Gorge Tech Alliance Newsletter
May 2020


Supporting, connecting and developing the tech community of the Columbia River Gorge.
In This Issue
GTA Welcome
GTA Board News
GTA Events
Member Spotlight
Regional Resources
GTA Member News
GTA Partner Events
Manufacturer Resources
Fellowship Opportunities
Job Openings
Foundational Sponsors
Premier Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors

Gorge.net
 ICE logo
Orbital UAV
Overwatch logo
  Prigel Machine Logo
Real Carbon
Seckora

Sightline Applications

Zepher
Silicon Sponsors
Atmosera
  Chernoff Vilhauer LLP logo
  

CGCC
Columbia River Insurance logo
Jentay Group

MCEDD 

Port of Hood River
  RADCOMP
R.L. Blaisdell Consulting
SYK LLP

Silicon Forest Electronics
Tech Talent Link
GTA Welcomes Carrie Pipinich to Leadership Role
Carrie Pipinich came to MCEDD as a RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) AmeriCorps participant in 2011 and joined the MCEDD staff as a Project Manager immediately following. In 2020, she was promoted to the role of Senior Project Manager. Her work focuses on supporting strong local communities and a diverse economy throughout the region as well as improving broadband access and utilization through the Columbia Gorge Broadband Consortium. Carrie is also responsible for oversight of the Project Management team at MCEDD and for strategic direction in relation to the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. 

Carrie has provided project management support to the GTA in the past, and stepping into the leadership role is a natural next step. "I'm excited to bring new ideas and energy to continue the GTA's important work to support, connect and develop the tech community of the Gorge," she said. 

Carrie can be reached at carrie@crgta.org
GTA Board News
The GTA would like to welcome Tim Martin to the board and thank Dave Karlson for his years of service with the GTA!  

Additionally, we announce our new slate of officers:

  • President: Erica Bogard, SIGMADESIGN
  • Vice-President: Greg Davis, Overwatch Imaging
  • Secretary: Lori Nelson
  • Treasurer: Christy Christopher, Columbia Gorge STEM Hub

May Virtual Geek Lunch Video Available
Did you miss our second virtual Geek Lunch on May 19?  The video of our Gorge Tech Companies and PPE Production panel discussion is available  hereHear from a few companies that have pivoted operations to include  PPE  production. Find out what they are making and how they are getting the  PPE  to the people who need them. 
Member Spotlight: Silicon Forest Electronics
Sierra-Olympic Technologies is a small technical developer specializing in infrared cameras as components for commercial, scientific, military and government systems. Chris Johnston founded the company in 1995 in the Seattle area and moved it to Hood River in 2010, to be closer to customers in the Gorge's growing technology and aerospace ecosystem.

Today, the Sierra-Olympic team consists of about twenty engineers, designers, sales, marketing and operations staff, most of whom who work out of the Hood River headquarters. Read more here.
 Regional Resources for Businesses and Workforce COVID-19 Information
Mid-Columbia Economic Development District has created a clearinghouse for COVID-19 related information and resources for business and workforce. This site is updated daily as new information comes available, and will be a good place to watch as details on federal and state (OR and WA) relief are released. Bookmark  mcedd.org/ready

Both Oregon and Washington have begun to provide guidance for businesses as phased reopenings begin. 

Additionally, the Gorge Tech Alliance is here to help our members through this. We can find information, connect you with resources, and be your supportPlease reach out! 

 GTA Member News
Congratulations to SIGMA DESIGN as they expand to Pasadena, CA in order to assist a growing number of clients in the broader Los Angeles area. The new location will enhance services for a number of current clients in the area as well as strengthen opportunities in additional market sectors in defense, technology, and medical industries. Learn more here.
GTA Partner Events
Technology Association of Oregon
  • May 26, 2020 11:00 AM-12:00 PM | Cyber-Attacks & Threat Assessment in the Time of COVID Webinar highlighting significant cyber attacks and unique trends since the start of 2020 and predictions for the remainder of the year.
  • May 27, 2020 8:30 AM-9:00 AM |Resiliency Series | Executive Session: Economist Perspectives Post Pandemic The economic crisis wrought by the Coronavirus pandemic is virtually unprecedented.  Never before in modern times have so many governments imposed such severe constraints on economic activity all at once. Given the resulting upheaval to markets, supply chains, consumer behavior, and traditional sources of revenue, what indicators are economists relying on to provide insight and what are the trends that are top of mind as local economies ramp back up?
Learn more and register here

Global Trade Virtual Meet Up
  • May 26, 12:00 PM | Global Trade Virtual Forum for Oregon/SW Washington A virtual gathering of trade professionals and those troubleshooting international business issues. This bi-weekly forum is a facilitated discussion, led by the SBDC Global Trade Center, providing opportunity for networking, learning and sharing resources to better navigate uncertain global environments. 
Learn more and register  here

AUVSI | Cascade Chapter
  • MAY 27, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | How To Scale Drone Workflows For Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Operations ArcGIS provides a scalable, enterprise, drone operations platform for planning, processing, mapping, and analysis. For users like Skanska, organizations can do more by leveraging automation and delivering information faster to enhance the decision-making process.
Learn more and register here

OMEP | COVID-19 Workplace Preparedness Resources 
 As manufacturers seek to implement best practices in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, OMEP has developed a set of resources to support these efforts. These resources are the result of the evaluation and consolidation of available guidance from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network, CDC, OSHA, and OHA. 

The first element of this resource is an Online Self-Assessment to create awareness of the needs and the gaps a manufacturer may have as they work to ensure a safe work environment for their employees. The Assessment makes use of Survey Monkey, provides immediate feedback, and is further supported by an OMEP consultant review and a follow up Visual Heat Map summary of the participants Assessment results. Click here for full details.
Fellowship Opportunities for K-12 Educators 
PNW Clean Energy Fellows

  • CE (Clean Energy, Bright Futures), a program of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, is proud to be kicking off its new Pacific Northwest Clean Energy Fellows program. Open to dedicated K-12 educator leaders throughout the Pacific Northwest, this program works closely with a small cohort of teachers, providing them a $5,000 stipend to build place-based, long-term, sustainable programming for their home communities aimed at increasing the access of their students to the clean energy economy. 

NW Natural Clean Energy Fellows
  • CE (Clean Energy, Bright Futures) is additionally launching its NW Natural Clean Energy Fellows program. This program, geared toward systems-thinking for a decarbonized future, will work with a cohort of educator leaders in Northwest Natural territory to develop and refine scope-and-sequence curriculum geared toward the topics of renewable natural gas, renewable hydrogen, and other electricity-to-gas technology. Teachers that attend a Fall Kickoff Course receive a $400 stipend, and those that continue to develop curriculum receive a $1,500 stipend. 
For more information about either program, contact CE Program Director Parker Mullins.     
Job Openings with GTA Members
Newest jobs in bold!
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Disclaimer: This newsletter is sponsored by GTA. The items contained herein are published as submitted and are provided for general information purposes only. This information is not advice. Readers should not rely solely on this information, but should make their own inquiries before making any decisions. GTA works to maintain up-to-date information from reliable sources; however, no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions or results of any actions based upon this information. If you have any questions regarding any of these items, contact the organizational representative of that source.

 

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