Catch up on regional tech news with these recent top stories from Silicon Prairie News. Click the headlines to read more.
The American Express 2017 State of Women-Owned Businesses report states that there are an estimated 11.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States which employ almost 9 million people and generate more than $1.7 trillion in revenues.
Additionally, the U.S. economy nets 849 new women-owned businesses a day, with over 600 of those being minority-owned.
Those numbers sound impressive but for certain states, the data shows a lack of women-founded high-growth businesses in tech, IT and finance
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Lincoln Cybersecurity firm Infogressive announced the expansion of their team on Monday with ten new team members including Chris Currin as Vice President of Sales.
“After 11 years of success, it’s time to take Infogressive to the next level,” said founder Justin Kallhoff. “We’ve been around a long time, and we know there’s a huge demand globally for cybersecurity. Our platform is proven over and over; we just need more people out there to tell the story.”
Currin is a 17-year managed security industry veteran and previously served in a variety of leadership roles for Solutionary (NTTSecurity).
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Lincoln’s FUSE has come a long way in five years.
Initially conceived as a coworking space by Bob Hinrichs, Andy Beecham and Matt Westenburg, the space has evolved into a hub of corporate and startup innovation that is feeding one of the Silicon Prairie’s most vibrant ecosystems.
“Everything that makes up a quick-growing startup or entrepreneurial ecosystem is all right here,” said Rena Valentino, Executive Director of FUSE. “It’s exciting to be a resource and a space for that dense activity to be happening.”
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Ali Schwanke burst onto Lincoln’s startup scene by winning Startup Weekend in 2013 with Exercise My Schedule, a tool to manage group fitness schedules. Today she is in her third year as Founder, CEO and Marketing Strategist for Simple Strat, a Lincoln marketing strategy startup.
“I initially wanted to pour all my time into growing the Exercise My Schedule app, and did consulting to fund the work toward that,” Schwanke said. “I saw a lot more success on the consulting side, so I leaned into that instead.”
That success led Schwanke to consider expanding.
The Omaha metropolitan area is once again getting accolades for growing and nurturing business on the Silicon Prairie.
This time, the recognition comes from Site Selection magazine, which named Omaha-Council Bluffs the number one area among similarly-sized regions for new and expanded corporate facilities.
Site Selection is a national publication geared toward CEOs and other decision-makers evaluating geographical areas to expand or relocate.
Here is Site Selection’s top-ten list among areas with populations between 200,000 and 1 million:
1. Omaha-Council Bluffs
2. Greensboro-High Point, N.C.
3. Three-way tie: Toledo, Ohio; Charleston-N. Charleston, S.C.; and Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, S.C.
6. Baton Rouge, La.
7. Akron, Ohio
8. Dayton, Ohio
9. Lincoln
10. Des Moines-W. Des Moines
This is the third year in a row Omaha and Council Bluffs have gotten the recognition and the fourth time overall.
The magazine cited an already robust tech presence in Omaha-Council Bluffs, and listed several high-growth business and civic projects that show the area’s commitment to economic development:
Facebook – Construction of a new data center in Papillion
Costco – Construction of a new poultry processing facility in Fremont resulting in $550M capital investment and 800 new jobs
Veramaris – A joint venture between Evonik and DSM resulting in a $200 million capital investment and 12 new and 130 retained jobs in Blair
Evolva – Long-term collaboration agreement with Cargill estimated at $60 million for the production and commercialization of a new Stevia sweetener and other products at Blair’s biocampus
Big Ox Energy – A Wisconsin-based byproduct waste recycling provider planning to invest $60 million in a new 70,000-square-foot facility in Blair that is expected to create at least 45 jobs
West Broadway Redevelopment – West Broadway Reconstruction project aiming to improve the first impression for those crossing the Missouri River and entering Council Bluffs
River’s Edge – A Council Bluffs pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use design plan endeavoring to revitalize and invigorate the area by creating a newfound sense of place and community
“This victory belongs to everyone. We’re cheering thanks to the strength of our six-county Economic Development Partnership. It’s a powerful collaboration – one that compels us to achieve daily excellence in the way we know best: together,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO, the Greater Omaha Chamber, in a media release. “This type of intentional, inventive teamwork means we do more than support the region’s interests, we invent the most inclusive, innovative future we can envision. We’re grateful to be part of a community where great teams make incredible things happen.”
READ MORE: Site Selection magazine article
The Greater Omaha area is home to nearly one million people across more than 30 diverse communities. With 40 percent of the metro’s population under the age of 24, a low cost of living and steady economic growth that is almost twice the national average, Omaha is proving to be fertile ground for small and emerging businesses (SEBs).
REACH, the Midwest’s largest, multi-partner initiative designed to increase certified SEBs, announced on Friday more than $6.1M over the past 30 months in contracts that have increased both access to construction projects and inclusivity.
“Many institutions and businesses, both large and small, have been seeking a way to assist small businesses and give back,” said Winsley Durand, executive director, REACH. “The REACH program has provided a vehicle that provides a collaborative and organized way for these firms to participate in helping to effectively grow our small business ecosystem.”
A program of the Greater Omaha Chamber, in partnership with community strategists, experts and entities, REACH reported more than $1.9M in financing and greater than $2.8M in bonding firms since the program’s inception.
The organization has also grown Omaha’s certified SEBs by more than 100 firms, thanks to 6,400-plus hours of one-on-one consultation or group education sessions.
“Our partnership with the Greater Omaha Chamber’s REACH program has provided new opportunities for small and emerging businesses to grow and compete,” said Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. “Workforce development is a priority for our administration. Our investment in REACH is an investment in these businesses and their employees. The return on our investment is their success.”
The Cloud Platform competency is designed for partners to capitalize on the growing demand for infrastructure and software as a service (SaaS) solutions built on Microsoft Azure.
To earn a Microsoft gold competency, partners must successfully complete exams (resulting in Microsoft Certified Professionals) to prove their level of technology expertise. Then, partners must designate those certified professionals uniquely to one Microsoft competency, ensuring a certain level of staffing capacity.
Customer references must also be submitted that demonstrate successful projects, meet a performance (revenue and/or consumption/usage) commitment (for most gold competencies), and pass technology and/or sales assessments.
“By achieving a gold competency, partners have demonstrated the highest, most consistent capability and commitment to the latest Microsoft technology,” said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “These partners have a deep expertise that puts them in the top of our partner ecosystem, and their proficiency will help customers drive innovative solutions.”
FNTS successfully demonstrated a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet Microsoft Corp. customers’ evolving needs in today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world and distinguishing itself within Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.
As technology rapidly changes, businesses seek out competitive advantages. One of those advantages comes from utilizing technology partners like FNTS to stay current on advances in cloud, software and data center offerings.
“Companies are becoming more reliant on cloud services, including Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365 to differentiate their businesses and connect with new customers,” said FNTS President, Kim Whittaker. “This Microsoft gold competency showcases our expertise in and commitment to today’s technology market and demonstrates our deep knowledge of Microsoft’s products and services. We plan to accelerate our customers’ success by serving as technology advisors for their business demands.”
The Nebraska Department of Education has approved Interface: The Web School courses to be eligible for GI Bill benefits, which provide education reimbursement and other benefits to service members following their service to the military.
Interface is one of just two code schools between Denver and Chicago to offer classes in web technologies that are eligible for GI Bill benefits.
“Meeting the growing demands for tech talent on the Silicon Prairie requires expanding access to education and career development training,” said AIM Institute President and CEO Kandace Miller. “AIM Institute is proud to work with the VA to help increase veterans’ access to life-changing training and education.”
As part of the non-profit AIM Institute, Interface School develops tech talent through hands-on educational programming and professional development training in the latest web technologies.
Veterans are now eligible to receive GI benefits to learn high-demand skills in web development, data science and computer languages in an accelerated format.
“Interface School is honored to serve veterans by providing technology training that can help them gain an edge in today’s rapidly changing job market by helping them learn and refine in-demand skills,” said LaShonna Dorsey, AIM Vice President of Business Development and Tech Talent, and Interface co-founder. “We’re excited to work with the VA to open doors that will help veterans pursue new opportunities in their lives through our courses.”
Interface: The Web School and Contemporary Analysis (CAN), a company specializing in predictive analytics, formed a teaching partnership called the Omaha Data Science Academy.
The 24-week certificate is now eligible for GI benefits. It is designed to build on existing data science knowledge, and leverage it for a competitive edge in the workforce.
“The skill sets of data scientists are one of the most highly paid skill sets in tech. Military veterans are a special type of person, trained to have high tenacity and discipline to find solutions when not readily apparent. The two together make something special,” said Nate Watson, president of Contemporary Analysis. “Now, vets can use their GI Bill to learn data science skills taught by the real-world data scientists of the Omaha Data Science Academy. This gives them a leg up on their competition for jobs both here and around the country. Not only do Omaha and Lincoln companies win by having world-class talent to recruit from, but vets win by getting relevant, real-world training. Win/win!”
Kent Smotherman, AIM Director of Adult Tech Education, is looking forward to working with more veterans, and helping them enter the tech talent pipeline. It’s an important aspect of TechHire, a national initiative expanding learning opportunities, transforming hiring practices and building inclusive tech communities, which Omaha is a part of.
“It’s exciting to be able to offer veterans the opportunity to learn skills that will not only help them develop professionally, but also help our community advance as a tech community through their contributions,” said Smotherman, who has more than 34 years of development experience.
The GI Bill provides education benefits for service members who have served on active duty for 90 or more days.
In addition to providing benefits for traditional college degrees, it also offers options to veterans for accelerated non-college training programs such as Interface School.
Veterans applying to Interface Web School will need to complete VA Form 22-1999 as part of the enrollment process. The VA facility code for Interface is 3-5-0008-27. Anyone with questions can contact us here.
For more information on VA Education Benefits, click here.
