Minutes of our Oct. 23rd meeting

Minutes

StartWest: Building Intellectual Capital and Business Opportunities
Meeting: Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 Sheridan College Agriculture Center (AG130)
Welcome/Introductions

New York Minute

Anne Gunn, OMP Engineering (www.ompeng.com)  — Went to the IdeaExpo in Casper (sponsored by the WY Business Council and UW Innovation Center).  She found two possible presenters for future StartWest meetings.

Deb Anderson, Project Manager for SolveIT (www.solveit.us)— Started full-time as of September 1st.  Focuses on WY/MT healthcare and IT issues. 

Troy Nissen, IT at ACT (www.actaccess.net)— Working on an ISP upgrade, router upgrades, and network upgrades for ACT.  ACT is redesigning their website.  He attended a SANS security institute seminar recently. 

Mark Thoney, Wyolution (www.wyolution.com)—  Working on lots of local website projects and on database backend projects for out of state clients.  He is also working on a Green House project—alternative senior living.

Mark Weitz, Engineer at Kennon Aircraft Covers (www.kennoncovers.com) —Kennon is currently working with nanomaterials and new materials (business contacts are primarily out of state, with exception of contacts at UW) 

Jaime Lewis, Forward Sheridan (www.forwardsheridan.com) —Jaime is the new liaison between StartWest and Forward Sheridan, she replaces Liz Dearcorn. 

Mark Thoney: Debut of New Website

Rather than have both a Wiki and a Blog for StartWest, we decided in the spring to roll out an updated website for StartWest (www.startwest.net and www.startwest.org both point to the new location).  The new website, based on Wordpress, has the information capacity of the Wiki with the ease of use and communication abilities of a Blog. 

Currently, the new website has several pages set up for content to be added, and there was discussion of using the website to announce business press releases.  Both the Blog and Wiki started as a means of communication and contact—an electronic presence  allowing communications and networking without the scheduling issues that arise with face-to-face meetings; however, since the Blog and Wiki were not linked, communications were disjointed at best.  The new website should improve this functionality for StartWest, as well as provide a presence to the world that Sheridan is a technical-savvy community. 

Mark Weitz asked for details on how to update the website.  Mark Thoney explained and demonstrated the toolbar for updates.  Mark Weitz also asked if an admin password would be needed to update the website.  Mark Thoney and Anne Gunn will be responsible for allowing admin access (there was discussion of a guest log-in for editing webpage content) to the webpage to update the content of the website, and communication can occur freely with comments on the site.  Ideas for new areas of content can be emailed to Mark Thoney and Anne Gunn; the site can also be updated with new features, like an RSS feed, in the future.    

Mark Weitz asked where inquires made to StartWest would go—is there a forum function or posting function to keep questions and response threads open?  Mark Thoney said that if someone had a lot of questions for StartWest, that an individual meeting should be arranged.   

Discussion of Program/Project Ideas

Anne Gunn mentioned that the previous survey that was to be created by StartWest was not completed (StartWest wanted to create a survey for local businesses to create interesting web content, gauge and attract interest to StartWest, and improve group communications so that all group members felt that StartWest was a worthwhile commitment).  StartWest needs to restart this project, especially as a means to flesh out the static content of the website—what Sheridan can offer, resources available, what accomplishments and successes that Sheridan has had.  The KEY to the website is getting contributions to the content of the site.  The website should be a good way to reach out to local businesses and celebrate their innovations.   

Anne Gunn introduced the idea of a guest speaker/presentation at StartWest meetings.  This may increase meeting attendance and increase both external and internal interest in StartWest.  StartWest could possibly partner with the Chamber of Commerce to fund speakers and presentations or to increase the technological content of current Chamber of Commerce presentations.  Anne Gunn suggested several potential presenters as possibilities:  Nathan Potter (leading source of information on plastics on the web—could talk about how to increase website traffic and response, Google hits, quality of information, etc.), John Benson (runs the Laramie business incubator; could we piggyback a presentation with a trip to Sheridan as part of Mr. Benson’s business outreach plans?), Bob Lang (IT manager at Rockwell, possible presentation of the terabyte database or discussion of volume data or running a data center in Sheridan; Philippe Chino at Forward Sheridan suggested that StartWest contact Rockwell to host an event or meetings), and/or Mark Weitz (Kennon Aircraft—could discuss materials summit, funding acquisition, government contracts, etc.).   

Deb Anderson suggested a presentation with Tony Nissen on network security; he could possibly discuss the SANS class that he recently took. 

Mark Weitz suggested that StartWest ask local businesses to present the technologies on which they work—what innovations are happening in our own backyards?  Anne Gunn and Mark Weitz suggested Pearl, Craftco, and Sheridan College as resources; perhaps Sheridan College can invite StartWest to the opening of the ITEC center downtown. 

Having presentations at meetings may help to increase current StartWest member attendance at meetings, but it also may spark interest from the local business community.  Mark Thoney cautioned against jumping into presentations without having the member mass to support presenters at presentations. 

Volunteers

Mark Weitz volunteered to help as co-chair, pending a bit more information on what’s involved.  Deb Anderson volunteered to help with projects, particularly the member/business survey. 

Action Items
1. Web content — should be a high priority, AG will try to contribute regularly
2. Program / Content for meetings / Next meeting – JL will work on a ForwardSheridan sponsored meeting, AG will work on later programs

Discussion ensued about the next meeting; Anne Gunn suggested a morning or breakfast meeting, possibly at 7 am.  Jaime Lewis offered to have Forward Sheridan host a breakfast meeting; Philippe Chino wants to meet with StartWest as part of Forward Sheridan’s rollout of the Economic Development Strategic Plan for Sheridan; a breakfast meeting may be ideal. 

Anne Gunn also wants to schedule a presentation by Nathan Potter of IDES on website search engine optimization; most likely, this will need to be in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce.  Nathan Potter can offer valuable information to the community to help Sheridan businesses as a whole improve website content, search hits, e-commerce, and profitability.  Is there enough community interest in this topic?  Both Mark Thoney and Troy Nissen are concerned that there is not—in both of their businesses, they rarely see clients using their websites for commerce or marketing.   

Mark Weitz suggested asking Sheridan Media and/or the Sheridan Press to advertise the existence of StartWest.  Anne Gunn agreed that we should publicize our next meeting and should also look for events to co-sponsor with the Chamber or with ForwardSheridan.

Deb Anderson volunteered to speak to a couple of specific local companies of interest to request presentations for a subsequent meeting. 

Deb Anderson suggested we might someday want to do a IT/website makeover to recruit local businesses—there is a group in Denver that does just this.