Sarasota, Fl, July 17, 2006 – The 2006 Sarasota / Manatee Technology Conference: Integration at the Crossroads, taking place on August 31, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Sarasota, is gearing up to be a must-attend event. The conference is the first of its kind on the Gulf Coast and has already attracted a slate of high-level speakers whose expertise range from Web marketing to manufacturing. Focused on how businesses within the Gulf Coast region and around the world integrate technology to improve efficiency, processes and sales -- each of these successful business leaders will share their perspectives on leveraging technology to drive profitable results.
The conference consists of five tracks:
• Business Essentials - B2B Entrepreneurship
• Economic Development Roundtable - People, Location, Productivity & Inspiration
• Business Leaders - A View From The Top
• Technology Implementation - How to Incorporate Solutions Providing Value and ROI
• Marketing - Digital, Traditional & Best-of-Breed
The compelling speakers include the following to date:
Jeff & Rich Sloan, Founders, StartupNation (Keynote Speakers)
The Sloan brothers have shared their knowledge for everything ‘startup’ with The New York Times, CNN and Fox. After creating dozens of successful companies, the business-savvy brothers founded StartupNation to help other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of owning their own business. Through StartupNation's events, broadcasts and interactive Web site, entrepreneurs gain advice from a variety of experts and peers who've turned their business dreams into profitable realities.
Kathleen D. Baylis, CEcD – EDC, President, Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation
Kathy Baylis is the president of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, the public/private economic development partnership that creates and fosters economic opportunities by working with their community and regional partners. Kathy became the president of the EDC in October 2004 having previously served as the vice president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
Susan Burns, Founding Editor, Sarasota/Manatee BUSINESS
Susan Burns is the founding editor of Sarasota/Manatee BUSINESS, an award-winning monthly business-to-business magazine. As a journalist she’s won many national, regional and state awards for her writing. She is a co-founder of the Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences and a board member of the New College Alumni Association.
Michael Corley, President, Progressive Employer Services
As Progressive Employer Services president, Michael Corley has led the professional employer organization as it doubled in size in the past 12 months alone. The organization now has over 1,600 clients and 20,000 worksite employees. It was also recently named the 6th fastest company in the region by The Tampa Business Journal.
Nancy Engel, Executive Director, Manatee County Economic Development Council
Nancy Engel has served as the executive director of the Economic Development Council for the past 22 years and is credited with establishing the economic development division of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.
Conan Gallaty, Director of Online Strategy & Operations, Herald-Tribune Media Group
As director of online strategy & operations for Herald-Tribune Media Group, Conan Gallaty oversees all Internet operations for the company’s print, broadcast and direct mail mediums. He also launched the first fully-digitized archive of any newspaper in the country.
Robert Hanson, Chief Information Officer, Sarasota County Government & Sarasota County Schools
Robert Hanson is CIO for Sarasota County Government and Sarasota County Schools and was named one of the 25 most influential people in Government IT by Government Technology magazine in 2005. In the CIO post since 2001, Hanson is credited with transforming the county’s information technology team into a highly professional and productive resource for enterprise clients, re-engineering systems, equipment and processes.
Kendall Jones, Editor, S2 Report
Kendall Jones is an award-winning business journalist and attorney. She has been the senior editor of the Gulf Coast Business Review and SRQ Magazine. Currently, she is the co-founder and managing editor of the S2 Report. She is also a partner in the new Sarasota law firm, Paloci & Jones, which represents entrepreneurs, small businesses and real estate investors.
Beth Kellett, Director of Global IT Systems, Sun Hydraulics Corporation
Beth Kellett is responsible for IT systems for Sun Hydraulics worldwide. Sun employs a broad spectrum of systems and network tools and technologies, with ERP systems an important ingredient of running the business. Sun’s networks are configured to allow global collaboration between the various companies. The company has implemented applications allowing exchange of information and data with customers and suppliers.
Stephen M. Knopik, President, Beall’s, Inc.
Since 1998, Stephen M. Knopik has served as the president of Beall’s, Inc., the parent company of Beall’s Department Stores and Beall’s Outlet Stores, which operates more than 500 retail stores in 14 states. He manages strategic planning and all centralized support functions including finance, information technologies, distribution and transportation, human resources, loss prevention and administration for the $1 billion revenue-producing company.
Arthur D. Lambert, Co-Owner and Founder, LexJet Corporation
In 1994, Art Lambert co-founded LexJet Corporation with his long-time business associate and friend, Ron Simkins. Since that time, LexJet has grown exponentially, and is now recognized as a leader in the professional inkjet printing market. LexJet employs over 80 associates at its Sarasota headquarters and manages nine distribution centers nationwide. LexJet has been ranked by Inc. Magazine as the 48th Fastest Growing Technology Company in North America and has been named one of the Tampa area’s “Best Places to Work” by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Gwen M. MacKenzie, President and CEO, Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Prior to serving as Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s CEO, Gwen served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Detroit Medical Center (DMC), a nonprofit academic health system made up of nine hospitals, two nursing centers and over 100 outpatient facilities. A former advanced practice nurse who worked her way up to a number of leadership positions, including president of several hospitals, MacKenzie has over 25 years of health care and management experience.
Dan Miller, Managing Partner, StartupFlorida
As managing partner of Startup Florida LLC, a source for entrepreneur capital and mentoring, and President of Movo Mobile, LLC, a software company delivering on-demand mobile advertising to consumers, Dan Miller has helped scores of entrepreneurs to start-up, organize, systemize, grow and exit their businesses.
Neil Montanari, Florida Data Sales Team Director, Verizon Wireless
With Neil Montanari as Florida Data Sales Team Director, data revenues in Florida have more than doubled each year, reaching over five percent of total revenues. And, working in concert with the company's network staff, he and his teams successfully launched NationalAccess sm, a wireless data product running on the company's 1X network.
Stephen M. Queior, CCE, President/CEO, Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Steve Queior is President/CEO of the 2,350 member Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the largest and oldest business organization in Sarasota County. Prior to this position, Steve was the chief executive of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.
Chad Roffers, President, SKY Sotheby’s International Realty
As co-founder and president of SKY Sotheby’s International Realty, the luxury brokerage firm and exclusive Sotheby’s affiliate in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Chad Roffers oversees all business operations and leads the company’s commercial real estate division.
Robert H. Stovall, CFA, Managing Director and Global Strategist, Wood Asset Management, Inc.
Robert H. Stovall, CFA has lent his economic and investment expertise to Forbes, Financial World, The Louis Rukeyser Show, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox and more. He has also lectured at New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business and Stetson University. As managing director and global strategist for WAM, Stovall sets the investment policy for the firm’s analysts and marketers who supervise over $1.5 Billion.
Matt Walsh, CEO, The Observer Group, Inc.
As CEO and co-owner of The Observer Group Inc., Matt Walsh publishes the Gulf Coast Business Review, Gulf Coast Commercial, The Sarasota Observer, The Longboat Observer, The East County Observer, The South Sarasota Observer, The North Manatee Observer and Season magazine. Since purchasing The Longboat Observer in 1995, through a combination of four startups and three small acquisitions, the company has grown from 18 employees to 60 and increased revenues more than sixfold.
Conference attendees will include company executives and technology professionals desiring the latest technology resources and knowledge to boost their businesses. The cost of the conference is $125 per attendee. To register, visit www.SarasotaTechConference.com.
As of 6/14/06, sponsors include: LexJet, Verizon Wireless, Sarasota Manatee Business Magazine, Gulf Coast Business Review, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, GravityFree Web Design, S2 Report, AeA, PCM Networking and Startup Florida.
About The Young Technology Alliance
The Young Technology Alliance is a newly formed not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing technology events to the Gulf Coast area. Its mission is to nurture technology awareness in the community by harnessing the power of technology through the education and unification of technology professionals. YTA Chair members include Anand Pallegar, atLarge, Inc.; John Barron, Barron Productions; Jessica Moats, GravityFree Web Design; Amanda Eyer; Tropics Software Technologies; Sinan Gurman, Sequoya Group Inc. and Diane Arthurs, Anexio. The Alliance has partnered with The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and 82 DegreesTech to bring the 2006 Sarasota / Manatee Technology Conference to the area. Visit www.SarasotaTechConference.com for more information.
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