As a member of the Arizona Technology Council, you now have the ability to save money by accessing the premier health benefits programs offered by Banner|Aetna.
Just as innovation is at the heart of your tech business, we have made it our mission to create an innovative solution that is changing the way we think about and use health care today. No longer does health care have to be expensive, confusing and, frankly, a headache.
Banner|Aetna is a result of a collaboration between two industry leaders: Banner Health and Aetna. This unique collaboration has enabled us to address the need for diversified solutions and offer health care in our market that is easier, proven and revolutionary.
We provide sustainable solutions to address some of the critical issues we are facing in the current health care system by working to achieve:
- Patient-centered experiences designed to support members’ health goals
- Personalization through analytics and digital tools
- Connected care through local hospitals, local physicians and our local non-clinical care network
- Efficient processes; transparent and predictable costs
We are disrupting the status quo by embracing a new model of care delivery that provides reliable and cost-efficient care to members. The advantage of this joint venture between Banner Health and Aetna is that it allows us to leverage our resources to connect to a business model that consistently strives for value-based health care along with a seamless member experience. The combination of these elements is uncommon in the health care industry as a whole.
We also know that one size does not fit all when it comes to health care, so we’re excited to offer our high-quality, affordable health care solutions tailored to businesses like yours. Your employees deserve a health plan that puts their needs first, and you deserve a health plan that keeps your costs down. When your employees get the care they need to reach their best health, your company benefits from quality health, lower medical costs and higher productivity. Ultimately, the Banner|Aetna health benefits program can help your tech business decrease health care costs, putting more money back into your pocket.
Our solutions are highly tech-focused with electronic enrollment and administration, connected online member portal and resources, and a discounted Apple Watch® program for members. We also aim to lead the way in virtual health care in our market in the upcoming years.
With Banner|Aetna, you can experience the most coordinated care plan option through the Banner Health Network*, which now includes the HonorHealth network, and includes:
- 2,140+ primary care doctors
- 11,600+ specialists
- 26 hospitals
- 140+ urgent care centers
- 12 Banner health centers
- 55+ walk-in clinics
If your tech company is looking to offer employees a high-quality, cost-efficient health plan, we’ve got a solution for you. For more information on the Banner|Aetna health benefits program exclusively for AZTC members, download our brochure here.
Rhian Madrid is the small group sales manager for Banner|Aetna. Reach him at [email protected] or 602-659-9062.
*Numbers are based on Aetna’s internal provider network data as of October 2016 and are subject to change without notice as participating providers join or leave Aetna’s network. Some providers practice solely within a facility setting and are not available to members for appointment.
CIRQ+ Honored as Best New Hotel Product and Best of Show at the Hotel Experience (HX) in New York City
CIRQ+, a disruptive IoT technology, took top honors as Best New Hotel Product and Best of Show during the 2018 Editor’s Choice Awards at the Hotel Experience (HX) Sunday, Nov. 11 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.
All HX exhibitors were invited to enter a new product – introduced to the market since November 2017. Entries were judged by editors of the hospitality industry’s leading trade magazines including Glenn Hasek, Green Lodging News; Stefani O’Connor, Hotel Management; Michael Scinto, Total Food Service; and Gregg Wallis, Hotel Business.
CIRQ+ is a patented, cloud-based platform that instantly modernizes any hotel room by transforming into a Smart Room for Smart Guests. The state-of-the-art Energy Management System (EMS), combined with a modular and future-proofed in-room hub, bridges the gap between guest comfort and engagement while reducing property operating costs.
The system consolidates numerous legacy in-room products into a unified solution – from EMS, power outlets, charging, alarm clock, Bluetooth speaker, to thermostat controls and more. Guests can control their in-room settings from an app on their mobile phone or from the CIRQ+ in-room hub, giving them comfort, convenience and connectivity at their fingertips. Additionally, guests have the ability to migrate their personal preferences from CIRQ+ enabled properties to maximize their experience, build loyalty and add value.
The platform allows properties to stay current with evolving technology and the needs of guests without undergoing major disruption or investment. The system has been commercialized to evolve with the ever-shifting demands brought on by time, technology changes, and tech savvy guests for years to come.
HX is a high visibility, hospitality focused conference that is attended by more than 7,000 hotel owners, GMs and operators from around the world.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by industry leaders and experts who understand how our CIRQ+ platform can be a disruptive solution for hotels allowing them to instantly modernize their rooms and reduce energy consumption with a unified system,” said Yani Deros, Founder and CEO of CIRQ+.
In addition to the prestigious award, CIRQ+ was one of five finalists for the annual HX TECHPitch. Deros also engaged with other Forward Thinking Leaders during the Fireside Chat on Emerging Trends.
About CIRQ+
CIRQ+ is a disruptive hospitality technology firm, based in Scottsdale, AZ, whose mission is to seamlessly create new levels of guest engagement while reducing energy consumption for hotels and property owners worldwide. www.cirqplus.com
BrightGuest and Qwick Named Finalists in Innovation Contest
Two member companies of the Arizona Technology Council are among the 20 finalists in the fall 2018 round of the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Arizona Innovation Challenge, a biannual business plan competition for promising early-stage companies in high-growth industries.
Gilbert-based BrightGuest Technologies and Phoenix-based Qwick are part of the IT-software sector that made up 60 percent of the semifinalists named in the competition. BrightGuest lets users create smart microsites and deliver to their audiences through text messaging and social chat while Qwick connects hospitality professionals with on-demand food and beverage shifts in real time.
Up to 10 companies will receive up to $150,000 each in capital to grow their businesses, advancing innovation and technology commercialization opportunities in Arizona. Judges assessed each application on criteria including technology potential, marketing strategy, quality of management team and economic impact.
Airobotics Obtains FAA Waiver
As the only company in the nation to receive a special certificate of waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, unmanned aerial vehicles maker Airobotics is off to a flying start as it settles into its new U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale.
The certificate features three elements for flight: beyond visual line of sight for automated drone operations, over human beings and with a visual observer that is not required to keep a visual line of sight on the drone.
Founded in Israel, Airobotics can use the waiver to operate from the company’s Remote Operations Center in Scottsdale with an emphasis on the mining sector, as well as other industrial facilities in the country.
CIRQ+ Honored as Best New Hotel Product
CIRQ+, a disruptive IoT technology, took top honors as Best New Hotel Product and Best of Show during the 2018 Editor’s Choice Awards at the Hotel Experience (HX) Sunday, Nov. 11 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Learn more about the award here.
Cybba Inc Releases Insight Surveys
A key way to increase customer retention is by gaining insights on your customers’ online experience and overall satisfaction with your brand.
To help brands gain valuable customer insight, Cybba is launching its new onsite engagement extension: insight surveys.
See the full article here.
Surprise TechCelerator Program Earns Innovation Award
The city of Surprise’s AZ TechCelerator Global Concierge Services Program has been named winner of Global Chamber Phoenix’s Excellence in Innovation Award by Westmarc.
The city’s program offers international businesses a unique “soft landing” program to help international companies that want to expand into the United States with less upfront costs and risks but with more support resources.
The award was developed to recognize individuals, organizations, businesses, facilities or programs that have demonstrated an innovative concept to accomplish one of the following: fulfills a need for residents of the Phoenix area’s West Valley, preserves the West Valley’s assets or resources and creates an economic benefit for the West Valley.
Aspect Named Leader in Workforce Management Market
Aspect Workforce Management from Phoenix-based Aspect Software has been named the market share leader in North America in Pelorus Associates’ 2018 World Contact Center Workforce Management Systems Market report.
Aspect’s WFM share of 29.8 percent is the largest in North America. Pelorus Associates is an independent consulting company specializing in the contact center space
Aspect, a leading provider of fully integrated consumer engagement, workforce optimization and self-service solutions, has retained market share leadership due to its ongoing technological innovation, success of the product portfolio and reputation for exceptional customer care.
This is a guest post by Cybba, Inc.
Consumers engage online across an increasing choice of platforms and devices.
These include smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, game consoles, Smart TVs, and other connected gadgets. A typical user can check Facebook posts on his smartphone, do online research on his work desktop, watch YouTube videos on a tablet, shop online on his home laptop, and track his workout on his Fitbit.
Cross device targeting is the practice of identifying and delivering advertising to consumers across multiple platforms and devices. According to Statista, there will be 6.58 network connected devices per person globally by 2020. Advertising to a person across every device they own is a challenge faced by advertisers.
Cross device targeting can be achieved by one of two methods: Deterministic vs. Probabilistic.
Deterministic Cross Device Tracking
Deterministic cross device targeting is when an identifier, such as an email or login credential, is used to determine that two or more devices are being used by the same person. This method for cross device targeting is more accurate because the identifier used is unique to an individual.
However, deterministic targeting is limited in reach. A user needs to enter their information on multiple devices to tie those devices to the same user. Only companies with sizable logged in emails or user credentials, such as the “walled gardens” of Facebook and Google, can effectively use deterministic cross device targeting on their own.
Probabilistic Cross Device Tracking
Probabilistic cross device matching is done when you do not have the data to deterministically link individual users to specific devices. For example, non-personal information, such as IP addresses, operating system, device make and model, and cookie data from website visits, may be used to infer that multiple devices are probably linked to a single user.
Probabilistic targeting works by creating a model based on devices which are found to regularly spend time in the same location. This model is then further trained and validated using known shared devices. However, there are shortfalls to the probabilistic approach. According to the IAB, mobile cookie tracking has limitations across devices (iOS vs. Android) and environments (mobile web browsers vs. mobile apps). In addition, an IP address may be inaccurate if multiple people reside in the same household.
Benefits of Cross Device Targeting
The goal of cross device targeting is to provide a seamless customer experience to deliver truly personalized messaging no matter what device a consumer is using. The desire is to link targeted mobile users to unique audience segmentations. Messaging can then be customized to consumer profiles based on a user’s mobile activity and insights on their demographics, consumer interests, shopping behaviors, and purchasing patterns.
The benefits of cross device targeting are improved ad targeting, personalization, and measurement capabilities. The need for customer insights collected across devices should be balanced with the protection of consumer privacy. As progress continues, marketers need to stay abreast of the latest technological developments.
For further reading:
The Benefits and Perils of Cross-Device Tracking
What Is Cross-Device Identification and How Can Marketers Use It?
This is a guest blog article by Curt Cornum of Insight.
High school STEM assistive technology competition connects young innovators with experts in smart devices to solve real-world challenges.
Imagine being asked to create an IoT-enabled minimal viable product (MVP) in less than four weeks and then being given just eight minutes to pitch your solution to a panel of judges. This was the challenge presented to several Valley high-school STEM teams, who excelled at creating and then presenting their projects during a competitive pitch session last Saturday at Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library reminiscent of the “Shark Tank.”
Creativity, teamwork and technical prowess were on display by the students taking part in the inaugural MAKERS of Change Assistive Technology Challenge sponsored by Southwest Human Development and Insight Enterprises. Eight high-school teams spent the last month enhancing assistive equipment originally built by Southwest Human Development’s ADAPT Shop. The overall winning team, the Bronco Boys from Brophy College Preparatory, received a $500 check to use as proceeds to support their technology club. They also have a chance to work with the ADAPT Shop to further develop their solution, a chair with sensors that monitor the movements of a 2-year-old suffering from hypotonia after a near drowning. Other winning teams, like the all-girls team from Education Empowers, Inc. also created an MVP that has a good chance at becoming a commercially viable device.
The ADAPT Shop and its dedicated team of therapists and fabricators provides children 5 and under who have physical disabilities with the tools they need to become independent participants in regular activities enjoyed by others their age. The STEM teams turned that equipment into smart devices for four real-life scenarios experienced by children who are restricted by issues like muscular dystrophy, developmental delays and seizures.
I appreciate Southwest Human Development and Insight for letting me play a part in coordinating the event as well as serving on the judging committee – it’s always rewarding to work with up-and-coming tech enthusiasts, especially when it’s for a good cause.
For some time now, I have been on a mission to help people put the power of technology to work, and doing it through community outreach efforts that in turn strengthen people’s lives makes the mission even more meaningful. MAKERS of Change not only enhances assistive equipment, it gives teenagers a better perspective of STEM-related careers. They are the future of science and technology, and based on the solutions they presented, our future is bright.
I’ve volunteered at a variety of STEM and IoT events – both through my involvement with the Arizona Technology Council and Insight’s Noble Cause program – and there are two aspects that make the MAKERS of Change challenge stand out. First, integrating technology with people and providing an augmented environment to solve their real-world problems is really powerful. The second aspect is that we’re actually benefiting kids with some pretty significant challenges.
I’ve been inspired to become more involved in STEM events because, having seen how rapidly technology has evolved throughout my own career, I know how important it is for future generations to grasp its potential early on. When I was younger, I had a phobia around math; if I had gotten over that fear earlier, I likely would have gotten involved in technology sooner. I want others to realize their potential in this field too, even if they might not initially realize their capabilities.
This is the first event I’ve actually judged, and it’s rewarding to help high-school students think deeper about taking a great concept sketched out on paper and transforming it into a commercially viable solution. Even more gratifying about the MAKERS of Change Assistive Technology Challenge was seeing their passion and hunger to truly help younger children overcome everyday challenges, and using their ingenuity to make it happen.
I hope the students participating in this competition come away with a better sense of what’s possible through technology – and through their own potential. Hopefully they also realize there is a community of technology-based MAKERS out there ready and willing to help them reach their full potential.
The community aspect of MAKERS of Change is a vital part of this event. There’s the digital community and then there’s a broader community impacted by the individuals working with assistive technology. Overall, events like this broaden our views of the meaningful connections created by these solutions, especially coming from the power of young minds.
Curt Cornum is vice president of global business transformation at Insight and chairs the Arizona Technology Council’s IoT committee.
GPS Insight Welcomes Three to C-Suite
Gary Fitzgerald has been promoted to chief executive officer of Scottsdale-based GPS Insight, a leading provider of tailored fleet management solutions. Rob Donat, former CEO and founder, will remain with the company as chairman of the board.
Fitzgerald had served as vice president of technology, leading the company’s product development efforts, technical teams and security practice. He joined GPS Insight in 2016 from GE, where he served as an enterprise architect.
In other appointments, Wayne Holder, the company’s controller, moves to the chief financial officer role and Jason Walker, vice president of sales, becomes chief revenue officer. In their new capacities, Holder will take a more active role in financial planning and analysis while Walker will take an expanded role in marketing and indirect sales.
Paradox Brings Three to Leadership Team
Scottsdale-based Paradox, the leading assistive intelligence platform for talent acquisition and candidate experience, has expanded the company’s leadership team:
- Eric Nelson will serve as chief revenue officer. He most recently served as senior vice president of sales for HireVue, where he led the high growth North American sales organization.
- Jessica Rush joined the team as chief marketing officer, responsible for driving the company’s brand, digital and experiential marketing efforts, and sales enablement. Previously, Rush served as CEO of Recruiting.com, where she also led digital marketing, channel partnerships and client experience.
- Fay Hennessy is appointed to vice president of talent, with leadership responsibility for talent acquisition, talent development and performance improvement. Her most recent consulting role was at EY, where she helped with organization alignment, performance improvement, strategic planning, and people and process change management.
New HR VP Named at Versum Materials
Meili Chen is the new vice president, human resources for Tempe-based Versum Materials, a leading materials supplier to the semiconductor industry.
In this role, she is responsible for the global human resources function and broadening the company’s global talent development and performance management systems as it evolves.
Chen previously was the global head of human resources at FMC’s Agricultural Solutions business. She has broad human resources experience with several materials and technology-focused companies, including GE, Cigna, Rohm and Haas, Dow, Valspar, Danaher and FMC.
Sensagrate Wins $10 Million Financing Prize
Scottsdale-based Sensagrate, a smart city infrastructure-to-vehicle communication platform, claimed the first-place prize of $10 million in financing for its Safer and Smarter Arizona Roadways Initiative (SSARI) project at the 2018 Smart Infrastructure Challenge in Ohio.
The competition was part of the 2nd annual Smart Region Conference that brought together government, industry and academic leaders working to research, plan, fund, and deploy smart and connected technologies, policies and strategies. As part of the challenge, regional teams of public and private sector partners pitched their smart and connected projects to compete for more than $50 million in project financing.
SARI’s mission is to build more efficient roadways by fostering connected and automated vehicle development and deployment corridors. A communication platform will be developed to assist government agencies in understanding and processing data generated from the transportation infrastructure and the data communicated through technology communications.
TEKsystems Plans to Add 300 Employees to AZ Workforce Over Three Years
Technology services provider TEKsystems plans to add 300 new employees to its Arizona workforce over the next three years after obtaining an additional 24,000 square feet of office space at its West Coast corporate campus in Tempe for its TEKsystems Delivery Center.
The expansion will facilitate further growth for the global delivery organization. The company already employs over 1,100 people in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.
TEKsystems serves the strategy, implementation and talent needs of more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. It continues to develop successful strategies for the region’s leading technology initiatives across multiple industries.
Cable ONE Tops in Customer Satisfaction
Phoenix-based Cable ONE has earned the No. 1 spot in J.D. Power’s 2018 residential Internet service provider satisfaction study for the western region of the United States.
Among the 12 companies studied across the western region, Cable ONE achieved the highest numerical score for overall customer satisfaction, as well as the highest scores in three of the five study factors: billing, communication and customer service.
With a score of 722 on a 1,000-point scale, Cable ONE outperformed all competitors. The remaining two factors of the five are network performance and reliability, and cost of service.
Cybba Inc Talks Millennialls + Online Shopping
In one article, experts from Cybba discuss how millennials are reshaping the travel industry.
Millennials are now actively part of the labor force and a significant part of the economy. With an estimated $200 billion in buying power, they are reshaping the travel industry, and prompting marketers to adapt their communication strategies, travel services, and engagement platforms.
In the next article, Cybba marketers profile the five types of online shoppers you can expect to encounter.
The state of Arizona has launched the Institute for Automated Mobility, a public-private consortium to focus on the liability, regulatory and safety implications of automated vehicles as the group develops standards and best practices for the industry.
The Arizona Commerce Authority will oversee the institute and direct its mission to shape the future of automated transportation science, safety and policy. The consortium is already working on liability and regulatory research, as well as plans for an enclosed 2.1-mile safety test track.
According to this press release, Intel will work with all partners offering Mobileye’s Responsibility Sensitive Safety (RSS) model as a starting point for building their solutions. RSS is already deployed by Baidu* in its Project Apollo and Apollo Pilot Programs for Automated Driving.
Founding institute partners include Intel, Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and The University of Arizona. The partners determine research priorities and targeted outcomes and may sponsor ancillary research.
This is a guest blog post by the team at Enliven Production Group.
People want to attend events with purpose. However, when planning an event, realize “purpose” means different things for different generation groups.
Event organizers today must deal with an unprecedented reality – their audience may include people who fall into at least three and maybe four different generations. Yes, there are still people born before and during World War II contributing to the workforce. Now, their children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren are, too.
What does this wide range of ages, cultural touchstones and communication styles mean for meeting organizers? We will explain some of the general behavioral preferences for each group, but you should understand that these apply broadly, and individuals are always different from one another.
Here’s the gist:
Traditionals, as those born before 1945 are called, make up a decreasing slice of today’s workforce. As they exit, they are taking with them vast amounts of institutional knowledge and skill. These could be your keynote speakers, trainers or honorees for lifetime achievements. But there are so few, you probably won’t see many of them at your event.
The next generation, the Baby Boomers, were born from the mid-1940s until the mid-1960s. This age range represents about 30 percent of the workforce, says Pew Research Center. They are used to being recognized for their experience and are motivated by praise.
Generation X, children of the Boomers born from the mid-1960s to early 1980s, make up about 33 percent of today’s workers. This is the first generation to experience digital technology as children and young adults. They see training and professional development as a way to boost their versatility in the marketplace, not as a reward for sticking with one firm. In fact, unlike Baby Boomers who often spend their entire careers with one company, Gen Xers aren’t necessarily loyal to the company that gave them experience – instead they are loyal to themselves.
Gen Y or Millennials, those born from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, recently surpassed Gen X to become the largest share of the American workforce – about 35 percent and growing. These “digital natives” never knew a time before cell phones, computers or the internet. They’re used to finding information quickly and easily, and are often at the cutting edge of cultural, media and technology change.
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT OR WANT TO LEARN MORE
Meeting Purpose
One similarity all the generations have is that they need to feel the event they are attending has purpose. But purpose means different things for each. For Baby Boomers, the event’s purpose should include a celebratory, public recognition component with tangible awards they can hang on their walls. Boomers love praise.
Gen Xers, however, are more motivated by time off – so if your event gives them the opportunity for free time where they can balance work with play, they’ll be happy. And a more casual, flexible meeting schedule works for them versus an agenda programmed exclusively with workshops and trainings.
Gen Y, on yet another hand, wants to tie an event to a social mission that reflects the core values of your business. “They want to know why you are hosting an event and why they should be there. How will attending change their lives?” Says Jeff Gruber, Human Resources Consultant. “To the degree that you can, speak to this audience with a cause. Frame it as what your product/service does that makes things better or solves a problem. This speaks to Gen Y’s need to belong to something that’s bigger than themselves.”
So, give them an opportunity to give back and connect with your mission, too, through volunteering or fundraising.
Digital and In-Person Connections
Here’s another meeting consideration that spans the generations in different ways. While Gen Y (who many, by the way, hate to be called Millennials) are the most comfortable with technology, they do want to connect in person. For example, they enjoy having a meeting app to automate check-in, organize schedules, and engage them in the event. Yet, first connecting in the physical world and then maintaining relationships in the digital realm is the new norm, says Smart Meetings. For them, create small groups, interactive workshops, and time for one-on-one socializing and in-person networking.
Boomers and Gen X aren’t technologically inept, either, so your meeting app works great for them as well. In fact, Gen Xers’ love of pragmatism and efficiency means they’ll definitely use your app. But these generations also want face-to-face time. Gen X wants it with a clear focus – networking, training, awards, me-time (self-improvement). Boomers want all the face-to-face you can give them, because this is where they start, build and maintain relationships.
Gruber ads that Gen Y, again because of their digital upbringing, have shorter attention spans. “The more short, concise activity, and the more energy in your sessions, the better for them,” he says. “Baby Boomers will sit through hours of PowerPoint and not be fidgety. Gen Y will get up and leave. They want and need diverse enhancement and delivery of content that’s multimedia in nature. For them, use video, music, animation, etc.”
Memorable Events
Finally, your event must be memorable for everyone involved. How do you do that if the majority of your next meeting’s attendees fall into multiple generation groups, especially with competing meanings of what’s important to them?
At Enliven, the best advice we have found is to ask your participants what they find memorable. Don’t assume that your idea of a huge gala with catered dinner will appeal to everyone. Some will prefer an Instagram-able meet up with beer flights in a local brew-pub. Others might appreciate yoga sessions with the hottest alternative guru, or a chance to build food boxes at the local nonprofit food bank.
Bottom line? The make-up of your audience matters – each generation group has different likes, dislikes, wants and needs. What’s your experience with different generations at your events? We’d love to hear from you.
Level 4 self-driving truck hauls hundreds of cases of food 120 miles, providing thousands of meals to raise awareness for rising food insecurity
TUCSON, Ariz. – November 13, 2018 – TuSimple, a global self-driving truck solutions company, is autonomously hauling a trailer full of donated food Friday, November 16 from a Fry’s Distribution Center in Phoenix to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson (3003 S Country Club Rd, Tucson, AZ 85713). At the end of the route at 11am there will be a press and community event of national and local leaders underscoring the growing problem of food insecurity in Southern Arizona, where 15.4% of residents are food insecure.
Nationwide, over 40 million people experience food insecurity. TuSimple’s partnership with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona highlights the company’s use of technology and community to supercharge Feeding America’s mission to engage the country in the fight to end hunger. With the holidays fast approaching, TuSimple’s transport of chicken soup, tuna, granola bars and other healthy food items will provide important support to families in need.
Last year, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona distributed more than 50 million pounds of produce and was named 2018 Member of the Year by Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a network of 200 food banks. The Community Food Bank works with growers who are unable to sell their produce, saving wholesome fruits and vegetables from being dumped in the Nogales landfill and instead getting that food to hungry children, seniors and families.
In addition to working with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona to help end hunger in the state, TuSimple is also dedicated to strengthening the region’s technology center and fostering economic growth. Earlier this year, TuSimple announced plans for further expansion in Tucson. The company has been testing its Level 4 Class 8 autonomous trucks in the state of Arizona for over a year and recently began generating revenue hauling freight for commercial carriers in the state. To support its growing development program, TuSimple projects it will create 500 new jobs across a variety of fields ranging from engineering and autonomous truck driving to office management. The expansion has a projected total economic impact of $1.1 billion over the next five years.
TuSimple is on a mission to create the world’s safest self-driving semi-truck perception system. Its camera-centric system has a vision range of 1,000 meters—farther than any other perception system today—and can “see” 360 degrees around for a pixel-level interpretation of the visible environment, enabling the vehicle to locate itself within four inches of the road at all times, even during bad weather.
“We’re excited to see a self-driving truck packed with food donations arriving here in Tucson,” said Michael McDonald, CEO of the Community Food Bank. “This food will go a long way toward feeding hungry families in southern Arizona. We appreciate the generosity of TuSimple, especially at this time of year, when demand increases at the Community Food Bank.”
“We’re very pleased and privileged to support the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona’s efforts to combat hunger with our autonomous delivery of nutritious food to their distribution center today,” stated Chuck Price, VP of Product, TuSimple. “As many as 15 million people in the US had limited access to food in 2017 at some point and we are honored to help the Food Bank raise awareness for this growing issue.”
About TuSimple
Founded in 2015, TuSimple is developing a commercial-ready Level 4 (SAE) autonomous driving solutions for the logistics industry. In 2016, TuSimple broke 10 world records in autonomous driving and ranked No. 1 in KITTI and Cityscapes, the most influential public leaderboard in autonomous driving globally. For more information, please visit www.tusimple.ai,, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
Founded in 1976, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona provides food for people in need, advocacy and nutrition education throughout southern Arizona including Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima and Santa Cruz Counties. The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is a member of Feeding America. For more information visit www.communityfoodbank.org.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, they provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.