Uniting Our Local Tech Community

NC Tech Connection:Uniting Our local tech community – why we need to do it right

Other Voices: Erika Kosina

August 15, 2017

150 tech companies can’t be wrong – there is a small, but steadfast community of tech companies in Nevada County. You didn’t realize there were 150 tech companies here? That’s what the Nevada County Tech Connection is trying to fix. Raising awareness about who’s who in the Nevada County tech community is the first step on a critical path to helping this industry thrive and grow.

Strength in Numbers – Uniting the Tech Community

But awareness is just the first step. If we are going to remove the obstacles that are stifling growth in Nevada County’s tech sector, we need to band together, and make our collective voice heard. Michael Anderson, CIO of Spiral Internet and Advocacy Chair for the NC Tech Connection, believes in strength in numbers. “Representing one business in the political arena does not have the same power as representing the tech community,” he says. “It carries a lot more clout when you represent 150 businesses in Nevada County.” Look at it this way – if just one company complains about how challenging it is to hire interns and new employees because they can’t find a place to live in Nevada County, it’s not a big deal. But if 150 companies show how this lack of housing is squashing their growth, it’s is a much more powerful statement. The same rules apply to getting a high-speed fiber network in our county, and other issues that all of the tech companies struggle with.

Everybody Benefits from a Tech Consortium

It works both ways. The better known local tech companies are often hit up with the same requests from educational institutions, over and over again. They need to know what to teach in order to produce graduates who are qualified for local jobs. What if those schools could talk to a consortium of tech companies instead of just three or four? They would have a much better feel for the skills these companies need, and the process would be more efficient. And, the tech companies would have a better idea of what the schools need. Requests for speakers, donations, internships, etc. would be spread across a wider pool of companies, benefitting everyone.

Join Us – Make Your Voice Heard

The Nevada County Tech Connection is working to unite our regional tech companies into just such a consortium. We already have a representative (Anderson) who is forging relationships with political entities to make sure the voice of our tech community is heard. All we are missing is you – representatives from all of the tech companies and talent in our county.

Make sure your company or individual skill set is listed in the Directory on our website. Come to our events. Talk to each other. Do it now. Don’t get left out of the conversation.

Source: The Union