ITC Commitees

The ITC invites you to be part of solutions and growing the ITC innovative ecosystem! If you would like to be part of an ITC committee, please email jlarsen@idahotechcouncil.org.

R&D Committee

Chair: Peter Midgley, Zarian Midgley

ITC Research & Development Committee members have been sought out by leaders in higher education to develop a formal protocol for commercialization of intellectual property in Idaho. Members submitted feedback on a final draft that is expected to be implemented within the research institutions in Idaho.

Under member Mike Scott of Premier Technology, the committee is establishing an “R&D Roadmap” that will be instrumental in developing future strategies and tactics to help entrepreneurs and public agency innovators to commercialize their ideas.

The committee served as a collaborator for the “Tech Transfer Drill Down” event dedicated to helping Idaho speed exceptional intellectual property to commercial viability.

With the Higher Education Research Council, committee members are participating in a process to create “gap funding” within higher education in Idaho to help exceptional ideas advance along the path to commercialization. ITC has been asked to form a committee that will evaluation university proposals for commercialization to be considered for the gap funding.

The iGem initiative was founded in the R&D Committee.  Please see the iGem Cluster link for more information.

Leadership Committee

Chair: Archie Clemins, Caribou Technologies

ITC Leadership Committee members have developed a Cohorts program led by Jonathon Fishman to enable mentors to work with first-time CEOs to learn senior-management tricks of the trade. The program pairs one ITC member as a CEO volunteer to work with first-time CEOs. The Leadership Committee will be asking ITC members with CEO or senior business experience to volunteer as chair for a monthly Cohort Program session. Session themes considered:

• Pitch Your Company
• What a CEO Does / How to Be a Better CEO
• How to Build a Better Organization. Why Culture Matters
• Recruiting and Retaining the Best Talent
• Understanding Your Financials
• Measuring Success or Failure Beyond Your Balance Sheet
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap
• Finance Pathway
• Legal

Description
ITC’ s Cohort Series for early stage CEO’ s is an invitation only membership group that focuses on the issues, resources and advice needed to grow and sustain technology businesses. Each meeting will include a speaker/mentor discussing a topic of interest to the executive membership, a round-table of emerging issues, and a record of the major lessons learned for each member to take home and share with their management team.

Workforce Committee

Chair: Bert Glanden, President of the College of Western Idaho

Committee members are working with members of the ITC Software Alliance to grow and attract more software developers for Idaho organizations. Special emphasis will be given to attracting programmers and software engineers.

Members are focusing their study of the Idaho workforce on the availability of K-12 and higher education programs that can contribute to a more vibrant Idaho high technology economy.

The members are focusing on certain initiatives like ISTEM - Idaho Science Technology Engineering & Math Initiative.

Development Committee

Co-Chair: Rich Stuppy, Keynetics

Co-Chair: Melanie G. Rubocki, Perkins Coie LLP

The ITC Development Committee created several important member events from scratch in the last few months. The crescendo of the hard work of this committee was the inaugural Idaho Technology Council Hall of Fame Celebration featuring the Idaho Innovation Awards Presented by Stoel Rives and Kickstand. The event drew some 650 people to celebrate the induction of Idaho technology icons Dick Hackborn and Ray Smelek of Hewlett-Packard.

Among the other Development Committee highlights:

• Planned and executed a network security seminar keynoted by Cisco Systems cyber-security senior executive and former FBI agent Patrick Gray. The seminar was attended by approximately 150 people.
• Planned and executed an innovation seminar by author and change expert Dan Roam.
• Served as a collaborator for the “Tech Transfer Drill Down” involving senior members of Idaho higher education, members of ITC’s Research & Development Committee and other experts.
• Along with the Hall of Fame the focus of the Development Committee is on upcoming events like the ITC Annual Meeting.

Finance Committee

Chair: Haven Baker, Simplot

The ITC Finance Committee is focusing on the numerous access points for capital. Committee members, considering the development stage and capital requirements of ITC member companies, has made a decision to focus on start-up capital. Next steps: Formation of a statewide network of angel investor groups. The Initial organizational effort will be launched De. 6 at Jakers in Twin Falls and will be led by Kevin Learned and Denise Dunlop-Taylor.

The committee and the ITC Public Policy Committee has been approached to serve in a review capacity for Idaho legislation targeted to grow economic development.

Public Policy Committee

Chair: Mike Reynoldson, Micron

Over the last two years the ITC has established to be the "go to" organization for the voice of technology in the State of Idaho.

Several initiatives are being worked on by the ITC.