University of Advancing Technology Archives

Workforce Development: Cultivating Arizona’s Tech Talent Future E13

May 10, 2021 by Karen

Workforce-Development-Cultivating-Arizona’s-Tech-Talent-Future-FEATURE

AZ TechCast

Workforce Development: Cultivating Arizona’s Tech Talent Future E13

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Workforce Development: Cultivating Arizona’s Tech Talent Future E13

While technology and innovation bring new solutions to life, it can sometimes result in unforeseen challenges and opportunities. Although the IT and cybersecurity industry is the fastest-growing sector in the state, there are currently more than 7,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in Arizona alone. As a result of this exponential sector growth, many of Arizona’s IT and cyber companies are faced with a huge talent gap. For Arizona to fulfill its destiny as a world-class tech hub, it will need to prioritize an outcome-driven approach to meet industry and employer needs in IT and cybersecurity.

Moderated by Phoenix Business RadioX, a distinguished panel of tech leaders recently joined AZTechCast for an engaging discussion on scalable solutions and comprehensive resources to not only address Arizona’s tech-talent shortage, but to create a digital destination to explore career opportunities, internships, apprenticeships, training programs and scholarships to build the region’s talent pipeline and close the gap between students and industry.

Arizona’s tech industry is thriving! Unfortunately, the sector is challenged by a shortage of skilled IT and cybersecurity professionals. To maintain the state’s trajectory and economic recovery, a group of distinguished tech leaders shared insight on the specific jobs that are the most in-demand in Arizona’s tech sector, what outcome-driven approaches Arizona companies and key stakeholders are taking to address this tech-talent deficit, as well as the collaborative efforts that are helping to drive meaningful workforce development for Arizona’s IT/cyber sector.

The Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance, Inc. (ACTRA) serves as the hub for collaborative cyber information sharing in a neutral environment of trust where partners from industry, academia, law enforcement and intelligence come together, leveraging cross-sector resources to more effectively analyze critical, real-time intelligence and respond to emerging cyber threats to Arizona’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources. Visit https://www.actraaz.org to learn more.

Frank Grimmelmann serves as President & CEO for the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA), a non-profit entity, that was developed collaboratively with the FBI’s Arizona InfraGard Program and independently launched in 2013 to enable its private/public sector members to enable themselves to respond to the escalating national cybersecurity threat.

Grimmelmann co-chairs Gov. Doug Ducey’s AZ Cybersecurity Team (ACT) and is a founding member of President Obama’s National ISAO Leadership Group at the University of Texas San Antonio.

As ACTRA’s leader, Grimmelmann was the first private-sector representative in the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center on its executive board. He has held C-level positions in finance, health care and government, focusing on cybersecurity in response to 9/11. He holds an MBA in finance/international business from UC Berkeley, and a BA in operations with a business law minor from the University of South Florida.

Pipeline AZ is a career development and exploration platform designed for the Arizona community, to create more pathways to in-demand careers by connecting the dots between industry and education.

Pipeline AZ uses skills mapping technology to help job seekers begin a new path, level-up in their existing careers, explore work or work-based learning opportunities, and discover new passions that change their career trajectory.

For employers, Pipeline AZ is a valuable recruiting tool that features high-quality candidate matching, free job posting, and white-glove concierge case management service to assemble candidate pools with the skills needed to build their talent pipeline. Learn more at PipelineAZ.com.

Katherine Pappas is an executive leader with 17+ years of experience designing workforce strategies, wellbeing focused environments, enhancing and transforming culture, innovating and streamlining relevant strategies and developing people.

Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn and follow PEI Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is a private and family-owned university that merges the values of the traditional academy with the modern technology campus, a fusion that enhances its ability to fulfill the mission of educating students in the fields of advancing technology who innovate for the future.

At the heart of UAT’s curricula is a technology-infused campus in Tempe, Arizona. This fusion of the traditional academy with the technology-focused curricula creates a distinct, non-exclusionary university in which students learn to value their own uniqueness and the power of technology in education. Visit https://www.uat.edu to learn more.

Provost Bolman has focused his career upon the profound need for a substantial and diverse workforce within Arizona and the nation.

As its long-standing provost, Dr. Bolman has built the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) into a unique, all-STEM institution that marries the best of a traditional, small, private college with the genetics of innovation that come with agile technology organizations.

As an educator, he has focused on cultivating a base of technology students and future inventors. As a technologist, he has worked to create a university where the culture of innovation and creation is so regular and celebrated that the goal for each student is to graduate having worked on numerous teams and built complete solutions again and again.

Dr. Bolman has researched, written and spoken on the nature of technology and how to successfully lead innovation. He is an alumni of Valley Leadership and currently serves as its past board chair. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Technology Council and the AZPBS community board.

Follow UAT on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About AZ TechCast

AZ TechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond.

Through the art of connected conversation, AZ TechCast’s guests will share their expertise, success stories, news and analysis about the region’s leading startups, companies and emerging technologies, as well as the latest industry trends and critical issues propelling the state’s growing technology ecosystem.

About Your Hosts

Steve Zylstra serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in 2007. He is responsible for strategy, operations, finance and policy development. Zylstra is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona.

Zylstra serves on numerous councils, committees and boards, was named “Leader of the Year, Technology,” by the Arizona Capitol Times, and “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal. In addition, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of science in technology from the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Ariz.

Zylstra earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering technology from Western Michigan University.

Karen Nowicki is a successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. Karen was crowned the first-ever “Mompreneur of the Year” Award in 2010 for the southwestern states. She was recognized for her leadership, business acumen, and work-life balance.

Karen has been an expert guest on regional TV and radio shows, including Fox Phoenix Morning Show, Sonoran Living, Good Morning Arizona, The Chat Room, and Mid-Day Arizona. She has been a regular contributor to many print and online magazines – publishing articles and blogs for business and education.

In addition to working with private coaching clients, Karen is also the Owner & President of Phoenix Business RadioX. The Business RadioX Network amplifies the voice of business – serving the Fortune 500,000, not just the Fortune 500. Phoenix Business RadioX helps local businesses and professional associations get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, profession, and community.

Of all the experiences Karen has had the privilege of participating in over her vast career, she shares that Phoenix Business RadioX is a pinnacle adventure!

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and follow Phoenix Business RadioX on Facebook and Instagram.

About Our Sponsor

The Arizona Technology Council, Arizona’s only statewide organization serving the technology sector, fosters a climate of innovation to enhance technology in Arizona.

A trusted resource in strengthening Arizona’s technology industry, the Council proactively eliminates impediments that companies face, accelerates the entrepreneurial mindset in the state’s expanding innovation ecosystem, and works to create a destination for companies to be, thrive and stay.

Follow Arizona Technology Council on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

How 2020 Changed the World and Optimism for the Future E10

February 4, 2021 by Karen

AZ TechCast

How 2020 Changed the World and Optimism for the Future E10

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How 2020 Changed the World and Optimism for the Future E10

When the world celebrated the dawn of a new decade with a blaze of fireworks, parties and revelry on January 1, 2020, few could have imagined what the year had in store. It was a year that changed the world like no other for at least a generation, possibly since World War II. Businesses folded. Schools and colleges shut. Live sport was cancelled. Commercial airline travel contracted. Shops, clubs, bars and restaurants closed. Social inequities were exposed. And human interaction went virtual.

Moderated by Phoenix Business Radio Owner & President Karen Nowicki, a distinguished panel of technology leaders from KEO Marketing, the University of Advancing Technology and PADT, Inc. had an engaging discussion with Arizona Technology Council CEO Steve Zylstra on how the world can rebuild following such a tumultuous year, the new technology to get us there, and the innovative Arizona companies that helped pull us through and gave us optimism for the future.

Visit www.aztechcouncil.org/techcast to view the blog and listen to the replay.

KEO Marketing, a leading B2B marketing agency in Phoenix, is committed to developing marketing strategies and plans that help clients succeed. Some of the world’s largest brands depend on KEO Marketing for marketing programs that deliver tangible and substantial results.

Led by business growth and B2B marketing expert, Sheila Kloefkorn, KEO Marketing Inc. specializes in innovative marketing strategies that deliver results. Some of these solutions include lead generation and nurturing, integrated marketing, marketing automation, inbound marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization, search marketing, email marketing, creative, video marketing, website design and development, app development, online and traditional advertising, local and mobile marketing and much more.

Visit https://keomarketing.com to elevate your marketing strategies and drive growth for your business.

Sheila Kloefkorn is CEO and President of KEO Marketing, a full service B2B marketing agency. The company specializes in marketing strategy, messaging, digital infrastructure, execution and analytics. KEO Marketing grows Fortune 1000 companies and mid-market businesses.

Kloefkorn was recently named one of the “Top 10 Business Leaders of the Year” and “Top 25 Dynamic Women in Business” by the Phoenix Business Journal and one of 15 Arizonans to Watch by the Arizona Republic.

In addition, she is past President of the Phoenix Chapter of the Business Marketing Association and the American Marketing Association. She is a frequent national and local speaker on a wide range of marketing and business topics.

Follow KEO Marketing on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Visit https://www.uat.edu to learn more.

Provost Bolman has focused his career upon the profound need for a substantial and diverse workforce within Arizona and the nation.

Follow UAT on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PADT, Inc. is a globally recognized engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing numerical simulation, product development and 3D printing solutions.

PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.”

With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Ariz., and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country.

More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.

Eric Miller is a co-owner of Tempe based PADT, Inc., which provides tools and services to companies who design and manufacture physical products. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and has lived in Arizona since 1986. He started his career focusing on the application of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to simulate turbine engine components. Over the years he became recognized as an expert user of the ANSYS software tools, solid modeling, and the development of custom software to automate the product simulation and design process.

As a co-founder of PADT in 1994, Eric was able to also pursue his interests in IT, graphic design, 3D Printing, database programming, and small business management. As both PADT and the use of advanced engineering tools grew, Eric became exposed to dozens of different industries and developed his broad understanding of the application of technology for product development and manufacturing.

After over three decades in the industry, Eric is often called upon to write and speak on simulation, design, and 3D printing as well as on startups and the high-tech sector. His outside commitments include the Chairman of the Arizona Technology Council Board of Directors, the BioAccel Advisory Council and Board of Directors, an Entrepreneur in Residence with the Arizona Commerce Authority, and the screening committee of Arizona Technology Investors. He also contributes regularly to the Phoenix Business Journal blog and hosts the All Things ANSYS podcast.

In his spare time Eric enjoys traveling, writing, history, cooking, and learning about new things.

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn and follow PADT on Facebook and Twitter.

About the Show

AZ TechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond.

About Your Hosts

Zylstra earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering technology from Western Michigan University.

Of all the experiences Karen has had the privilege of participating in over her vast career, she shares that Phoenix Business RadioX is a pinnacle adventure!

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and follow Phoenix Business RadioX on Facebook and Instagram.

About Our Sponsor

The Arizona Technology Council, Arizona’s only statewide organization serving the technology sector, fosters a climate of innovation to enhance technology in Arizona.

Follow Arizona Technology Council on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Perimeter83 and Juuice with University of Advancing Technology

February 1, 2019 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Perimeter83 and Juuice with University of Advancing Technology

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Perimeter83 and Juuice with University of Advancing Technology

Perimeter83 at University of Advancing Technology is a one-of-a-kind corporate training and technology startup coworking space nestled on the UAT campus in Tempe, Arizona. Perimeter83 provides vibrant events and lecture series, access to a wider breadth of technology and tech-focused mentors, as well as elite training from the regionally accredited University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, AZ. We offer coworking space for those companies that need to grow wisely and affiliate memberships to those larger businesses looking to “plant their ag” at UAT with students and the amenities on campus such as: Cyber Security War Room, VR/AR labs, Robotics lab, Makers lab, digital studio, etc.

Russ Yelton is President/CEO of Yelton and Associates. Yelton and Associates is a consulting firm that provides community development services to municipalities and scaling businesses. Utilizing extensive business incubation experience and professional contacts, the firm assists business incubation projects, as well as private companies, to scale to obtain angel investment, private equity, as well as venture capital.

Previously, Yelton served as Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Transplant Technologies (PTT). PTT is a regenerative medical company, which operates a human tissue bank. PTT develops allograft tissue for transplant, along with an amnion fluid product line. Yelton was responsible for strategic direction, corporate culture and overall growth management. Under Yelton’s leadership, PTT scaled from 20 to over 100 associates, grew to distribute products in every state in the United States, as well as 19 countries, increased processing and administrative space from 25,000 to 40,000 sq. ft. and grew revenues from $3.6m to over $18.5m. PTT also was named to the Inc. 5000 list in 2016 and 2017. Russ currently sits on the Advisory Board for PTT and retains an ownership interest.

Prior to PTT, Russ was President/CEO of the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET). At NACET, Russ oversaw the development of multiple business incubation sites across the State of Arizona, including the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation at Gateway Community College (CEI), the Maricopa Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE) in the City of Maricopa, as well as the Native American Incubation Network (NAIN). Upon his departure, 62 companies were in the current portfolio, and clients raised over $82 million in capital in 4 years. He also served as the founding President of the Arizona Business Incubation Association (AzBIA).

He has also worked with a community college in North Carolina to convert an abandoned 141,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility into a mixed-use incubator consisting of an FDA approved commercial food kitchen, biotechnology research labs, light manufacturing, and executive offices. The program also established agreements with seven incubators in six foreign countries, which led to its recognition by the International Business Incubation Association (INBIA) as the second most innovative program in the world in 2008. Yelton has served as President and Vice-President of the North Carolina Business Incubation Association (NCBIA), Chair of the Mountain South Incubator Alliance, past Founding President of the AzBIA, former Chair of AzBIO from 2015-2017, and currently serves as Past Chairman of the Board of AzBIO, Chair of the Flinn Bioscience Entrepreneurship Committee, a Member of the Arizona District Export Council (DEC), a Member of the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee as well as several others. Russ has performed feasibility studies for multiple municipalities and groups ranging from business incubations to co-work spaces to specialized programs such as the processing of native herbs.

Russ received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from Appalachian State University and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western Carolina University, where he also completed continuing doctoral coursework. He also completed Economic Sustainability training from the Vienna School of Economics, and he is a Flinn-Brown Fellow.

Carolyn Vasos is the Director of Business Development for Perimeter83 inside the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, AZ. Vermont/Scottsdale, AZ born and raised, Carolyn attended the University of Arizona majoring in Communications/Radio/TV. She worked for eight years in the Phoenix Broadcast Talk Radio market as their Business Manager. This put her into the conversation with many Valley leaders and politicians. She also helped implement the first Bloomberg radio affiliate nationwide at KFNN Business Talk Radio and a national financial trade show.

Carolyn moved into the emerging sector of Global Branding for SHR Perceptual Management in Scottsdale, AZ supporting client brands: Coke, General Mills, Boeing, Starwood, Mattel, BMW, Ford, etc. And helped with their Arizona Innovative Thinking (IT) Conference, similar Ted Talk Conference. Carolyn, then helped co-found Brian Fidler Interactive Web Design & Development, which was recognized by Tauchen as One of the 1000 Best Websites globally. Clients included: MGM Grand Hotels, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Robson Communities. She expanded into Social Media Sales by joining Yelp.com, as they expanded into the Scottsdale market.

Along the way, she is Boys Team Charity Board Member, a key parental leader of Villa Montessori School, a leading Pi Beta Phi Alum and an active member of the Brophy College Prep Mothers Guild. She supports many activist causes in our Phoenix community every single chance she gets.

Carolyn brings her unique insight to create a lively and active community at Perimeter83. She’s a Tech Evangelist, mentoring and managing P83 clients to develop unique pathways to success. It’s the access and synergy of a coworking space and Carolyn enjoys advising and adding to the Tech Ecosystem. The ultimate goal? Growing our robust Tech Sector for Arizona. So go ahead, imagine it and Carolyn will make it happen. Eventually, She’ll meet everyone on the planet, share the story of your brand and get the word out-it’s that simple. Quote for a recent client, “watch her, she’s going to meet everyone in this room.”

Follow Perimeter86 on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Mobile people need access to mobile power. Juuice is “extending the power grid” by rolling out portable, battery-powered phone chargers — at scale — throughout cities.

Stephanie Hockridge is a native Texan who moved to Arizona 7 years ago. She’s an Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist, who spent the past 15 years as a news anchor. This year, she joined the Juuice team to establish strong, strategic partnerships in the community… in order to push forward the company mission: to ensure everyone has access to affordable power on-the-go.

Follow Juuiced on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The University of Advancing Technology is the technophile’s college experience—a community uniquely suited to provide students passionate about technology an ideal place to live and grow. UAT is a private and family-owned University that merges the values of the traditional academy with the modern technology campus, a fusion that enhances our ability to fulfill the mission of educating students in the fields of advancing technology who innovate for our future.

Provost Bolman has focused his career upon addressing the profound need within Arizona and the nation for a substantial and diverse creative class workforce. As its long standing provost Dr. Bolman has built the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) into a unique all-STEM institution that marries the best of traditional small private college learning with the genetics of innovation that come with agile technology organizations. As an educator, he has focused on cultivating a base of technology students and future inventors who are as diverse as the people who ultimately use their creations. As a technologist, he has worked to create a university where the culture of innovation and creation is so regular and celebrated that the goal for each student is to graduate having routinely worked on numerous teams and built again and again complete solutions using the technologies that excites their imagination.

As an advocate for Arizona as a remarkable state where innovation is encouraged in all spaces, including education, Dr. Bolman has grown UAT from a single classroom of 13 students into a STEM private college campus that is unique not only to Arizona but also the country. UAT and its community are dedicated to advancing society through students who learn the tools, techniques, concepts, and responsibilities of applying technology in ways that lift up human society. Dr. Bolman has researched, written and spoken on the nature of technology as a foundational human force and how to successfully lead innovation. He is an alumni Valley Leadership and currently serves as its Past Board Chair. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Technology Council. He is an alumni of the FBI Citizens Academy and serves on the AZPBS community board.

Follow UAT on Twitter and Instagram.