Monthly Minutes – 2006 Archive
Meeting: 9th of February 2006
Present
- Ron Harrington; President
- Judy Stem; Vice President
- Lynn Karr; Director
- Alissa Harrington; Secretary
- Steven Yerger
- Barbara Biller
- Denise Beaver
- Christine Plater
- Douglas Heck
- John Enselein
- Morgan Williams
- Tom Canon
- Barb Schmidt
- Barbara Beverungen
- Marlene Titus
- Mike Bell
- Mark Pallack
- Brian Snyder
- Larry Twele
- Randi Soskil
- David Anderson
- David Shaffer
- Paige Sunderland
- Becky Barbour
- Dave Baxter
- Husna Smith
- Mike Yanchoris
- Bob Keller
- Catherine McDonald
- Tom Sullivan
- Paul Ritchey
- Karen Merkle
- Mary McIndoe
- Bob Cage
- Ed Leiter
General Announcements
- Lynn Karr
- Director Lynn Karr opened the meeting with member introductions.
- Ron Harrington
- President Ron Harrington acknowledged distinguished guests and referenced upcoming events.
- Dr. Faye Pappalardo
- Dr. Faye Pappalardo, President of Carroll Community College, personally welcomed the members. She announced that the college was approved for a new building and encouraged members to continue to utilize the college as resource for their companies.
- Wine Tasting Event
- Lynn announced that the Carroll Tech Council will be Co-hosting the April 4th Wine Tasting Event with the Greater Baltimore Tech Council. 1 wine pouring spot is still available for a CC Tech member.
- Dave Shaffer informed the council that this event is "The Premiere Business Networking Event"-a great source for gaining contacts.
- All members can attend the wine tasting event for $20. The event will take place at the Emerging Technology Center in the Can Company, Canton.
- Non-Profit Center Update
- The Tech Council's new office in non-profit center is open. Lynn acknowledged that many of our members volunteered to assist the non-profits with verifying internet connectivity and cabling and wiring.
- Noted Tech Council Volunteers were:
- Thomas Bethune and Doug Heck of InfoPathwaysv
- Bobby Keller, Keltech
- Josh Kohn, Kohn Creative
- Barb Schmidt, CC Sheriff's Dept.
- Bob Cage, Brahama Technologies
- Brian Holsonbake, Skyline Technologies
- Ron Harrington, Protectron Lighting Control
- Stan Prouser
- Doug Heck of InfoPathways noted the on-going needs of the non-profit companies; many have older systems that need to be upgraded. An anti-virus server is still needed.
- Lynn encouraged members to stop by the new office anytime: Tues, Wed or Thursday from 9-noon!
- Golf Event
- The Golf Event is scheduled for Friday, May 12 at Wakefield Valley. Dave Baxter stressed that the golf event is the largest fund raiser for the Tech Council. He urged all members to contribute by participating or assisting with the event.
- Tom Sullivan stressed getting sponsorships for the golf event, as it measures the success of the event. Participation alone is not enough.
Speaker – Chris Foster
Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and the State Chief Technology Officer for the State of Maryland
Topic: Base Realignment (BRAC) and the
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) at Fort Meade.
- Mr. Foster acknowledged that Carroll County is quickly becoming a "bedroom community"; the result is a loss of tax base as residents leave the county to go to work. He urged the County to keep a healthy mix of employers; including industries such as robotics and manufacturing.
- He encouraged Tech Council members to become involved by lobbying and contribute to the change of infrastructure of the County.
- Mr. Foster announced that DISA is scheduled to move from Northern Virginia to Fort Meade, Maryland. This increased workforce will cause a housing need for employees. Carroll County will appeal to these incoming residents.
- Mr. Foster noted the local economic changes that will occur as a result of their relocation.
- Mr. Foster stated that the next big upcoming economic change is in informatics: the collection, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of files (databases).
- He also noted a $5 billion growth at Fort Detrick in Frederick Maryland. As a result of the changing economy, local colleges will see a growth in the biotechnical and life sciences studies.
Event / Committee Reports
- Ambassador
- Mark Pallack introduced himself to the Council as the new chair of the welcoming committee. Alissa Harrington and Mark are in the process of developing a packet that will contain a welcome letter and a directory of committees. The purpose will be to urge them to become involved from the start!
- Annual Event
- Richard Lord currently serving as Chair. Tom Cannon, and Judy Stem are currently volunteering. More volunteers needed!
- CompuKids
- Bobby Keller announced 3 recent donations to families and also donations made to several non-profits in the new center.
- Volunteers needed for first work day in March. Currently in process of getting equipment and tools to equip work stations at the new center.
- Alissa Harrington noted that 2 families are currently participating in the free education offering from the Community College.
- Technically Correct
- Denise Beaver announced the next airing will be in April. The scheduled consumer report was pushed back a month. Taping was concluded Wednesday night at Boscov's with the assistance of Tom Sullivan.
- Website
- Tom Sullivan will add the site's first streaming video by the end of February. The video will include a segment featuring Ron Harrington, taped on "Technically Correct."
Member Announcements
- Denise Beaver
- Denise announced that all county residents should take the Carroll County Visual Preference Survey. Participate in the survey by visiting www.carrollpathways.org/online/visual.
- A series of community meetings will follow. Members can contact Denise Beaver or Lynn Karr for specific information and meeting dates.
- Dave Shaffer
- Dave Shaffer invited members to attend the IT BIZ focus group on the 4th Tuesday of each month. Alison Gay, a Microsoft Liaison and a Microsoft SharePoint Rep will be the feature for the February 23rd meeting. The meeting is from 7-9pm in Hunt Valley office.
- Brian Synder
- Brian Synder, announced an Economic Outlook Seminar at the Best Western, Westminster on March 16th. Register at Carrollbiz.org by March 10th. Anirban Basu will be the featured speaker.
- Mardi Gras Dinner
- Taneytown Chamber will host a Mardi Gras Dinner on Feb 25th. Call 410-756-4234 for more information.
- Gina Valentine
- Denise shared information regarding a Spring Job Fair. The fair is coordinated by the Carroll County Business & Employment Resource Center. It will run March 21, 3-7pm.
- Contact Gina Valentine at 410-386-2820 or gvalentine@ccg.carr.org if you would like to participate or post a listing.
- Ron Harrington
- President Ron Harrington reminded members that the Golf Outing and the Annual Event are a large contributor to the Tech Council's Revenue. The key to the Council's success is the member involvement; getting an early commitment from new members is crucial.
Next Member Meeting
The March meeting will be held in the non-profit building on Clifton Blvd.
The April meeting will include members from MD Homeland Security. Learn how local Carroll County companies can partner with Homeland Security. Lynn urged members to begin thinking about ideas for partnerships now.
