AIM Giglink will debut May 1.
The platform enables project managers to work quickly and easily with specialized provider groups.
The result is a drastic reduction in hard and soft project costs, faster completion of projects, and high success rates.
Giglink is a Vendor Project Management System (VPMS). It is the first all-in-one vendor management software that combines traditional vendor management tools with project collaboration software.
Giglink offers access to hundreds of technology consultants, engineers and project managers in multiple categories, searchable by both skill type and brand.
Experts are organized in the following areas:
-Applications
-Cloud/SaaS
-Compliance
-Data and Business Intelligence
-Database Administration
-DevOps
-Development
-Infrastructure
-Marketing
-Networking
-Quality Assurance/Testing
-Security
-Spend Analysis
-Storage
The platform streamlines project scoping and estimating, standardizes legal, provides project collaboration features, and offers administrative controls for managing multiple users and projects from an easy to use dashboard.
The Giglink website will debut May 1. For more information, contact Jon White at jwhite@nullaiminstitute.org.
OMAHA – Elections Systems and Software announced it has hired Christopher Wlaschin as Vice President of Systems Security.
Wlaschin was formerly chief information security officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Elections Systems and Software is an Omaha-based company that provides voting machines, election management systems, and services.
In his role, Wlaschin will be responsible for company-wide security efforts, including product, operational and infrastructure security.
Wlaschin has held other senior cybersecurity leadership positions in both the public and private sector, including the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Research Corporation, and the University of Nebraska, according to an ES&S media release.
PAPILLION – Infogroup, a Papillion-based company that provides data and data-driven marketing solutions, has named a new chief digital officer.
Tom Zawacki will oversee development, planning and execution of digital strategy expansion and lead new product development and sales enablement programs, according to a media release.
Prior to joining Infogroup, Zawacki was SVP of corporate strategy and innovation at Rocket Fuel.
Zawacki will oversee development, planning and execution of digital strategy expansion and lead new product development and sales enablement programs, according to the media release.
The first event will take place in the morning on Thursday, April 19, and will feature speaker Marco Floreani with the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
The quarterly meetup will focus on bringing job seekers and employers together in an environment that is less formal than a career fair, but more personal than a job application.
“I meet brilliant people every day who are struggling to find a job, I meet employers who are struggling to find amazing people, and a lot of times, they don’t get connected, and this will help them do that,” said AIM Tech Talent director Jonathon White, who is organizing the meetup.
Floreani is the Omaha Chamber’s Manager of Business Development. His presentation will focus on the opportunities and challenges of expanding Omaha’s tech base.
“Marco does amazing work in attracting tech companies and retaining the ones that are here, which is so important,” said White. “The information he’ll be sharing is a great fit for everything that we are trying to do here at AIM with Tech Concierge.”
White joined AIM as Tech Talent Director in February and brings around 14 years of staffing and recruiting experience to the role. He says he wants the Tech Concierge service to be a bridge between employers and job seekers that helps them connect more quickly.
“By the time a job is posted, [the employer] is already behind the eight ball,” said White. “The longer the job posting is out there, the more painful it is for the business. And the longer it’s open, it makes it more difficult to consider people who have the ability, but don’t have five years’ experience doing whatever it is they need to do.”
The main goal of AIM’s Tech Concierge program is to keep the tech talent pipeline flowing. White says the new meetups will help with that goal for people on both sides of the job search.
“A lot of times, job seekers have made the right steps [in] getting their skills up, and some of them need help with connections, some need help with resumes and LinkedIn, [or] where to spend their energy,” said White. “Our whole mission here is to keep that pipeline going and serve our AIM partner members, and the Omaha community.”
The Tech Talent Meetup will take place Thursday morning at the AIM Exchange Building on the 7th floor, starting at 8 a.m. Click here for more information.
For more information about AIM’s Tech Concierge program, click here.
The program is geared toward information technology professionals interested in transitioning into leadership roles. Classes within the program offer the real-world experience of existing IT leaders to help participants gain a better understanding of the issues, challenges and skills needed to advance in their careers.
“It’s targeted at people who have been good technical employees, whether that’s been a programmer or network engineer or a business analyst or project manager,” said AIM Events Director Dave Vankat. “Whatever the role might be, there’s a number of people who are good in their technical skills who are thinking, do they want to make a transition into more of a leadership or management role within their organization?”
The program runs from April 26 through June 21. The group meets for one afternoon every other Thursday, with the exception of the last session, which is a full day. Topics include communication skills, resource optimization, performance improvement and relationship building.
“When you move up within an organization, a lot of the success is based on the relationships that you build, and understanding that organization, and how you develop those relationships so you can be successful,” said Vankat.
The conversations draw on real-life examples to illustrate the demands and decision-making involved in leading teams.
“One of the things we do in the program is that we have ‘day in the life of’ scenarios,” said Vankat. “We start each session with a real-life scenario or issue, which some of the existing leaders have had to deal with. They ask the class, here is the scenario, how would you deal with this?”
Another goal is to help organizations identify and grow future leaders.
“Every organization has a need to develop future leaders, whether it’s from attrition, retirement, people leaving the organization––they need to have a ready slate of candidates who might be able to fill those roles now, so that’s what the program is targeted to help,” said Vankat.
Registration for the Emerging Leaders program is open from now until through April 20. For more information, go to http://careerlink.com/lp/emerging-leaders-program/
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
