SOREDI Announces First Annual LAUNCH & Tech Symposium

SOREDI’s first annual LAUNCH & Tech Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2018. Doors open at 8:00 am at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites in Ashland, OR.  The program will conclude by 3:00 pm. This event will replace SOREDI’s monthly LAUNCH|Talk for the month of April. The focus on the LAUNCH & Tech Symposium will be a unified vision for creating an environment that fosters the success of tech-related companies in Southern Oregon. Mature companies with plans to grow and new start-ups that are technology-based or include elements of technology, will want to be in attendance. Experts in related fields are scheduled to address the factors tech-companies seek in a region, to the attraction of tech-savvy workers, to the specific benefits creating a hub for prototyping and new product development. Generous sponsorships from People’s Bank of Commerce, Neuman Hotel Group, the City of Ashland, Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University make the LAUNCH & Tech Symposium possible. More sponsorship opportunities are available.

Dara Macan, Global Director of Business Development for SourceLink will present “Building the Infrastructure to Create a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.” Located in Kansas City, SourceLink is a national leader in transforming communities into hubs of growing entrepreneurship. For over a decade,  Macan has consulted with organizations engaged in economic development activities that improve visibility and help drive economic impact in their communities.  In her capacity at SourceLink, she leads strategic partnerships and business development initiatives. SourceLink helps communities identify their entrepreneurial resources and make them more visible; connect resources through a tangible hub; empower the elements of the ecosystem to solve problems and fill gaps; and measure the impact. What might this look like among the academic, business, government, corporate and nonprofit entities in Southern Oregon? Come to the Symposium to find out!

Following the keynote speakers, SOREDI’s LAUNCH & Tech Symposium audience will have the opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions and brainstorm directly with our region’s decision-makers on these topics. During our round-table discussion and lunch, local entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and business leaders are invited to a guided brainstorming session in order to begin the process of translating national best practices into local tactics and strategies.

If you own a business startup or mature business that depends on technology infrastructure, or a technology labor pool, you will want to attend this Symposium. If you provide business services to manufacturers or startups, or if you are a leader in the education or business community that plays a role in the entrepreneurial culture of Southern Oregon, you won’t want to miss participating in this discussion. SOREDI desires to integrate your local challenges and opportunities with expert advice and best practices from outside the region. Don’t miss it!

Tickets for the April 19 LAUNCH & Tech Symposium are available at www.soredi.org/events. Prices are $75 for members of SOREDI, $100 for non-members. Your ticket price includes a light breakfast, mid-morning refreshments and a plated lunch. Please bring your team and be prepared to participate. The LAUNCH & Tech Symposium opens at 8:00 am, at the Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites in Ashland. All sessions will conclude by 3:00 pm.

About SOREDI: SOREDI is a private, membership-based, non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors. Its seven-person staff is charged with local business expansion and new business recruitment efforts, financial assistance to start-up companies through its business loan fund, and management of Enterprise Zones in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The agency was formed as a regional economic development agency in 1987. Learn more at https://soredi.org.