Cool Person of the Day

This year will see some exciting new sites and developments on the Internet and in the world of mobile computing.  As Microsoft prepares to return to the tablet computer market, Apple leaks rumors of its iPhone 5 and the giants of technology sue one another repeatedly over alleged patent violations, many exciting new start-ups are readying for public launch.  One of the applications that is generating a great deal of buzz already is Vizify, a service that will cull your social networking information to allow you to create an uber-profile that puts the best of you at the forefront of the Internet.  Vizify is nearing completion and taking it the last steps to launch is what Eli Tucker is entirely focused on these days! Read more »

Good ideas are only executed as viable business endeavors when the founder of a start-up assembles a team that can make that vision become a reality.  Recently, Vivian Rosenthal won a Next Generation Award for being one of the top five female leaders in the tech industry as honored by L’Oreal.  Rosenthal won her award for founding and managing GoldRun, a website that allows users to place images of real world people and objects into a digital setting based on GPS technology.  The ambitious project has allowed users and advertisers to interact in exciting new ways.  Rosenthal’s vision created GoldRun, but people like Tiffany Grace Ng built and maintain it! Read more »

With the media world moving more from an industry that is based in the physical world to one that is digital, there are very few businesses that remain unaffected.  One of the industries that is experiencing significant shifts in the way it creates and manufactures products is the greeting card industry.  Facing stiff competition from online card companies, traditional greeting card companies like Hallmark Cards are forced to innovate.  Hallmark Cards may have been in a better position to compete, as it had built its brand name into an award-winning multimedia company (with the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies) well before online card companies became a viable threat to their bottom line.  Even now, Hallmark has less to be concerned about because it has Paul Barker. Read more »

There are so many workers who strive to get their foot in the door with one of the big tech companies, so it can be surprising to hear about all of the people who leave the giants of the tech sector to work for smaller companies.  After years of working for companies with more than ten thousand employees, though, it can be nice to go work for a smaller company.  Often executives who do are given greater responsibility and flexibility and that may lead them to a greater sense of satisfaction than they had at the bigger company.  With more than a decade working for IBM and Lenovo, Brenda Grissom is now finding satisfaction and stimulation at Grissom Sheet Metal! Read more »

Some of the best, most audacious, ideas come from people who are in a position in an industry to see just how wrongheaded the state of that industry is currently.  While some people who witness the faults of an industry complain about the problems or simply leave that industry, the real heroes of business are the individuals who rise up to change that industry.  In the medical and health care industry, one of the leaders working for real reform is Carol Gibbons and a large component of the changes for which she fights is making medical technology more accessible to smaller medical outlets! Read more »

Energy independence is an international initiative of which every major industrialized nation is a part.  The hunt for renewable and reliable energy sources is of incredible interest to the tech sector, especially as it relates to building batteries that more efficiently retain a charge and generate electricity.  There are a wide range of alternative energy sources being explored, from wind power and solar to generating electricity through biofuels.  Working at the forefront of the international effort to increase awareness and utilization of biomass for power generation is Kevin Lindegaard. Read more »

Given how vast the tech sector is, it is very easy for workers at all levels to find themselves suddenly working in an area in which their expertise is limited.  Keeping up with the tech sector can require quite a bit of continual training and often workers who are focused on their work-related tasks do not have the time to learn about the very latest practices or developments in the tech sectors.  That is why many companies utilize professional trainers who both update workers on current events and instruct workers on how to utilize programs with which they have limited prior experience.  One of the best trainers in the business is Jennifer Page! Read more »

When the Apple iPhone 4S was released, there was much ado made over Siri, the talking virtual butler program that was integrated into the new iPhone.  Siri receives input through verbal commands and inquiries and responds in a pleasant, feminine voice.  While Apple has been lauded for the technology (and criticized for its flaws), it is not the only company diligently working on voice recognition and vocal delivery software.  In fact, compared to LumenVox – a company working in the vocal engine software industry for over a decade – Apple is a relative newcomer!  Currently pushing the envelope of all that LumenVox creates is Nigel Quinnin. Read more »

Finding staff for a tech sector start-up can be a challenge beyond what one might otherwise expect.  After all, human resources specialists have to woo highly-skilled workers from whatever company at which they are currently employed to a project that, odds are, is a virtual unknown to the worker.  Equally important, the human resources specialist for a start-up company is assembling a team that will define the initial corporate culture of the new business.  That is a lot of pressure and responsibility and it takes an extraordinary recruiter to pull off effectively staffing a start-up.  Farri Ouraie is that type of human resources specialist! Read more »

In the business world, the tech sector especially, venture capital is essential for early growth.  Almost no company starts out instantly profitable and as a result, they need seed money.  Even social networks require initial startup funds for servers, domain names and money to pay their programmers. Without an immediate revenue stream, young entrepreneurs rely upon investors and venture capitalists who see the potential in their idea and believe in the abilities of those applying for funds to execute that vision.  Helping consumers get the most out of their money, reducing personal debt and financing promising new endeavors are the cornerstones of John Tran’s venture capital enterprises! Read more »