Member News: January 2020
ASU executive tapped to lead U.S. National Science Foundation
Sethuraman Panchanathan, executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise and chief research and innovation officer at Arizona State University, was nominated as the next director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. Panchanathan has been a member of the National Science Board, the body that advises the NSF, since 2014. He was the first American of Indian origin to be appointed to the board. His leadership at Arizona State University has been key to the university’s growth and emergence as an innovator in higher education, especially in terms of partnerships and entrepreneurship. Read more about Panchanathan’s nomination.
NASA awards PADT a $755,000 Phase II STTR research grant
In a move that acknowledges its excellence and expertise in 3D printing, simulation, design and software development, PADT recently announced NASA has awarded a $755,000 2019 Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research grant for it to collaborate with Arizona State University (ASU) and Kennesaw State University (KSU) to enable the development of stronger and lighter structures for space exploration. The objective of the joint effort is to develop a software tool for designing, virtually testing and optimizing strong, lightweight lattice structures for aerospace vehicles. The result of the research project will be a commercial software product that PADT plans to market. Read more how PADT’s expertise is developing disruptive technology for NASA.
Americano! The Musical: Bringing opposing views on DACA together
To say that immigration can be an incendiary topic of conversation might be a bit of an understatement. But a new musical production opening in Phoenix that deals with the travails of an Arizona “Dreamer” aims to help bring opposing views together and openly discuss the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) issue. It’s centered on the true story of Tony Valdovinos, who came to Arizona from Mexico when he was 2 years old. The Camelback High School graduate didn’t find out he was undocumented until he tried to enlist in the U.S. Marines at age 18. Use promo code DREAMERS to receive 10% off any show for Americano! Learn more or to buy tickets, visit www.americanothemusical.com. Visit here to read why the Arizona Technology Council advocates for the DACA program.
HiMS joins Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative Program
Health Information Management Systems, a leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) software with a unique focus on the integrated health care market, announced it joined the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) as a Strategic Business and Technology (SB&T) Partner. SHIEC is the national trade association representing health information exchanges (HIEs). HiMS fully supports SHIEC’s mission of enabling the secure exchange of patient information locally, regionally and nationally. In a market ripe for EHR tools with an intelligent approach to improve patient care, productivity and profitability, HiMS is taking the industry to new heights with its secure Axiom electronic platform designed with clinicians in mind. Read more here.
Spirit Electronics: Keeping America strong
Award-winning, electronics distributor Spirit Electronics is featured in the January 2020 issue of Business in Focus magazine, a publication which focuses on growth, opportunities and education in North American business. The informative article provides an overview of Spirit’s vision, achievements and unique corporate culture. It also profiles Spirit CEO Marti McCurdy, an Air Force veteran with electronics and testing expertise. Read the full article to learn more about this exciting company.
Taking your business global
Did you know that Grenoble France and Phoenix are sister cities? Arizonans can take full advantage of the connection the week of February 17! Nicolas Beroud (Invest in Grenoble-Alpes France) and Sharon Rehbinder (Invest in Grenoble-Alpes France / Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region) will be in Greater Phoenix the week of February 17 and available to meet with companies and entrepreneurs interested in learning about opportunities in the Grenoble-Alpes area and powerhouse Auvergne Rhone Alpes region, as well as learn about the welcome package for international companies. View CHOOSE GRENOBLE-ALPES, an informative six-page overview of the outstanding tech ecosystem that covers nanoelectronics, AI, medtech, smart cities and energy technologies. Contact Sharon Rehbinder: [email protected] or via phone at 1-310-880-5968.
GPS Insight acquires ServiceBridge LLC
GPS Insight LLC, the Scottsdale-based provider of fleet tracking software, bought its first company to expand its offerings in the transportation industry. GPS Insight bought ServiceBridge LLC, a Chicago-based field service management software company founded in 2010 that focuses on small businesses and franchises. GPS Insight helps businesses save money by reducing fuel costs and allowing the company to know where their vehicles are in real time. ServiceBridge’s software enables field service teams to dispatch technicians, manage customer data, streamline workflow management and franchise operations, and analyze results. Read more about this acquisition.
Snell & Wilmer adds eight attorneys in merger with West Coast firm
Phoenix law firm Snell & Wilmer has brought a group of West Coast attorneys into the fold to boost one of its key practice groups and gain a foothold in a new geographic market. Assayag Mauss, a commercial finance and creditors’ rights law firm based in Costa Mesa, Calif., has merged into Snell & Wilmer, effective Jan. 3. Taking into account this latest merger, Snell & Willmer now has 455 attorneys in 14 offices, including one in Mexico. Snell & Wilmer is the largest law firm operating in the Valley according to the Phoenix Business Journal, with 195 local attorneys. Learn more about the merger here.
eGreen IT Solutions selected as a 2020 e-Stewards disability program participant
eGreen IT Solutions, a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise, is pleased to participate in e-Stewards Certified Recyclers’ new ADVANCE+ workforce development program for individuals with with autism and other disabilities. The ADVANCE+ program is designed to help e-Stewards solve critical business labor problems while helping their communities solve a critical and growing social issue. Hiring workers with autism and similar disabilities has proven to have a positive bottom-line impact on the companies who have undertaken this effort. Learn more about the participating e-Stewards recyclers were selected for the ADVANCE+ program.
Your opinion matters: The Voice of Young Arizonans Survey
Help improve Arizona’s chances of attracting and retaining the young talent it needs. Committed to bringing attention to the voice of young Arizonans, the Center for the Future of Arizona would like to know what matters most to young professionals and invites you to share your insight by completing this survey. Please visit this link and enter the participant code AZtech when prompted. The success of Arizona’s young talent is critical to Arizona’s success….thank you for your participation.
ASU accelerator invests in five more edtech startups
Tempe-based higher education technology accelerator ASU ScaleU has invested in five more edtech startups to test innovative technology at Arizona State University. Each company receives between $10,000 to $50,000, depending on the size, scope and requirements for each startup. ScaleU has invested $710,000 in 19 edtech startups since it launched in April 2016, when it was known as ASU Draper GSV Accelerator. The ultimate goal of ScaleU is to be an effort for ASU to test the most exciting, innovative early-stage tech companies. ASU is able to leverage, learn and help these companies better solve education issues, like retention and graduation. Read more here.
Swiftpage names new CEO
Software industry veteran Steve Oriola, who has served on Swiftpage’s board for more than a year with a lengthy history in the tech sector and served in the top position at three other companies, is the new president and CEO. Swiftpage’s main product is Act, an online customer relationship management and marketing automation software platform for small to midsize businesses. Swiftpage, which has a 250-employee office in Scottsdale, released the 19th version of Act and its first companion app in January 2017 to continue helping businesses grow. Learn more how this recognizable legacy brand in the CRM space for small to midsize companies grow their businesses.
Cyxtera Technologies announces spin out of cybersecurity business
A leader in colocation and interconnection, Cyxtera Technologies recently announced its intention to spin out its cybersecurity business into a separate company to accelerate its efforts in the rapidly changing cybersecurity industry. The new business will operate as AppGate, Inc. The spin-out is expected to be complete in early first quarter 2020. Cyxtera and AppGate will work closely together as strategic partners, with AppGate leveraging the data center leader’s highly connected global footprint to accelerate deployments and expand as-a-service capabilities. Cyxtera will integrate AppGate products into the ecosystem of capabilities connected via its innovative CXD on-demand marketplace, providing customers with a cyber-resilient data center platform. Read more about Cyxtera’s global platform of highly-connected data centers.
Kate Medicus appointed as Ruda-Cardinal’s new CEO
Company founders Ken Castle and Tilman Stuhlinger are pleased to announce that Kate Medicus, Ph.D. is the CEO of Ruda-Cardinal, Inc. as of January 1, 2020. Formerly its executive vice president, Kate is responsible for building on Ruda-Cardinal Inc.’s rich 25-year history in custom optical engineering to drive company growth to new levels and lead innovations in optical engineering to meet future demands. Read more here.
TuSimple: The trucking industry is at a crossroads
The fear of losing jobs to computers is a common one among millions of people, and one that many have seen happen in their lifetime. But artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to allow many jobs to evolve, to become safer, more efficient and better for society as a whole. It’s clear that some industries will be impacted more than others, but which ones? With e-commerce pushing shipping demands higher than ever, the trucking industry is one sector that will be greatly affected. The trucking industry is facing a 50,000 driver shortage in the United States alone. And without a workforce to sustain the trucking industry, that’s where TuSimple and AI can fit in very nicely. Watch the video here.
Indecomm Digital has acquired Avantica Technologies
Indecomm Digital Services, Inc. (“Indecomm Digital”), a global leader in next-gen product engineering and digital experience services, recently acquired Avantica Technologies Avantica, one of the leading nearshore software engineering services specialists in Latin America. The acquisition fits well with the company’s Nearshore growth strategy to provide the advantages of geographical proximity, cultural affinity, and world-class software engineering talent to its North American clients in servicing their unique requirements of solution co-development. Read more about Indecomm’s acquisition of Avantica here.
Philanthropy enables TGen to advance research against diseases and disorders
Trends Magazine and Trends Charitable Fund (TCF) raised more than $284,000 at Evening of Trends 2019 in support of research into women’s cancers and childhood disorders at TGen. 2019 marked the second consecutive year the gala benefited TGen, with combined support now exceeding $560,000. Coming on the heels of this news was the decision by Trends’ Board of Directors to name TGen as its charity’s beneficiary for 2020. Learn more here.