Information Technology Association of Wisconsin Launches, Creating a Single Organization Uniting State’s IT Industry to Enable Growth, New Company Formation
Value and Timeliness Validated With 25+ Founding Member Organizations –
Spanning Fortune 500 Firms to Startups
MADISON, WI – June 20, 2005 – The Information Technology Association of Wisconsin (ITAW) today announced its formation and launch, ushering in a new phase of growth for the Wisconsin Information Technology (IT) sector resulting from the first statewide organization focused on the needs and requirements of this critical industry sector.
IT firms in Wisconsin now have a forum where they can exchange experiences, market and technology trend information, and best practices to enable more rapid growth and company formation. The IT sector now also has a single voice to provide advice and input on government policies that affect the state’s IT economy.
ITAW has secured commitments for membership and sponsorship from information technology companies and related industries, spanning Fortune 500 firms to promising startups, located across the state in the Chippewa Valley, Fox Valley, Madison, and Milwaukee areas.
The Founding Members of ITAW include AnswerPort, Robert W. Baird & Co., Berbee Information Networks Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., CompuPros Inc., CUNA Mutual Group, Extract Systems LLC, Foley and Lardner LLP, Fox Valley Technical College, Frazier Technology Ventures, Greenbrier and Russel, Inc., Hewlett Packard, Inacom Information Systems, Madison Gas and Electric, Metavante Corporation, New Resources, Northwoods Software Development, Inc., RVE Consulting, SECURA Insurance Companies, Silver Train Inc., Small Tree Communications, LLC., Sonic Foundry Inc., Spectracom Inc., Stratagem Inc., VCPI, Venture Investors, Venture Out, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.. and Xorbix Technologies.
“The state’s IT sector has long needed an organization that could effectively address the challenges facing firms who depend on IT to do business”, said Terrie Pohjola, VP of IT at SECURA Insurance.
“We’re active members of the IT community and are pleased that a much-needed solution is being put in place through ITAW.”
“As a growing company, we have technology functions across North America, given our large presence in Wisconsin it is critical that we support the continued development of a robust and thriving IT sector that will help ensure a strong pool of technical talent and creativity required for our continued success, said Brian Hurdis, Executive Vice President and CIO of Metavante Corporation.
“ITAW addresses a critical need in the market, and we’re thrilled to be a part of its formation and growth.”
In Wisconsin, firms who depend upon IT for their success and firms who create IT products and services generate more than $14B in revenue, with more than 55,000 employees, in economic centers spanning the state.
Increasingly, the state’s IT sector serves as a critical technology enabler for industries like biotechnology, medical devices, financial services and manufacturing.
Through ITAW these sectors will be better served through an increasingly agile and able IT sector. Additionally, as the IT sector increasingly competes on a nationwide and worldwide basis, ITAW provides the forum for Wisconsin firms to share best practices experiences, participate in sector-specific executive information exchanges, and work together to make the state a great environment for a growing technology industry.
Wisconsin now joins states including Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Utah, where through a similar process followed by the founders of ITAW, these states now deliver a wide range of valued programs and services to their IT sectors, enabling more rapid growth of the sector overall, and the formation and growth of startup firms.
“We’re excited to be a part of the formation and launch of the state’s first IT association”, said Corky Seeber, Founder and President of Small Tree Communications, located in the Chippewa Valley area. “We’re a small, highly focused technology company and both see very tangible benefits resulting from ITAW, as well as a good investment of our precious time and priorities.”
“At a time when doing business is increasingly international in scope, the state’s IT sector critically needs and can benefit from a unified forum and voice in the market”, said Rick Roy, CTO, CUNA Mutual Group, Inc. “Wisconsin’s IT sector is poised to benefit greatly from the organization and coordination of state’s IT firms through ITAW.”
ITAW is the first statewide association dedicated to building the strength and competitiveness of the state’s IT sector, enabling it to better attract and retain talent, enhance IT company formation and success, and accelerate interstate and intrastate business development.
With a corporation-focused membership, ITAW will deliver resources, programs, and forums addressing CxO level issues and priorities, including IT-specific workforce development initiatives, executive level peer group forums tackling critical business and technology trends, and IT company formation workshops and mentoring assistance.
The association will have an advocate at the state and federal level on policy development relevant to the IT sector in Wisconsin. Additionally, ITAW will hold an annual event bringing together statewide IT leadership to both recognize excellence in the state’s IT sector, as well as to hold workshops and roundtables specific to the needs of the IT sector.
ITAW is a recipient of a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation to be used to develop and deliver workshops, workforce development strategies, and roundtable events. Additionally, The Wisconsin Department of Commerce is supporting this effort as part of its cluster initiative under Governor Doyle’s Grow Wisconsin plan.
Through a process of needs assessment and the exploration of the landscape of resources available to the state’s IT sector, ITAW’s mission and objectives have been constructed to be highly complementary to existing regional IT, function-specific and discipline-specific organizations.
Additionally, ITAW will work closely with existing regional, state and national IT organizations, as well as with the Wisconsin Technology Council and Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Network. ITAW will be managed and operated with full-time executive and administrative staff, and will become fully operational in the fourth quarter of this year.
Between now and then ITAW will continue to expand its membership ranks and deliver its initial set of program offerings and activities.
ITAW is the result of more than 18 months of research and planning by a cross section of IT sector members, consultants, and venture capitalists all with a deep experience base and commitment to the success of the IT sector. ITAW received startup funding from We Energies, Milwaukee Economic Development, Accelerate Madison, eInnovate, and the Wisconsin IT Leadership Association.
About ITAW (www.itawi.org)
The mission of the IT Association of Wisconsin is to bring stakeholders of the Wisconsin Information Technology sector together to create a thriving environment for firms who depend on or produce IT solutions, to start, grow, and succeed in the worldwide marketplace. For more information, please visit www.itawi.org
###
