Capacity Crowd Attends First Meeting of Lake Lanier Technology Alliance in Gainesville

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Matt Trice

June 5, 2002 (770) 532-6206

mtrice@ghcc.com





CAPACITY CROWD ATTENDS FIRST MEETING OF LAKE LANIER TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE IN GAINESVILLE



GAINESVILLE, Ga. – An often overlooked segment of the business community will soon be hard to ignore in Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia. A standing room only crowd of almost 100 attended the inaugural meeting of the Lake Lanier Technology Alliance (LLTA) to show their support for the area’s technology industry and workforce. The crowd far exceeded the expectations of the organizers.



“We knew there was a large technology workforce living in the area,” said Lance Compton, a founder of the LLTA and president of Red Clay Interactive, “but we never imagined this size crowd would attend our organizational meeting. It was definitely a shot in the arm for our planning committee and we’re excited to get our regular programs started next month.”



Attendees ranged from network administrators to information security specialists, with software programmers, multimedia designers, and others in between. Local government officials and educators were also in attendance to offer support to this growing industry. More than 70 attendees gave written feedback on what types of speakers and educational programs they would like to see LLTA sponsor, and offered suggestions on meeting locations and times.



The keynote address was given by Qualcon founder and CEO Bob Bilbrough. He reported on the “state of technology” in Hall County and the surrounding area and what the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and other leaders are doing to grow this segment of the local economy. Bilbrough, who also chairs the Hall County Technology Steering Committee, specifically talked about actions being taken to recruit additional technology companies and jobs to the area. Kevin York, network engineer with Charter Business Networks and a founder of the LLTA, addressed the group with the goals and vision of the Alliance.



The next meeting of the Lake Lanier Technology Alliance will be Tuesday, June 25, 2002 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Rubicon in Gainesville. Georgia Tech’s Greg Laudeman will discuss the findings from the Technology Opportunity Assessments he recently led in several North Georgia counties. The mission of the LLTA is to promote and develop the technology community through education and networking. For more information or to attend the next meeting, contact Shelley Davis at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce at 770-532-6206.



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