Gorge Tech Alliance Newsletter March 2017 About the GTA The GTA supports, connects and develops the technology com m unity of the Columbia River Gorge. www.crgta.org * Email the GTA 541-296-2266 In This Issue GTA Members Support Robotics Teams GTA Board Openings Wind Challenge GTA Events STEM Career Day Insitu News AS9100D Training Microsoft Courses Job Postings EMA Event Incubation Program Cascade AUVSI Conference "The Big One" Event Asset Protection Workshop Communication Workshop Aerospace/ Defense Symposium STEM Learning Event Calendar GTA Members and Sponsors Thank you to our new and renewing members and sponsors! Fujitsu , Renewing Gold Sponsor NECA/ IBEW , Renewing Gold Sponsor Real Carbon , Silicon Sponsor Bill Miller, New Associate Member Gradient Mobile, New Full Member Power4Flight, Renewing Full Member Support Winning Gorge Robotics Teams The Gorge Tech Alliance has a robotics fund for donations that we use to keep our loaner robotics program going, support robotics events in the region and support regional robotics teams that advance to upper levels of competition. The highest level of competition for our FIRST robotics teams is the World competition, this year in Houston, Texas on April 19-22. We are proud to have two teams definitely attending: the Pandriods from Wy'east Middle School (a FIRST LEGO League team) and Steelhead from Hood River Valley High School (a FIRST Tech Challenge team). Trout Lake's FIRST Robotics Challenge team is also possibly attending, but first needs to win a regional championship in Cheney, WA on April 6-7. The GTA is proud to offer $500 to each of these teams, but they need more help. You can contribute through the GTA or directly in these ways: Gofundme page for the Pandroids Gofundme page for Steelhead Contact Trout Lake Coach Rod Nelson Seeking Interest for GTA Board The Gorge Tech Alliance is collecting names of Full Members / Sponsors interested in serving on the organization's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors fills an important role in guiding and managing the organization. The eleven-member Board currently meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., usually in Hood River. Board members also contribute some time outside of Board meetings for GTA business. Any Full Member/ Sponsor of the GTA who has been a Full Member / Sponsor for at least one year is eligible. Board terms are one year in length. A ballot for the Board will be sent to all Full Members / Sponsors for a vote in April. Please contact Jessica by April 10 with interest. 2017 Wind Challenge a Success Although it was a fierce competition, only a few teams walked away as wind turbine champions on March 11th as students from around the Gorge took part in the 4th annual Google Wind Challenge at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center. This year,
Transcript
Gorge Tech Alliance NewsletterMarch 2017
About the GTA
The GTA supports, connects anddevelops the technology community
of the Columbia River Gorge.
www.crgta.org * Email the GTA541-296-2266
In This Issue
GTA Members
Support Robotics Teams
GTA Board Openings
Wind Challenge
GTA Events
STEM Career Day
Insitu News
AS9100D Training
Microsoft Courses
Job Postings
EMA Event
Incubation Program
Cascade AUVSI Conference
"The Big One" Event
Asset Protection Workshop
Communication Workshop
Aerospace/ Defense Symposium
STEM Learning
Event Calendar
GTA Members and Sponsors
Thank you to our new and renewing members and sponsors!
Bill Miller, New Associate MemberGradient Mobile, New Full MemberPower4Flight, Renewing Full Member
Support Winning Gorge Robotics Teams
The Gorge Tech Alliance has a robotics fund for donations that weuse to keep our loaner robotics program going, support roboticsevents in the region and support regional robotics teams thatadvance to upper levels of competition.
The highest level of competition for our FIRST robotics teams is theWorld competition, this year in Houston, Texas on April 19-22. Weare proud to have two teams definitely attending: the Pandriodsfrom Wy'east Middle School (a FIRST LEGO League team) andSteelhead from Hood River Valley High School (a FIRST TechChallenge team). Trout Lake's FIRST Robotics Challenge team isalso possibly attending, but first needs to win a regionalchampionship in Cheney, WA on April 6-7.
The GTA is proud to offer $500 to each of these teams, but theyneed more help. You can contribute through the GTA or directly inthese ways:
Gofundme page for the PandroidsGofundme page for Steelhead Contact Trout Lake Coach Rod Nelson
Seeking Interest for GTA Board
The Gorge Tech Alliance is collecting names of Full Members /Sponsors interested in serving on the organization's Board ofDirectors. The Board of Directors fills an important role in guidingand managing the organization. The eleven-member Boardcurrently meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 3:30 to5:00 p.m., usually in Hood River. Board members also contributesome time outside of Board meetings for GTA business. Any FullMember/ Sponsor of the GTA who has been a Full Member /Sponsor for at least one year is eligible. Board terms are one yearin length. A ballot for the Board will be sent to all Full Members /Sponsors for a vote in April. Please contact Jessica by April10 with interest.
2017 Wind Challenge a Success
Although it was a fierce competition, only a few teams walkedaway as wind turbine champions on March 11th as students fromaround the Gorge took part in the 4th annual Google WindChallenge at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center. This year,
more than 175 students from 38 local high schools and middleschools competed to build the competition's top turbines.
During the Wind Challenge, student teams worked together withvolunteer mentors to design, build and test their turbines. The eventand accompanying STEM fair is sponsored by Google andproduced in partnership with Gorge Technology Alliance andColumbia Gorge Community College. The event is a culmination ofthe organizations' broader efforts to bring hands-on STEMopportunities to area students and inspire the next generation ofleaders in these fields.
View the list of winning teams here or learn more about WindChallenge here.
Teams work against the clock to build the best wind turbine at the2017 Wind Challenge.
GTA Events in April
Our next Featured Event onTuesday, April 25 will showcase anupdate from Google-The Dalles.The Gorge's well-known data center
has been growing by leaps and bounds, with new facilities risingon the banks of the Columbia River in The Dalles. Come hear fromDarcy Nothnagle, Head of External Affairs NW for Google, as sheshares what is happening in The Dalles and all the good workGoogle has done in the community. 6:30pm in The Dalles, locationTBD. Free for GTA members; $10 for non-members. Networkingand appetizers included. And our April Geek Lunch will be on the 18th, noon at ChinaGorge. Topic TBD!
GTA's Fourth Annual STEM Career Day Planned for April 28
The Gorge Tech Alliance is pleased to be planning our fourthannual STEM Career Day for April 28 at Columbia GorgeCommunity College (CGCC). We invite all 7th graders in our five-county region to learn about local careers in science, tech,engineering and math and the educational pathway to reach thosecareers. This year, about 700 students will attend from Moro,Glenwood, Hood River, Odell, Klickitat, Mosier, The Dalles, Dufur,Lyle, Centerville, Trout Lake and Wishram. We have a few morespots for businesses looking to support this powerful event! Thisevent is possible because of:
Sponsor Columbia River InsuranceEvent Partners CGCC and Oregon State Open Campus
Participating GTA Members: Google, IBEW, Insitu,SigmaDesign, TacAero and ZepherParticipating other entities: OR Dept. Environmental Quality,OR Dept. Fish and Wildlife, Mid-Columbia Fire andRescue, Interfluve, CGCC programs, NuCulture Foods.
Read more about this event on our website here.
GTA Member News: Insitu Launches New OnlineCommunity Pages
GTA Member Insitu recently announced the launch of newCommunity pages on their website to celebrate the impact of thecompany and its employees throughout the Columbia Gorge regionand beyond. "Caring for our community is at the heart of Insitu'sculture, and we think our people do an excellent job," said TammyKaufman, Community Relations Coordinator at Insitu. "We wanted toshare some of those stories, while giving residents a betterunderstanding of how we partner with local organizations to amplifyour impact." Read more about their impactat https://insitu.com/community.
Seeking WA Businesses for ISO 9001:2015 and/orAS9100D Transition Training
GTA Member Clark College is seeking interest from Washingtoncompanies for a consortium training program for "Transitioning toISO 9001:2015 and/or AS9100D." This program is forcompanies already certified to ISO 9001:2008 and/or AS9100Rev C standards. Presented by ETI Group, this program will provide all of thetraining and support companies successfully transitioning to ISO9001:2015 and/or AS9100 Rev D. The program will be deliveredover five-months starting in September 2017, but companiesneed to reserve their spot now. Clark College expects the costfor a company to participate at just $2,500 with the majority of thecosts covered by a Washington state grant. Contact FrancoisWevers at Clark College for more information.
April and May Courses in Microsoft Office Offered in HoodRiver
GTA Member CSG Pro announced that Jump-start Training, inassociation with Gorge Solution Partners, is offering MicrosoftOffice courses in Hood River in April and May. Classes includeExcel essentials, Excel calculations, Excel databasemanagement, Outlook and Windows 10 Tablet Mode. Learn morehere.
Job Postings with GTA Members
The GTA booth at the Gorge Job Fair on March 25 promoted ourmember openings as one of the benefits of membership. We alsoregularly update our jobs page to feature openings such as:
4-Tell is seeking a Lead UI/UX Developer and an AzureServices Developer, as well as Business Dev Leader,Marketing Analyst, Customer Success Associate andAccount Executive.Cardinal IG in Hood River is seeking Maintenance Techsand Production Specialists.Custom Interface is seeking an Assembly Specialist,Prototype Specialist, Quality Control Tech and EngineeringIntern.Everest Consultants has four contract/ contract-to-hirepositions in the Gorge for IT Security Analyst, Draft CADDesigner, Procurement Agent and Electrical Engineer. Google-The Dalles is seeking Systems Engineer, TechnicalProgram Manager, Software Engineer, Lead Hardware TestEngineer and Data Center Facilities Techs.
Innovative Composite Engineering is seeking an EquipmentFabrication and Repair & Preventative MaintenanceTechnician and Composite Techs.Some of Insitu's many openings include Engineers,Electrical Techs, Material Coordinator, Supply ChainAnalyst and more. Klickitat County has openings for a Chief Deputy Treasurer,a Senior Accountant, Van Driver, In-home Services Aide,Victims Witness Assistant and Assistant Grounds Position.Overwatch Imaging has openings for an Electronics SystemEngineer, a Senior Embedded Systems Engineer and aComputer Vision Engineering Intern.Real Carbon is seeking a Production Manager andComposite Engineer. Sagetech is seeking a Production Manager and Shipping/Materials Tech. Sherman County has a Coordinator opening for the WeedDepartment.SigmaDesign has a number of openings for the Vancouverfacilities, including Assembler Techs, Material Handlers,Engineers, Designers and more. Seeq is accepting resumes for Analytics Engineer, BackEnd/ Full Stack Engineer, Software Engineer and SalesExecutive.UTC Aerospace Systems has a number of openings,including Engineers, Contracts Specialists, ManufacturingTechs, Production Planner, Purchasing Supervisor andmore.
Mar 30: EMA/ERA Spring Break Social
GTA Partner Electronics Manufacturers Association (EMA) and theOregon Chapter of the Electronics Representatives Association(ERA) are hosting their spring social this Thursday, 5:30-8:30 atGolden Valley Brewery in Beaverton. Meet new EMA & ERAmembers, bring friends, and mingle with electronic manufacturersand reps. They'll introduce you to experts in the electronics design& manufacturing industry, so you will be able to chat with some ofthe brightest minds around. The evening will be equal parts funand informative. This event is free but register here.
Apr 3 Deadline: Virtual Incubation Program for RuralOregon Entrepreneurs
The Oregon Technology Business Center will launch itsnext Virtual Incubation Program (VIP) for growth entrepreneurs inrural Oregon who are working on a growth-business. Starting April14th, eight weekly online workshops are followed by four months ofonline mentoring include learning from experienced entrepreneurshow to validate your business model and start, protect, and fund acompany - while meeting and getting help from otherentrepreneurs, investors, and mentors from all over the state.Applications for the program are due April 3!
Apr 6: Drones, Droids and Unmanned SystemsConference, Tacoma
You can still register for the upcoming spring conference of AUVSICascade Chapter, "Drones, Droids and UnmannedSystems" on April 6th at the American Lake Conference Center atJoint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, WA. The event featuresexperts from government, industry and academia speaking tocurrent technologies, regulatory issues and real-world operationsimpacting this rapidly growing market segment. Keynote speaker will be Mark Bathrick, Director, Office of Aviation,Department of the Interior. View the full agenda here or registerhere (discounts through Mar 31).
GTA Member Columbia Gorge Community College, in partnershipwith Hood River County Emergency Management, invites thecommunity to learn how to prepare for natural disasters with two"emergency preparedness fairs" scheduled April 19 and 20 in theGorge. View the event flyer here.
Representatives from the emergency preparedness communitywill have informational booths and answer questions. Two mirroredevents are planned, on April 19 in the Fort Dalles ReadinessCenter, and April 20 at Rockford Grange in Hood River. Bothevents start at 5 p.m. Delicious snacks and a no-host bar will beavailable. A $10 donation is encouraged.
Registrations are invited by organizations wishing to presentinformation or services at these two events, which are co-sponsored by NW Natural. If you'd like to be involved or register forbooth space, please contact Suzanne Burd, community educationcoordinator at Columbia Gorge Community College, (541) 506-6123.
Apr 20: "Asset Protection in a New Generation of IT Threats" Workshop
Data breaches, compromised credentials, shared technology dangers, inadequate network access, andimproperly deployed migrations are all real threats in today's rapidly changing technology landscape. Inthis power-packed management briefing, you will learn important background and best practices formoving your organization - large or small - into a new era where cyber attacks have become bigbusiness.
Gorge Solution Partners is offering this workshop for business leaders on April 20, 3:30 to 5:30pm atZepher in Bingen. Learn more or register for this free workshop here.
Apr 21: "Communicate with Confidence" Workshop
GTA Member Catalyst Performance Consulting is again offering their Communicate with Confidenceworkshop on April 21.
Do you avoid challenging conversations with staff members until it's too late?Does communicating with certain co-workers drive you bananas?Do you miss opportunities to boldly share your ideas?
If you have a friend or co-worker in the Gorge who talks about communications challenges with co-workers, other business colleagues or even customers, please encourage him or her to register for theclass. April 21, 2017, $90, 9am - Noon at Catalyst office in downtown Hood River. Register here.
May 4: NW Aerospace and Defense Symposium in Tacoma
GTA Partner Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC) hosts this annual symposium to bringtogether aerospace business and government leaders to discuss newdevelopments and business opportunities in the defense sector. Learn about government contractingforecasts, connect with prime contractors, and network with key government and military leaders
Who Should Attend: Middle and upper managers from primes and subcontractors in the defense,aerospace and UAV industries who are interested in learning about budgets, priorities and procurementopportunities.
The event is all day on Thursday, May 4 at American Lake Conference Center on base at Joint BaseLewis-McChord, Tacoma, WA. Learn more or register here.
Save the Date: May 31 WA Governor's Summit on Career Connected Learning
The Governor's (Inslee) Career Connected Learning Summit will convene business, policy, andeducation leaders to launch a policy initiative and spread best practices to increase and strengthencareer-related opportunities in high demand STEM jobs for Washington's youth. While the main eventwill be in Redmond, WA, regional convenings at multiple sites across the state are being planned,including one in Klickitat County. A three-hour session will connect participants at the regionalconvenings virtually with the main site general session on policy recommendations including remarksfrom Governor Inslee. The GTA is working with GTA Member Klickitat County Economic Development topromote this event. Learn more here and stay tuned for local details.
Great events in and out of the Gorge of interest to our tech community.
March 30: EMA/ ERA Spring Social in Beaverton. See above.
April:
April 5: OEN Workshop: Negotiating with Angel Investors - What You Need to Know. 3:30 inPortland.April 6: Cascade AUVSI Spring Conference. See above.April 12: OEN PubTalk: Can Portland Be the Next Hub for Artificial Intelligence? 5:15 inPortland.April 18: GTA Geek Lunch, noon at China Gorge. Topic TBD.April 19 and 20: The Big One events in The Dalles and Hood River. See above.April 20: Asset Protection workshop in Bingen. 3:30-5:30. See above.April 21: Communicate with Confidence class from Catalyst Performance Consulting. Seeabove.April 25: GTA Featured Event with an update from Google. 6:30pm in The Dalles.Location TBD.April 28: GTA's Fourth Annual STEM Career Day, Sponsored by Columbia RiverInsurance. See above.
May:
May 4: Aerospace and Defense Symposium at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, hosted by PNDC.May 31: Governor's Summit on Career Connected Learning. See above.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is sponsored by GTA. The items contained herein are published as submittedand are provided for general information purposes only. This information is not advice. Readers should notrely solely on this information, but should make their own inquiries before making any decisions. GTA worksto maintain up-to-date information from reliable sources; however, no responsibility is accepted for any errorsor omissions or results of any actions based upon this information. If you have any questions regarding any ofthese items, contact the organizational representative of that source. This newsletter may contain links to websites that are created and maintained by other organizations. GTAdoes not necessarily endorse the views expressed on these websites, nor does it guarantee the accuracy orcompleteness of any information presented there. Furthermore, visitors should be aware that other siteslinked from this newsletter may use persistent cookies that track visitor viewing habits.
