Nashville Technology Council

Nashville Tech Story (4/22/10)

Join us for Margaritas as we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, 2010.  This year’s Margarita Mixer will take place at the ICON in Nashville’s Gulch District.  For only $5, you will receive margaritas, wine and mexican beer.  Last year, this event hosted more than 150 technology enthusiasts and this year we have a space to fit more.  Check out our President & CEO, Tod Fetherling’s top 10 list to drink margaritas:

1. The French Lost
2. Drink Margaritas
3. Network with fellow Techies
4. Meet new people
5. Find a date for later that evening
6. Join the Nashville Technology Council
7. Become a Mixologist
8. Everyone needs 20 g of sodium a day 
9. White Queso Dip comes as a side dish
10. See the ICON pool deck

Mix and mingle with Nashville’s business leaders and members of the local technology community.

May 5, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
ICON in the Gulch | 600 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN

Click Here to Register

Nashville Tech Story (3/14/1)

Due to the significant amount of employers requesting this event to be on a week night, we have decided to postpone the event to May 13th, 2010, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Nashville Convention Center.  We hope this will provide the opportunity for more employers to participate, which will provide job seekers with exposure to more companies.

TechNet is a special event hosted by the Nashville Technology Council to provide technology job seekers, employers, and high education institutions the opportunity to network together.  It is designed to help technology workers find new jobs, provide a direction to help them further their education, and provide networking opportunities.

Breakout sessions will now be at a new time:

• 4:30 p.m. – Job Search 2.0: A look at how to utilize social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc) and advanced online search techniques (Google, Boolean, etc) to advance the search for a new job and how professional recruiters utilize the same to find qualified candidates.
• 5:15 p.m. – Getting the Glance – Key Tips to Building an Attention-Grabbing Resume’: Whether you’re currently employed, unemployed and in your job search or are just preparing for your professional career, building a well-composed, effective resume’ is key to getting an employer’s attention. Recruiting professionals from ITAC Solutions’ share insight into how recruiters and employers search for, evaluate and act on résumés in an employer-driven job market.
• 6:00 p.m. – Business Plan? What Business Plan?: An open discussion about everything the books don’t tell you about business plans.

Exhibits will feature technology companies looking for new talent, staffing agencies looking for the perfect person to place and Universities offering higher education options.  If you are interested in exhibiting, click here.

Attendance at TechNet is free.  Interested in attending, click here.

Nashville Tech Story (4/13/10)

Local Tech Community Partners with High Schools

FirstCamp Nashville will be held on Friday, April 23, 2010 from 9:00AM – 1:00 PM at the Martin Center.  The event is free and open to high school students in the Middle Tennessee area who are interested in technology.  

FirstCamp Nashville is an education “unconference” designed to engage high school students with the technology community by allowing them to present and discuss their ideas. In addition, we will bring thought leaders from the community to help guide and develop their ideas. Nashville has long been a leader in providing BarCamp and PodCamp.  

“Since May of 2009, we have worked with industry and educational leaders to create transformational strategies in Information Technology and Data at MNPS.” said John Williams, Vice President, Technology, Metro Nashville Public Schools.  “On April 23, we will deliver on another of these strategies: to make students partners in technology in the classroom.”

Friday, April 23, 2010
9:00 AM – 1:00 AM
Martin Center
2400 Fairfax Avenue
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 298-8456

Open to all high school students in the Middle Tennessee region.  To register, please visit http://www.firstcamp.net.

There will be four tracks for high schools students to present their ideas:
1. Video/Gaming
2. Mobile/Application Development
3. Social Media/Location Based Services
4. Stand Up/Impromptu Discussion

“Nashville is in a unique position to capitalize on several macro economic trends including entrepreneurialism, an outstanding university system, the need for innovation, and a favorable local business environment.” said J. Tod Fetherling, President/CEO for the Nashville Technology Council.  “This in turn creates an opportunity for the technology industry, but we must have an active and engaged pipeline of high school students and college graduates to achieve our long term goals.”

Volunteers for the event include MNPS, Nashville State Community College, Tennessee State University, Deloitte, Nashville Technology Council, Digital Nashville, and others.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Technology Scholarship Fund as part of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Nashville Tech Story (3/12/10)

April 23rd, 2010, Nashville will hold it’s first FirstCamp “un-conference” for high school students, designed to engage students into technology by allowing them to present and discuss their ideas.

In addition,  thought leaders from the community will help guide and develop their ideas.  Sign up to speak, and influence our future technology leaders.

Based on the BarCamp and PodCamp, which typically host 500-600 people from the business community,  FirstCamp will be the vehicle to introduce and excite high school students about technology. Built in a true “un”-conference fashion, FirstCamp is a free event supported entirely by its generous sponsors. It is expecting between 150-200 students in 2010!

Students can “become a digital rockstar,” by attending breakout sessions focused on design, social media, podcasting, online video and much more.  Students are also encourage to present a session.

Keep up with the latest news about FirstCamp Nashville by following us on Twitter @firstcampnash.

Nashville Tech Story (4/7/10)

MTSU’s  Innovation in Information Technology program will be conducting summer computer camps during the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012. Starting from the 9^th grade, interested local high school students, will be invited to attend one of the three one week (full-time, 40 hour) summer camps: the Alice camp, the Robotics camp, and the Multi-media camp. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer science through experiences that have proven successful in advancing learning of high school students.

The week-long camps will be free to attend but seating will be limited. The specific dates, times, and camps offered will vary by location (MTSU – Murfreesboro, NSCC – Nashville, and AAMU – Huntsville). Links to detailed information by location and online applications are located at the bottom of this page.

Typical camps include:

Alice Camp

Alice is a 3-D graphical programming language from Carnegie-Mellon that provides an “objects-first” approach to teaching programming. The Alice environment allows a student to create graphical animations and video games without the challenges that often accompany other approaches to learning programming for the first time.

Robotics Camp

Students participating in the Robotics camp will have intensive training and hands-on learning opportunities constructing and programming Lego NXT robots. The students will learn to build and program robots for tasks, such as navigating a maze, arranging cola cans in a specific configuration, or sumo wrestling. The robot programming will be done using RoboLab, a graphical programming environment, built based on the successful LabView software for visual programming. It is flexible, easy to learn, yet sophisticated enough for complex programming tasks.

Multimedia Camp (A & M and MTSU only)

The Multimedia Programming camp teaches students basic script programming using python, as it is applied to create and manipulate graphics, photos, sound files, and video. Python, with its unique built-in features, is powerful and easy to learn. Students will be able to write programs that simulate the interesting features found in professional photo, music, and video editors.

Networking Camp (Nashville State only)

The networking camp teaches students basic networking concepts. The process of networking enables computers and other devices to communicate with each other, which is important in the age of internet. Students will setup machines and create Ethernet cables that will be used to network and communicate with other computers and devices. Students will also learn how to setup wireless equipment.

For more detailed information, and to secure an online application, click here.

Nashville Tech Story (4/6/10)

Calling all innovators…to connect, collaborate and create. The Tennessee Technology Development Corporation is hosting its annual Tennessee Innovation Conference and Venture Showcase, May 10-11, at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. The Tennessee Innovation Conference is designed to provide practical, useful information to innovators and entrepreneurs with the goal of creating and supporting more high-growth enterprises in Tennessee. Furthermore, the Venture Showcase will provide a glimpse into the Volunteer State’s economic future by showcasing interactions between investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and professional service providers. A special reception sponsored by the Nashville Health Care Council and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce will be held Monday, May 10.

If you are interested in learning more about innovation in Tennessee and the fundamentals of building high-growth companies, this event is for you. Join us May 10-11 for a unique learning and networking experience.

Who Should Attend:
Venture Capitalists
Angel Investors
High-potential Entrepreneurs
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Scientists/Researchers
Inventors
Service Providers to High-growth Firms
Government Officials

Technology Transfer Professionals

Hotel Information:

Hotel reservations can be made by calling Loews Vanderbilt Hotel at 1-800-336-3335. Please specify that you are part of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation block to receive the special group rate of $119/night. The reservation deadline is April 17.

This strategic event to strengthen Tennessee’s economy is being underwritten by TTDC and partner organizations. As such, there is no registration fee to attend the conference, and the dress is business casual.
Tennessee Innovation Conference & Venture Showcase Agenda

For more information, and to register, click here.

Nashville Tech Story (3/29/10)

NASHVILLE TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL TO HOST 2nd ANNUAL TECHNET EVENT
Networking for Job Seekers, Entrepreneurs and Future Graduate Students

The Nashville Technology Council will host its second annual TechNet event from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 17th at the Nashville Convention Center.

TechNet is a special event hosted by the Nashville Technology Council to provide technology job seekers, employers, and higher education institutions with the opportunity to network together.  It is designed to help unemployed technology workers find new jobs, provide a direction to help them further their education, and provide networking opportunities.

Attendance at TechNet is free. Exhibits will feature technology companies looking for new talent, staffing agencies looking for the perfect person to place, and Universities offering higher education options. Companies will have the opportunity to exhibit for only $150.

In addition to an exhibitor showcase, the event will feature three breakout sessions including a Resume Building Workshop, a Business Plan Workshop for Entrepreneurs, and a College Workshop on Advanced Degrees. Fifteen area academic institutions will be participating, as well as local area staffing and placement firms.

“This event is designed to connect technology talent from Middle Tennessee and the surrounding states with potential employers,” said J. Tod Fetherling, President/CEO of the Nashville Technology Council. “TechNet is an effort to not only stimulate job growth in technology community, but to encourage workers to continue their education and promote Nashville’s entrepreneurial spirit.”  

Last year, this event attracted over 250 unemployed technology workers as well as future college graduates, who were looking for employment or additional information on higher education. This year, we expect an even higher attendance.  If you are interested in attending this event or exhibiting, visit http://www.technologycouncil.com/2010/02/22/april-17-technet/.

Nashville Technology Blog (3/26/2010)

Please take a few minutes and fill out your Census 2010 forms.  These need to be returned as soon as possible.  It is very important that everyone complete the form.  It is our time to be counted.

Nashville Tech Story (3/24/10)

By now we have all heard about the Health Insurance Reform package passed late Sunday evening.  We have been looking for a good summary.  Deloitte sent us the following link to help us keep up with the progress of the bill as the Senate reconciles its version to the House Bill that was passed.  We didn’t think you wanted to read all 2,400 pages of the bill.  The market responded positively yesterday, but there are many tanning salons looking for new revenue streams this morning.

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Insights/Browse-by-Content-Type/Newsletters/health-care-reform-memo/315a3bd377587210VgnVCM100000ba42f00aRCRD.htm

The cost of the House reconciliation bill is $940 billion over 10 years. Major expenses are:

• $434 billion for expansion of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plans enrollment
• $466 billion for subsidies to fund insurance for individuals and families up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level
• $40 billion for small employer tax credits

Among the proposed sources of funding from the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) preliminary analysis combining HR3590 and HR4872 are:

• $60 billion penalties paid by individuals and employers that do not buy insurance*
• $196 billion in reduced Medicare scheduled payments
• $36 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid Disproportionate Share (DSH) payments
• $70 billion from premiums for long-term care insurance (CLASS Act)
• $132 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage Plans
• $32 billion from taxes on Cadillac health plans*
• $103 billion Medicare payroll tax increases*
• $57 billion excise taxes on insurance companies (2014-2018), plus $14.3 billion per year plus adjustment thereafter*
• $31 billion excise taxes on brand name pharmaceutical companies (2010-2019), plus $2.8 billion per year thereafter*
• 2.3 percent sales tax on medical devices*
• $58 billion Pell Grant privatization (unrelated to health reform)

Source: CBO Preliminary Analysis, March 20, 2010

Nashville Tech Story (3/23/10)

NASHVILLE: NOW HIRING

The Nashville Technology Council today announced the release of its Q1 2010 Technology Hiring Trends Report.  After extensive research, the report reveals over 420 technical jobs available in the Middle Tennessee area.  The report was generated from public job postings from large job portals (i.e. CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.), specialty technology sites (i.e. Dice) and local employer sites.

The highest number of openings came from enterprise health care technology companies: Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Health Care Management Systems (HMS), and Community Health Systems (CHS).   In addition, other local industry heavyweights like music, publishing, manufacturing, and transactions continue to post job openings in technology.

The most prevalent technology positions are in Management.  Management is followed by Analyst, Developers, and Network Engineers.  In addition to job openings, the report also illustrates programming languages that are most needed in the today’s technology industry.  .Net, and Java are in highest demand for potential employees, as well as SQL database positions.

“Technology is revolutionizing industries in healthcare, digital content, publishing, and transactions,” said J. Tod Fetherling, President/CEO of Nashville Technology Council. “Nashville’s creative and educational communities are being relied on to assist in transforming music, healthcare, and transactional industries.  This will create exciting new opportunities for employment for the foreseeable future.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “there were 2.7 million job openings on the last business day of January 2010 nationwide. The job openings rate rose over the month to 2.1 percent, the highest the rate has been since February 2009.”

To view the full report, click here.