Dustin Rivest

From @eranderee No comments needed from me. Just see below: Tallahassee has come a long way – but we’re just getting started! After many years of working in disparate paths, with minimal county and city support, the last few years have seen the TECH community get better connected, work on joint events, and get organized.  People are talking - specifically talking to each other - and not trying to solve everything on their own! The first step in any ecosystem is to recognize the key players. These include educational institutions (FSU, FAMU, TCC, LCS), Innovation Hubs (DOMI, NFIL), Tech Alliances (TalTech, Florida Tech Council, LaunchTally, NAT20, ISACA, PMI), local government resources (Chamber, CareerSource), and tech companies (we have 75+ in our area). Each of these groups has been hosting conferences, trainings, meetups, etc. over the last few years and they have proved that they can work well together.  Our educational partners have long supported the local economy and local tech businesses. Tomorrow is the College of Communication & Information Career Fair – hosting 30+ local businesses who hire our students as interns and employees. Our College started this partnership in 2011 with 5 employers and we have built relationships with the local employers to attend the career fair, engage in our classrooms, helping to build practical skills that allow for a seamless transition in the workforce. To enhance student experiences, we have hosted workshops, conferences, and hackathons; our student clubs have also delivered training, industry panels, and access to employers. In partnership with Access Tallahassee, we have hosted a Job Hop for 7+ years (taking 25 students off campus twice per year to visit local businesses and experience the company’s environment). We are literally an email/call/text away from partnering with employers and the communication has been awesome! As we look to the next steps for our local partners, we need to determine what is missing from the equation for Tallahassee to reach new heights. Some areas to explore: - Raise the awareness of our various employers, educational options, and resources - Build better CTE programs (and supporting them) that target our K-12 space (we are years behind other parts of the state) - Provide co-working spaces for the many remote tech workers we have in the area (and use this as a way to spur innovation and discussion) - Public (city/county) and private (grants) funding to provide opportunities for startups, high school outreach, and joint events in the community - Bringing all the interested parties to a strategy session to make a plan to become a “Data Capital”, a “Health Capital”, etc. (what are we?) - Creating forums like the one started by LaunchTally (tlh.ramenlife.co/) to explore partnerships, share opportunities, provide news Come check out the Career Fair tomorrow and join the conversation! How do you fit into the tech puzzle below? @ThisIsRuvos @TalChamber @TDOnline @MagCorpOfficial @LaunchTally @DomiStationTLH @TalTech @PresMcCullough @FAMUFSUCOE @FSUCCI @CityofTLH @LeonSchools

#Tallahassee is the place. "Bridge to Florida" - Strong educational institutions - Talent - Growing healthcare center of innovation - Magnetic Capital of the World: magneticscorp.com/ - State capital for the 10th largest (2030) economy on the planet - Business-friendly env - Quality of Life - Natural beauty and outdoor activities - Transportation - Culture - Available land for development - and a ton more that others can add. @LaunchTally @TalChamber @ThisIsRuvos @awscloud @OEVforBusiness @JeffBezos

Whoa CRM launched by #Tallahassee entrepreneur, @DustinRivest Love what I see. I expect it to be used by many small businesses in our community. Hit him up for a trial run. whoacrm.com/ -- @LaunchTally @TalTech @DomiStationTLH