Valley PR Blog

AZTechCouncil Keeps Evolving

By Linda VandeVrede on October 3rd, 2007 In Hype!

The Arizona Technology Council keeps evolving, and I like that! Ron Schott, the interim president, shared with me some of the activities that the council is involved in these days – thank goodness we have an outfit like this looking after the best interests of Arizona’s technology companies.

It’s a private nonprofit entity — technically a C6, I think – and they are working hard to have an impact on the state in several areas:

Advocacy — they have lobbied successfully for over a dozen bills that have reduced high taxes on businesses in Arizona, including export taxes.  

Capital formation — since member companies have had trouble finding capital to help them stay and grow in the area, the council has worked on programs to incent individuals who have high net worth in Arizona, and achieved $20 million in tax credits.   Over 90 investors have taken advantage of this.

Technology partnering — they act as a broker to facilitate connections through seminars, events and committees that help Arizona companies partner and link together.

Other initiatives publicize the technology activities within the state, and help promote improvements in math and science in the local schools.

AZTechCouncil has gone through many iterations over the last dozen years.  Back then it was called the Arizona Software Association.   It changed names again before latching onto its current moniker.  Just like the state of Arizona, however, the council has evolved into a much broader technology resource to include more legislative lobbying, and support for new areas such as biotech, the environment and sustainable resources – no longer just a focus on software applications.

The council’s ”Technology Oscars of Arizona,” the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation, is coming up on December 6.  It will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, and will have over 1200 attendees this year.  This compares to the average attendance of 400 just a few years ago.

I was impressed with Ron and his commitment to giving back to the community.  His technology career includes both working for IBM in its development labs and for America Online to set up its development operations in Tucson.   “I keep failing at retirement,” he confessed to me sheepishly.  The council is actively searching for a full-time replacement, but in the meantime, Arizona is well served with Ron at the helm.  

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