By
Audrey Russo, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Technology Council
2019 brings a variety of changes at the Pittsburgh Technology Council. For the first time in our 36-year history, our physical office spaces are now nestled in a neighborhood, thanks to Faros Properties working with us to make our relocation to Nova Place possible.
We bring to our members a variety of spaces to meet, work, connect, host meetings, record podcasts and just work in quiet spaces when you are in the North Side. In the few short months of us being in this location, we can already feel the changes in how we think about our role as a membership organization paired with community engagement on the North Side.
The Tech Council’s physical home for the previous 23 years was not part of a growing mixed-use community. It’s important to have new perspectives and different views. In the short time of us being on the North Side, we can chart our mission: to ensure that tech and innovation companies thrive in southwestern Pennsylvania, and also become a hub for development of engagement in what we do and how we serve our membership.
Jim Cashman, the Tech Council’s Board Chair of eight years, is stepping down as he retires from ANSYS. He passes the baton to serial entrepreneur
Jason Wolfe, Founder of Giftcards.com. Jason is currently busy launching his next company.
Jim leaves an indelible mark on the Tech Council, serving as a trustworthy, reliable leader who assured that our fiduciary strength and processes were solid, building upon his experience as a corporate executive in a NASDAQ public company. I learned a tremendous amount from him. He is steadfast, kind, focused, funny and calm. Through a decade of change, he was a source of strength for the Tech Council. His presence will be missed, but not forgotten.
Jason brings his expertise in successful entrepreneurship after his Milton Hershey School upbringing. He has been bridled with an untypical childhood, given the gift of landing at the Hershey School and then learning to soar after high school by teaching himself to code and quietly, but aggressively, building companies. Jason has been on our board for almost four years and comes to the table with competencies, passion and a deep interest in engaging with our membership. He has big ideas and experience in bringing them to life.
We are also thrilled that Huntington Bank has supported our TechVibe Radio Podcast Studio. The fun has already begun. We love having the ability to let others use this space, and we see the pent-up demand. The need for storytelling of all shapes and sizes remains crucial. We still have TechVibe Radio, but expanding our capabilities is what we planned. We will be running different series and specific topics, so stay connected to us.
We are here to serve you. We are here to make sure we serve as the voice for tech and innovation, but we encourage you to flex with us, as we cannot do any of this work alone.