Tech on Tap

On this episode of Tech on Tap our team (Jason Eder, Laura Blake, Michael Baylor) discusses the top news stories from this month in tech and innovation. The team covers Raleigh's top ranking for gamers, weekly newspapers going away, Apple's WWDC announcements and emerging unicorn companies in the Triangle.

ReCity Executive Director Rob Shields brings a decade of experience in nonprofit management and service, with a focus on youth development. After serving in nonprofit leadership for nearly five years, Shields joined the visioning team for ReCity Network in 2014, becoming the organization’s founding Executive Director. Observing deep divisions in Triangle communities along lines of race, class, and opportunity, he was motivated to create a network of nonprofits, mission-driven businesses, and faith-based organizations that could collaborate to address the most challenging issues facing our communities. By bringing together dozens of organizations since ReCity’s 2016 launch, he has helped build a social impact hub, responding to demand for a more expansive mission of shared space and shared impact for the hundreds of nonprofits that call Durham home. Shields is a native North Carolinian and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNC Chapel Hill in 2007.

Geraud Staton is the executive director for The Helius Foundation, a Durham-based entrepreneurial consulting company specializing in small businesses and Necessity-Driven Entrepreneurs (NDEs). NDEs are individuals who are unable to find traditional, living-wage employment, including long-time veterans, single parents, people with criminal records or individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Helius has created a means to arm and protect NDEs and provide all of the services that small business owners need to create sustainable businesses. Staton believes wholeheartedly in the mission of the organization and seeks to improve women and minority-owned businesses.

Maggie Kane is the founder and executive director of A Place at the Table, the first pay-what-you-can cafe in downtown Raleigh. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2013 and began working for a nonprofit with people experiencing homelessness. By befriending many people living on the margins, she knew something needed to be done. Kane has a heart to serve, a desire to always be inclusive, and a passion for loving people. Through her work with people on the streets, she realized the power of community, the importance of dignity, and the beauty in bringing people together over incredible food. In February 2015, A Place at the Table was birthed, and she never looked back. A Place at the Table opened in January 2018 serving thousands of people in Raleigh with a dignified, healthy, and affordable meal; however, more importantly, a meal that feeds more than just the stomach–it feeds your hearts, souls, and minds. Outside of the cafe, you will catch her running marathons and eating peanut butter.

The team gets together to talk about the latest news from the month of April. Could the country be headed for a recession in 2020, what economic bubble is about to burst, and how will this affect the presidential elections in late November?  Epic Games is accused of having a toxic work environment and employees are speaking out. Is this a sign of a startup behaving badly or just growing pains? Rocky Mount may be poised to give Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte a run for its money in tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship as businesses and people are making the move to the rural town in hopes of being ahead of the curve. 

At the end of the show, we talk to a reporter for WRAL TechWire. Chantal Allam, about stories she's covering and why readers should be paying attention. 

Presenting Sponsor: Johnson Automotive Group

This week on Tech on Tap, Michael, Jason and Laura talk about the most important tech news that you need to know over the month of March. Rick Smith joins the discussion to talk about tech coverage from the journalist perspective.

Oprah, Spielberg, Abrams, Aniston join Apple’s new streaming service

Apple recently announced new software products that hope to perfect the way we bank, stream, and consume our news. Their biggest headline maker was the introduction of the Apple TV +, which is a streaming alternative to Netflix and Hulu. With a focus on storytelling, Apple TV + was introduced and championed by an all-star lineup, including Oprah, Steven Speilberg, and Jennifer Aniston. Will it be enough to make a dent in the currently crowded streaming marketplace?

Duke Energy $76M plan would charge up support for fast-growing electric vehicle market

With the stark increase in people driving electric vehicles just in our region, Duke Energy is doubling down on building the infrastructure to support charging across both residential and commercial hubs. With thousands of more electric cars on the roads and urban forms of transportation like scooters and bikes growing in popularity, the energy company is putting millions behind the changing landscape of transportation.

Bird and Lime scooters to cease operations in Raleigh

There is a lot of public outrage and kudos concerning the recent decision by Bird and Lime to stop operations of their electric scooters in Raleigh. The story is deeper than meets the eye, but the future of urban commuting is not a lost cause, with new suitors waiting in the wings with proposals of their own.

TechWire Skinny –

Rick Smith (TechWire Editor) talks to Michael about the recent lawsuits filed against IBM for alleged age discriminationin their firing practices. What could this mean for the tech giant and do the former employees filing the suits have a leg to stand on. Rick also talks about the recent studies concerning the female viagra, Addyi by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, and how it can be taken safely with alcohol.

Johnson Automotive Group – Front Seat of Innovation honoree:

TechGirlz.

‘Aha moment’ – TechGirlz sets record for girls coding at the same time

The Premise

 In this episode of our Tech On Series, the Tech on Tap team looks at how we move in our cities and towns. The team starts by asking how are things changing for consumers and how are manufacturers adapting to the biggest disruptors in their industries. Because of innovations like 5G internet connectivity, every level of the supply chain is having to consider how to create better products and how to meet the changing needs of customers in a changing culture. The team also asks how cities and municipalities are planning to adapt to the changes in personal transit throughout their towns and what cities are doing to bring public transit into the modern era.

 

 The Guests

 Erick Kirks:

 Erick Kirks is the Marketing Director of Johnson Automotive Group, overseeing the promotional efforts of teams in North Carolina, Florida, and Maryland. His job is always evolving with the new ways that customers search and purchase cars. He is trying to create brand loyalty in a tech environment that increasingly shy away from that notion. In our talk with Erick, he speaks on the true disruptors in the automotive industry and the opportunities for growth because of technology. He talks about the hurdles of seeing fully autonomous vehicles and how even connected cars are at risk of not being overwhelmingly adopted because of the inherent risk incurred by the end user.

 

 Johnson Automotive's objective in customer retention is to double down on what has kept them in business for over 59 years by keeping a customer focus while still integrating new age tech and innovation in the car buying process. Dealership amenities like VR test drives and the reduced time it takes to purchase a car from a dealership are a couple of things that have made Johnson Automotive a mainstay in the automotive industry when uncertainty is forcing some dealerships out of the market.

 

 Joe Milazzo:

 Joe Milazzo is the Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) and his job is to advocate for the business community concerning transportation in the greater Triangle region. For 15 years RTA has been concerned with "accelerating regional transportation priorities, policies, and practices." In addition to their work on the policy level, RTA puts on events throughout the year and distributes online thought leadership that sets out to inform the business community on potential and present strengths of the Triangle region. In our conversation with him, he talks about the importance of transit in the decision-making process of business and the need to create options rather than full stop solutions that will result in an expensive renovation. Milazzo talks about the cadence of advocating for innovation so that municipalities and citizens are receptive and not resistant to change and innovation.

 

 RTA puts on events all year long and is gearing up for a July event all about the potential for a hyperloop. They also release a weekly blog about new innovations in transit, both locally and nationally focused.

 

Michael Moore:

Michael Moore is the Director of Transportation for the City of Raleigh. The city of Raleigh's vision is "To pursue world-class quality of life by actively collaborating with our community towards a fulfilling and inspired future for all," and his department is setting out to implement that vision in the way citizens move in and around our city and region. Michael talks about what has his department racking their collective brain in relation to moving the city forward in transportation. Moore also talks about the idea of multi-level transportation and its ability to clear roadways for smoother commutes.

On March 6, 2019, WRAL TechWire held its first TechWire Live event of 2019. Wells Fargo sponsors the event series, and this was the first of four subject matters scheduled for 2019. The content centered around leadership and the itinerary divided the night into two sessions. The first session took a macro look at how effective leaders move the ball forward in their communities. The second session took a micro look at how to make the most significant impact within each person’s own organization.

 

 James Amato, the Strategy and Business Development manager of WRAL TechWire, hosted the event to a packed house. The crowd at WRAL-TV’s historic Studio A was comprised of community leaders, CEO’s, serial entrepreneurs, and industry thought leaders. The audience gathered to discuss ways to realize their leadership potential in an increasingly divisive environment fully.

 

 This episode of Tech on Tap is an edited recording from the second-panel discussion of the night featuring Katie Gailes, of Wake Tech Community College, as the moderator. Gailes titled her panel discussion: Leadership in the new era, the high tech blessing, and the high tech curse. With that title as the road map, Gailes was joined by Gary Greene and Chris Weatherly, of Greene Resources and WRAL digital solutions respectively.

 

 Greene Resources is a high profile recruiting firm that seeks to help companies locate and land high caliber talent. Gary Greene leads Greene Resources as founder and CEO and spoke on his view of leadership and how he engages his employees for long term partnership and mutual benefit. "Leadership is not a position. Leadership is action," Greene said in response to the definition of leadership.

 

 WRAL Digital Solutions is an Emmy award-winning subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company and operates to provide effective marketing solutions for local and national brands. Chris Weatherly leads his growing team as the Director of Digital Sales and Operations. Weatherly spoke on how to help leaders get their message across in an ever-evolving technological environment.

 

 Both men spoke on how to identify and develop leaders within your organization and took audience questions on how to respond to the changing workforce.

 

 Listen to the recording of the first panel, featuring Jesica Averhart (Leadership Triangle), Brenda Berg (Best NC), and Eric Boduch (Pendo).

 

 https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/03/19/tech-on-tap-techwire-live-leadership-in-review/

 

 Listen to Tech on Tap and look out for the announcement of the next TechWire live event, sponsored by TechWire partner, Well Fargo.

On March 6, 2019, WRAL TechWire held its first TechWire Live event of 2019. Wells Fargo sponsors the event series, and this was the first of four subject matters scheduled for 2019. The content centered around leadership and the itinerary divided the night into two sessions. The first session took a macro look at how effective leaders move the ball forward in their communities. The second session took a micro look at how to make the most significant impact within each person's own organization.

 

 James Amato, the Strategy and Business Development manager of WRAL TechWire hosted the event to a packed house. The crowd at WRAL-TV's historic Studio A was comprised of community leaders, CEO's, serial entrepreneurs, and industry thought leaders. The audience gathered to discuss ways to realize their leadership potential in an increasingly divisive environment fully.

 

 This episode of Tech on Tap is an edited recording from the first panel discussion of the night featuring Jesica Averhart, of the Leadership Triangle, as the moderator. Brenda Berg, CEO and president of Best NC, was featured on the panel and spoke in depth on the gap in education and economic mobility within North Carolina as a hurdle that we as a community must take on to raise the profile of North Carolina in the evolving business and tech economy. Eric Boduch, the co-founder of Pendo, lent his expertise on the need to locally shift focus from competitors within our state lines to companies on the global stage. Both spoke on the region's diversity of thought and workforce as opportunities that make the Triangle, and North Carolina as a whole, attractive to businesses and individuals on the move.

 

 Listen to Tech on Tap and look out for the announcement of the next TechWire live event.

This week on Tech on Tap, Michael, Laura and Shannon Cuthrell talk about the most important tech news that you need to know over the last month.

* Google passes over NC for $13B expansion.

https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/14/googles-13b-expansion-plan-skips-north-carolina/

This story looks at the decision by Google to bypass NC in its data center expansion. There are reports that this could be due to privacy laws that may be forthcoming in response to companies like Google Amazon and Apple clustering in cities states lining the coast.

* Meet ‘harbinger of doom’ – the new T.rex courtesy NCSU researchers

https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/21/meet-harbinger-of-doom-the-new-t-rex-courtesy-ncsu-researchers-video/

NCSU researchers have discovered a new, smaller, species of Tyrannosaurus Rex. “With a lethal combination of bone-crunching bite forces, stereoscopic vision, rapid growth rates, and colossal size, tyrant dinosaurs reigned uncontested for 15 million years leading up to the end-Cretaceous extinction – but it wasn’t always that way,” says Lindsay Zanno, paleontologist at North Carolina State University, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Sciences and lead author of a paper describing the research.

* ‘What a freaking event!’ – Marshmello’s in-Fortnite game concert sets record

https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/02/22/what-a-freaking-event-marshmellos-in-fortnite-game-concert-sets-record/

Over 10 Million people logged on and attended a concert hosted within the gaming environment breaking the previous record of over 8 million. Does this set the stage for a new outlet for entertainment and music engagement?

TechWire Skinny – Shannon Cuthrell (TechWire Events Reporter) talks to Michael about the growing number of events in the Triangle and beyond and how business leaders, tech enthusiasts, and startup founders can get involved.

Johnson Automotive Group – Front Seat of Innovation honoree:

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