United States. That’s ahead of Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, MIT. We’re at the top now.

Lee Kantor: Looking forward, how does Tag plan to continue to foster this innovation in growth mindset and give them the industry leaders, the tools and the resources to help them get to where they want to go?

Kyle Tothill: I’ll take this one, Larry. Sure.

Kyle Tothill: So.

Kyle Tothill: So what tag is going to do is what it historically has done, which is educate, bringing people together, making them aware of the use cases being the scaffolding, right, by bringing people together and connecting the community. And I think that’s what Tag has done historically extremely well. It has created a community. It is the infrastructure by which the technology community aggregates, connects, learns from each other. Right. We have a really strong platform to promote Georgia and to promote the technology innovation in Georgia. And ultimately, you know, Tag is going to continue to do that and including developing the workforce, bringing more people into the technology workplace and being more inclusive, we’ve got a huge initiative around workforce development that I’m sure Larry will talk about in just a minute, but we plan to be able to bring the resources together, connect the ecosystem, make sure that people are learning together, learning to use cases, learning new technologies, meeting each other. And we know that a connected ecosystem does way better. And we’ve got the proof point for that in the last 25 years. We’re going to take that to the next level as we go through the next 25.

Lee Kantor: So okay, let’s start talking about how does Tag work to address the challenges of the workforce development and talent retention? Because at one point, people were learning in Georgia and leaving Georgia. And now with the advent of so many businesses here, I would imagine we’re retaining a lot more of the talent. And especially after successful exits, a lot of the people are sticking around and want to help grow the community. Can you speak to that?

Larry Williams: There are so many more opportunities now for people to stay here, to build their careers, to raise their families and to reinvest in the community that that they benefit from. So the companies. So just in general, when we think about economic development and the great success that we’ve had in this state, you know, yesteryears people used to move to where the jobs are today in age. Companies are moving to where the talent is, and that’s why all those companies are coming here that we mentioned before. They’re coming in droves. They know the quality, the high quality talent that we have here. So today in age, workforce development is economic development. And so how are we going to stay at the forefront? Well, we’ve got to meet the demand for the jobs of the future. And so we’re looking at what is what is it going to be like for our workforce to work in an AI world? So not everybody’s going to be the creators of new, um, artificial intelligence applications. But there are so many people that are going to master the tools, and they’re the ones that are going to be the builders of new products, new innovations, uh, build new companies, help our existing companies stay at the forefront of innovation. And we’re going to make sure that people have those skills, and it’s going to be a combination.

Larry Williams: It’s going to be, you know, some traditional four year degrees or people that go, you know, for post-graduate work. But we’re also going to accelerate and make sure that we can upskill people through nontraditional means, through experiential methods that might not require four year degrees, that might be, you know, training certifications, um, two year programs. Lee, right now we have just launched, uh, technology apprenticeship program. We’re the only technology organization in the southeast that has a registered apprenticeship program that’s going to give our companies a competitive advantage, because it’s going to be it’s going to be an ability to bring in some really smart, talented people, give them on the job training and experience, and with the idea that they’re going to retain that talent to be a part of their workforce moving forward. So those are one ways. The other is making sure that we get everybody in the state connected to the great prosperity that technology and innovation is bringing to this state. There’s lots of people, um, if we think there are people that can be trained in an upskilled, we’re going to do that and give them the tools that they need to be a part of this great workforce.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you talk a little bit about, you know, they say a rising tide lifts all ships. And that being the case, the southeast has really kind of expanded into technology around Georgia. Like you have Tennessee, you have Huntsville, you have the Carolinas, obviously. How does that impact what’s happening in Georgia? Does that, um, attract more people, or are people spreading around and thinking of the southeast as the place to go? Not necessarily just Georgia?

Kyle Tothill: I think that Georgia really acts as the hub, and those are the spokes. I mean, if it seems obvious, if you just look at it on a map, but, you know, there’s a lot of innovation that’s starting to happen in those submarkets or those regional markets as a result of the success that we’ve had in Atlanta. So Atlanta is a key to the regional economic development. So when you put all those layers together, we are the key, right? And as we go, they go in a lot of ways. And I think that we share the prosperity. Atlanta or Georgia has an unbelievable port and logistics system, a fantastic aerospace, uh, you know, industry, unbelievable fintech, you know, telecommunications infrastructure, data center, uh, retail. We are very, very diverse. Um, and I think that allows the regional markets to take advantage of that. And frankly, having them grow helps our community grow. So it’s one big infrastructure, one big ecosystem. That’s how I look at it. Larry, do you have anything to add to that?

Larry Williams: 100%. Right. It does. I mean, we you know, if you look south of DC, you know, east of Dallas, there’s nothing like Atlanta. There’s there’s, you know, love these other markets. And I’m glad a lot of them are thriving and experienced success. But Atlanta really is where it is in the state of Georgia. And our regional economies as well. Um, people are recognizing the importance of the southeast and our technology and innovation economy. Um, I think there’s always been a lot of relevance. At least, you know, you know, for a long time. And, um, now people are really seeing it and, um, seeing that we are as competitive or more competitive than some of the traditional markets, especially those on the West Coast, because those companies are moving here.

Kyle Tothill: And I think the consistency of our activity is really cemented that. So tag’s been around for 25 years. Chamber’s one of the top chambers, right. This community has had success for a very, very long period of time, and we’ve had the infrastructure to be able to promote that success. So we’ve been telling the world, we’ve been inviting the world. We’re bringing the world to Atlanta through conferences and through through the Georgia Technology Summit and through some of our outreach, uh, you know, global outreach opportunities like Fintech South is a global event. So, you know, I think the big, you know, pole, right, is that we’ve actually been focused on extolling the virtues of this, and that’s why people are recognizing it.

Lee Kantor: Now, how does other how would you recommend other organizations, educational institutions, government agencies or other businesses collaborate with Tag? What’s the best way to connect with you in terms of, okay, let’s figure out a way to better serve the ecosystem. I know you’re the hub, but what how how can other organizations plug into you most effectively?

Larry Williams: You know, we have so many. We have so many options, Lee. And we have so many partnerships and so many great, um, collaborations as it is and certainly, you know, tag online. Org is a way to get us connected. You can reach out to me directly L yeah. L Williams at tag online.org. You can find us and we can get you connected. You know between our 18 societies that really focus in on so many different areas, whether it be fintech, cybersecurity, digital health, cloud, CRM, artificial intelligence, all of these topics are very important, and those are also ways to get more specifically involved in some areas of interest and help build those contacts. But government relations are extremely active both at the state and federal level. Um, you know, people were always looking at ways that we can collaborate. Yesterday, Kyle and I were meeting with the the national director of cybersecurity, which is part of the white House, looking at how do we make sure that we have resilient businesses that can help and collaborate with government to make sure that we’re protecting our cybersecurity, protecting our infrastructure, and make sure that we continue to have great commerce and that we’re, you know, we’re part of the solution in fighting the bad guys, because the bad guys are going to keep coming at us when it comes to cybersecurity threats. So we want to make sure the good guys keep winning. So those are just some examples of the collaborations and then plus our workforce, our universities, our technical college system of Georgia all are welcome.

Lee Kantor: So looking ahead, what are Tag’s primary goals and objectives for the next coming few years? Is there anything you’re looking ahead towards? You mentioned quantum. You mentioned AI. Is there any other trends or anything else you’re working on?

Larry Williams: Well, you know, just and we’ve been talking about these things. It’s it’s number one for the next 25 years. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen 25 years from now. But here’s what I do know. There’s some great key opportunities for us near-term. And I think that’s what you’re asking me here in the near future. So, yes, um, we have I think in Georgia, we have a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence and the opportunities that it’s going to be that it’s going to bring, and that’s whether it’s creating new companies, uh, mastering the tools that are going to help propel and create innovations within our current companies, but also the thought leadership that we have for the policies that we need. Um, around AI, um, that can happen at the state legislature, um, as well as some of the thought around. You know, what are the the laws? What are the, um, um, policies that we need, the policies that we. Need to be in place. We’ve got Emory, we’ve got Georgia Tech, we’ve got other Georgia State. We’ve got people with great minds thinking through what these implications are. We can be. At the forefront of writing all of this and setting the standard not only for the country, but the world.

Kyle Tothill: Yeah. And I’d like to I’d really like to add that, you know, one of the big priorities for us is really to. Continue to bring people into the technology ecosystem that that aren’t necessarily there today. We. Have got to expand and open our aperture to make sure that the entire population of our great state or the region or people that want. To come here, have an open door to get engaged. Right. And that’s one of the things Larry. Mentioned earlier, which is we have over 200 events a year. We have 5 or 6 major events every single year. We have a lot of opportunities to invite people into the conversation, and I think that’s a huge, a huge priority as we move forward is we’ve got to have the people and we want people to know that they can get a career in technology. They can take advantage of that, you know, and they can easily plug in. We are very hospitable and wide open for that.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you allay some of the fears that people have when there is, um, conversations around AI and how disruptive it’s going to be, how it’s going to replace jobs and things like that? How do you kind of create that bridge to help people make that transition most effectively?

Kyle Tothill: I think that’s a very difficult challenge because it has its moments of fear with all of us, you know, and it happens often. But, you know, you have to take the assumption with folks that change is going to happen. Right? And it’s better to to understand that change is coming and that they’ve got to adapt and overcome, right and change. And they can use AI and, you know, humanity together is going to create a lot of opportunity and that their skills have to grow and they’re going to have to be pushed. And that’s just the way that it is. But assuaging fears is more about highlighting opportunities, right? When you have opportunity in front of you and you’re able to see a pathway to seize that, then the fear disappears. If we’re afraid, we won’t seize that or see that opportunity. And I think that’s what our job is to kind of extoll and show to the broader community through our society events, through our events, that there’s a lot of AI out there that’s going to help people really grow, that’s going to help businesses get faster, better, and it’s going to help those stakeholders, you know, accomplish their goals.

Larry Williams: Notably, AI has been around for a decade, and people have been utilizing it in certain ways, whether they know it or not. So now it’s, you know, emerge and now it’s, you know, at the kitchen table as part of the conversation. Um, so Kyle’s exactly right. So it is raising awareness about, you know, what the world is going to look like that. The other is actually giving people skills, making sure that they’re prepared. When I when I said, you know, we have the opportunity to have the most relevant workforce for the future right here in Georgia. We can drive this. People will want to copy what we’re doing because we will get it right. So when we talk about people knowing what they can do with AI and utilizing it as a tool, um, they’re going to be excited about the future. They’re going to be excited about what they can possibly do within, you know, their own scope of work as it is today, or how they can build new companies to address new, um, new products, new services and new innovations. So, yes, change is hard. We’re going to work through this change, and we’re going to make sure people get connected to it. And we’re at the forefront of the whole innovation economy.

Lee Kantor: Is the education. Um, you mentioned that Georgia Tech right now is at a at the forefront when it comes to AI, people learning about AI, is it trickling down into high schools, middle schools, elementary schools? Is there any type of initiatives that are just starting? These are digital natives, you know. Are we doing anything to help educate them and get them on these tracks earlier on?

Kyle Tothill: They’re the ones educating us. Just to be perfectly frank. Uh, talk to talk to an 18 to 22 year old and ask him how often they use generative AI, and they’ll tell you a lot. Um, but but ultimately, you’ve got to show those business use cases. You’ve got to get those folks connected to, you know, buyers and users of those AI, you know, initiatives. And, you know, Larry could talk a little bit about our Stem education policy and what we’re doing with tag ed to help get that deep down into, you know, some of our high potentials that are in high school and college.

Larry Williams: Yeah. So there’s lots of things that are happening at the industry level. You know, people are right now creating workgroups about how can I improve efficiencies within the workflows. Um, and they’re what they’re doing is really experimenting with the tools that are available, and that’s very important. You know, what can I do if I, um. Um, if I utilize this tool to help do an analysis of, of of a, of a spreadsheet, a very deep, broad spreadsheet, and things that were taking hours of a human’s time were able to do in seconds, quite frankly. And they can point out, you know, key elements or trends within large data sets. This is important. It’s, um, it’s it’s learning how to ask the questions correctly so that you can start to get the relevant information you want. As far as getting it down. Yes. Our educators are doing several things as well. Um, you know, um, at our schools and our Stem, they’re inviting people to start playing with these tools, see what we can do. And here’s what’s important. As people are playing, and especially our younger people are learning to play with these tools, learning how to utilize these tools, what our educators are really doing a good job of is saying, okay, that’s what you learned via just asking a question. Now, how do you put your own thought into it? How do you interpret that data? What experience do you have that can put some unique perspective or some unique context to it that makes what you do is important? Um, uh, as a human, as a lifetime learner, and not just look at something, ask a question and regurgitate, uh, the outcome. This is going to be extremely important about how we utilize these tools moving forward.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, connect with tag and learn about all of the great things that are happening in the tech ecosystem here in Georgia, what is the website? What is the best way to connect?

Kyle Tothill: It’s w w w tag online.org and there are a lot of events you can register for. Um, and we’re excited to have anybody and everybody that wants to learn find an opportunity to plug in.

Larry Williams: But most importantly, December 4th, we are having our silver Jubilee December 4th at the foundry. Uh, in the West Side. Super, super excited about this. This is our second annual gala. It is black tie. It is elegant. We are going to celebrate our second annual Lifetime Achievement Award winner. It was John Yates who many people in the technology industry know. We’re going to be announcing the next one. And so it’s something that if you’re in the technology community, you need to be at our Silver Jubilee on December 4th.

Lee Kantor: And they can learn more at Tag online. Org.

Larry Williams: That’s correct.

Lee Kantor: All right. Well Larry and Kyle, thank you so much for sharing your stories today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Kyle Tothill: Yeah. My pleasure.

Larry Williams: Lee, thanks for your friendship.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.