WellStar Chamber Luncheon Series: Connected Vehicles, with Kerry Armstrong, Atlanta Regional Commission, Bryan Mulligan, Applied Information, and Brad Stertz, Audi America

WellStar Chamber Luncheon Series: Connected Vehicles, with Kerry Armstrong, Atlanta Regional Commission, Bryan Mulligan, Applied Information, and Brad Stertz, Audi America (GNFCC 400 Insider, Episode 52)

Guests for this GNFCC WellStar Chamber Luncheon included Kerry Armstrong of the Atlanta Regional Commission and Bryan Mulligan, Applied Information, broadcasting from the new Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory. They were joined by Brad Stertz, Audi America, and the three of them discussed new safety technology connecting vehicles with their environment. These capabilities are already in Alpharetta fire trucks, are planned for school zones and school buses, and are being tested in passenger cars by Audi.

The host of “The GNFCC 400 Insider” is GNFCC CEO Kali Boatright and the show is presented by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. John Ray and North Fulton Business RadioX served as the media sponsor for this event.

Kerry Armstrong, Chairman, Atlanta Regional Commission

Kerry Armstrong has served on the Atlanta Regional Commission since 2008, and is currently serving his second term as the ARC Board Chairman. During his tenure on the ARC Board he served on numerous Commission Committees and as Co-Chair of the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board.

Professionally, as a Managing Director – Development Partner with Pope & Land Real Estate, Mr. Armstrong is involved in the development, marketing, leasing, and management of commercial real estate investments. He joined Pope & Land in 2012, and his commercial real estate career spans three decades

He is also actively involved in numerous civic, educational, and charitable organizations. He is the Chairman of the North Fulton Community Improvement District, and was recently appointed by the Speaker of the House of the Georgia General Assembly to serve on the State of Georgia’s Partnership for Public Facilities and Infrastructure Act Guidelines Committee. He serves as a Director and Past Chair of the Council for Quality Growth, as a Director and Past Chair of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and is a Director for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Armstrong also serves on the board of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation, The ATO Foundation and the Richmond Property Group. He is the current Chairman of the Administrative Council and serves on the Finance Committee of his church.

Bryan Mulligan, President, Applied Information, Inc.

Bryan Mulligan is the President and Founder of Applied Information, which he established in 2011 to meet the need for a technology company that can apply the new wireless, Internet-of-Things, cloud computing, and connected vehicle technologies into modern solutions for the transportation sector. Applied Information has established technologies in multiple sectors in transportation, including intersection management, connected vehicle priority/preemption systems, pedestrian safety, mobile data acquisition, parking, and ITS management.

Bryan continues to provide leadership in the US and international transportation industries through his continued chair, and leadership, of the NEMA 3TS Transportation Section. NEMA (the National Electrical Manufacturers Association) is the leading US trade association in the transportation sector, and is one of the co-owners of the NTCIP suite of standards. Bryan is also a member of the NTCIP Joint Committee and the NEMA Head of Delegation.

Applied Information is a leading developer of connected, intelligent transportation system (ITS) solutions designed to improve safety, reliability, and mobility. Applied Information’s Glance Smart City Supervisory System™ platform allows cities to manage all their traffic and ITS assets on one web-based application. This includes 5 key areas: Traffic Intersections, School Beacons, Parking Guidance System, Mobile Vehicle Assets, and ITS devices. AI’s Glance TravelSafely™ smartphone app connects drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians for a safer commute.

Brad Stertz, Director of Government Affairs, Audi America, Co-Founder and Chair, Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE)

Brad Stertz is Director of Audi America Government Affairs in the Washington D.C. office. He represents Audi interests on a range of rapidly evolving topics, including automated vehicle testing and deployment, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, connected vehicle technologies, safety, cybersecurity, emissions regulations, and trade. Notably, he has framed early public perceptions of automated driving, including the first opportunity journalists had to experience hands-free performance at highway speeds during a January 2015 test drive from Palo Alto, CA to Las Vegas. Currently, he is co-chair of Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), a coalition of diverse innovators and mobility stakeholders uniting to better equip the public and policymakers about the transportation revolution ahead. He has been instrumental in furthering partnerships between Audi and leading technology innovators, while remaining closely aligned with the AUDI AG global government affairs and technical development teams in Ingolstadt, Germany.

In 2008, Stertz joined Audi to lead Corporate Communications. In that role, he was responsible for building awareness about the progressive strides made by Audi advanced technologies. Before joining Audi, Stertz held a variety of management, editing, and reporting positions at prominent U.S. newspapers. He was a senior manager with Tribune Company, led award-winning coverage as assistant managing editor in charge of news, Washington bureau chief, and automotive editor at The Detroit News. His extensive experience with the automotive industry began with his stint as a staff reporter in the Wall Street Journal’s Detroit bureau.

Mr. Stertz is the co-author of the best-selling book Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler. Fortune magazine counted this account of the ill-fated DaimlerChrysler merger among history’s 75 “Smartest Books We Know.” Mr. Stertz graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. He lives with his family in Purcellville, VA.

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