Steven G. Zylstra, President and CEO of Arizona Technology Council, explains why the board’s New Economy Initiative is critical for Arizona’s workforce development and addresses economic challenges the state will face in the future.
With Arizona’s technology sector growing at a pace 40% faster than the rest of the nation, we are increasingly pleased with the Governor’s leadership in investing in K12, higher education and specifically in STEM. The Council is advocating for STEM ecosystem investment and cultivation as one of its 2020 legislative priorities, and we look forward to working with the Governor on making our vision a reality.
The Arizona Technology Council announced it has appointed Sandra Watson, president and CEO, Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA); Austin D. Harris, vice president, Commercial Banking, Alliance Bank of Arizona; Sheila Kloefkorn, CEO, KEO Marketing Inc.; and Aaron Zeper, vice president, Customer Demand, MDSL, to its board of directors.
Public policy—the process and the players—are critical components of the Council’s mission to support Arizona’s technology community. It’s about investing in people who care about the same things that we care about, like supporting policies that contribute to making Arizona one of the nation’s tech hubs and supporting our P-20 education system. That means working together on legislation that can benefit the entire state.
Now in its ninth year, the SciTech Festival isn’t a single-day event. It is the country’s third-largest science festival with more than 800 organizations partnering to present more than 2,300 events throughout the year. The festival offers abundant opportunities for kids, teens and adults to explore STEM across the state through interactive events, workshops, exhibitions, displays, lectures and tours. Best of all, SciTech events are free!
The top priorities for this year include providing new sources for risk capital to encourage entrepreneurship, extending the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit and Small Business Capital Investment Incentive program, supporting science and technology job creation and retention, and attracting the STEM talent required to compete in a global innovation economy.
You might say we’re making headway on the freeway leading toward our future. The biggest imprint left by technology in Arizona this year were players of the new passenger economy. We’re all sharing this great ride as our entire economy is expected to continue its upward trajectory, thanks to technology.
As president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, Steve Zylstra has a pulse on what’s going on statewide in the tech industry. The council is one of the largest technology-driven trade associations in North America, with more than 850 members. Phoenix Business Journal Reporter Hayley Ringle asked Zylstra about the biggest trends in 2019 and what he expects to see in 2020.
Arizona Technology Council President and CEO Steve Zylstra has penned a new column in the Business Journal on the issue of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the estimated 661,000 Dreamers who grew up as Americans but were brought into the U.S. by their families when they were very young.
You don’t have to be a gearhead like me to know we’re at the front end of the trend moving the state into a new vehicle arena. For those wondering whether an electric car is for them, know that over time Lucid Motors will offer a range of vehicles at different price points as they build on their successes. And that’s just one auto maker.