WTIA Newsletter - Feature Articles

Your $50 - $500 Gift Can Change a Child’s Life

2008-06-12T18:51:00Z

At our February Industry Achievement Awards we recognized three students from the Technology Access Foundation’s (TAF) TechStart Program as “Technology Leaders of Tomorrow” with scholarships totaling $2,500. TechStart is a free after-school program which provides technology and academic education to underserved students in Kindergarten through 8^th grade.

Today we are kicking off a summer campaign to provide TAF students with the lab coats, academic tools, backpacks, and supplies they need --- yet can’t afford. Your financial contribution --- no matter how small – will make huge difference to these students. And if you act quickly it’s easy to double your investment. AH&T Insurance has generously agreed to match the first $2500 in contributions!

Delivering the TAF Academy requires the financial support of individuals and organizations like you to open doors of opportunity for underserved youth. We hope you will join the WTIA as we invest in tomorrow’s technology leaders.

Your gift of: Provides a TAF Academy student with:

$500 Fully support one student for the year with:

One Lab Coat, Study Resource Books (Academic Tracker,

Dictionary/thesaurus, atlas), School Backpack & Supplies

(T-calculator, notebooks, paper & pens), Individual

Assessment & Tailored Learning Plan.

$300 Working with a teacher to provide an

Individual Assessment & Tailored Learning Plan

$200 Lab Coat, Study Resource Books &

School Backpack & Supplies

$150 Working with a teacher to provide an

Individual Assessment

Study Resource Books & School Backpack & Supplies

$100 School Backpack & Supplies

One Lab Coat & Study Resource Books

$50 One Lab Coat

Study Resource Books

To donate click here.

On September 2, TAF will open the doors of TAF Academy in partnership with Federal Way. This is a public school for grades 6-12 with a focus on Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM). We all benefit from TAF’s work as they prepare students for college and empower them to pursue professional careers.

Plug in to the WTIA!

2008-05-08T18:44:00Z

All weather signs to the contrary - Spring has arrived. With warmer weather and longer days comes an itch to get out of the office. With the wrap up of another successful Investment Forum the team around here is ready to raise a glass and celebrate. Join us tonight at Wilde Rover Irish Pub in Kirkland for our Spring Networking Event.

Amazed at how popular these networking events have become, we have decided to take the next step by creating online groups in both Facebook and LinkedIn. If you are looking to build your professional and personal contacts in the industry, or want to stay updated on WTIA events, join the "Washington Technology Industry Association" group at each of these online communities.

And speaking of community...the size and buying power of the WTIA community has allowed us to negotiate a whole set of new discounted services for you.

New Discount Services

WTIA members can now get 25% off all of rights managed and royalty free photography at Corbis and on-going discounts for press release and other media services at Market Wire (including 50% off your first release). Need to take a trip? Expedia Corporate travel services are now available to all WTIA members and include special pricing not available to regular Expedia.com visitors. And if you are looking for a good price for Auto or Home Insurance check out what Liberty Mutual can offer.

Walking the talk on sustainability

In 2007 we hosted a Green IT dinner program where the lively discussion touched on sustainability in operations and in business opportunities. After that meeting we felt it was time to bring sustainability into WTIA’s operations. Thanks to the help of Laura Musikanski we took our first step by understanding our own environmental footprint and by producing our first WTIA Sustainability Report.

Meet The Team

The good works of the WTIA are the result of our dedicated board and an outstanding staff. I know that you would want to join me in thanking them for their tireless work on behalf of you and our industry:

Drew Erickson leads our Finance and Membership team with Jennifer Barry, Samantha Bernardy, David Kosciuk, and Joanne Zarkades here to answer you questions about joining the WTIA and to help you get the most out of your membership. If you want to join us, just contact Dave or visit us online.

Nicole Saewert leads our Marketing and Programs team with Summer Kibler, Leah Van Zee, and Katie Douglas working hard to create the best events and programs in the industry and to effectively communicate all that we are doing at the WTIA.

Jessica Cookson leads our Sponsorship efforts without which we simply could not run the organization. If you want to get your company in front of thousands of prospective new customers or want to financial support the WTIA, Jessica is the person to talk to.

Lew McMurran, leads our government and external affairs initiatives and is a strong voice for the needs of the industry in Olympia and Washington D.C. Feel free to contact Lew to learn about our policy work and if you can, support our Political Action Committee.

We look forward to seeing you all tonight at Wilde Rover in Kirkland!

Ken

Welcome to the new WTIA e-newsletter!

2008-04-10T18:15:00Z

Each month we’ll summarize the events, programs, special offerings, and government affairs activities we’re working on with a focus on giving you the key information you need to know to take advantage of your WTIA membership. We encourage you to let us know what you think of this publication--- so don’t hesitate to give us your feedback.

This month be sure to join us at our 15^th Annual Investment Forum April 24^th at Bell Harbor Conference Center. Hear presentations from companies vying for capital, listen to industry analysts discussing key industry trends, and get connected to leaders from throughout Washington’s technology industry.

It’s been quite a year of change here at the association. Just a few weeks ago at our annual Industry Achievement Awards we announced a variety of new discounted services, an expanded membership base, and a new name that better reflects who we have become – The Washington Technology Industry Association.

The name change from WSA better communicates the broad spectrum of technology companies who make up our membership today. From early stage start-ups and growing companies, to the largest technology businesses in the state, we have grown beyond just software.

Over the last year our scope of services have also changed as we have expanded from traditional and well known offerings such as health insurance and lobbying to include a whole new variety of initiatives. We’ve doubled the number of discounted services available to members, opened our doors to IT professionals in any industry, and have launched new events to both educate and bring our community together.

We’ve also changed the way we look at the world and our role in helping our members go global. In 2007 we leveraged the State’s strong international connections and opened a Satellite office in Shenzhen, China. After a successful delegation visit we hosted with membership last October, it’s clear that this office will help to open doors and new business opportunities for our members.

While our name may have changed our mission and day to day focus remains the same: helping individuals and companies in Washington’s Technology industry succeed. We remain committed to advocating for additional capacity in our colleges and University for technical degrees, and being vocal on the various issues we must address to ensure we remain our state remains a globally competitive high tech center.

It’s a great time to be part of Washington’s Technology Industry and we encourage you to join us if you are not already a member.