Connect. Grow. Network.

By Jill Pearson

We've all heard these buzzwords, but at Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF), we actually believe in them. Believe in the value of connecting. Believe in the concept that a roomful of voices saying the same thing makes more impact than several voices saying different things. That's just noise.

TBTF is a membership association of technology companies in the Tampa Bay area that are committed to growing this region into a Top Technology Hub by 2015 – recognized regionally and nationally. For more than a decade, TBTF has been championing local technology companies and uniting the region’s technology leaders to put Tampa Bay on the map as a center for innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry leadership.

TBTF’s more than 300 member companies represent an incredibly diverse cross-section of our area’s largest and coolest technology leadership. From software to sales tools, computers to cat scans – our members remind us every day that advancements in technology exist everywhere, with many right here in our own backyard.

Give some back

Since its inception, TBTF has been committed to giving back to the community. With time, dollars and a whole lot of heart, the TBTF Foundation was formed.

Currently the TBTF Foundation is working hard to ensure that at-risk youth in our community have opportunities for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and bridge the "digital divide.” Working with such incredible organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Junior Achievement and the Education Foundations of Hillsborough and Pinellas County, the Foundation has already made great strides in bridging this gap.

Through donations of both money and time, our members have outfitted computer labs in 21 area Boys and Girls Clubs, and awarded over 40 college or vocational school scholarships to at-risk kids interested in pursuing careers in STEM. Our mentoring program has matched up kids with local area business leaders who work with them to understand the connections between academic success and their future career paths.

Why is giving back one of our priorities? “Seeing a kid get the chance to go to college who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity,” explains Bob Riddell, TBTF Foundation Chairman,” is the main reason why we do what we do.”

On August 18th, TBTF will host its annual Tech Jam. This event, now in its 10th year, is the primary fundraiser for the TBTF Foundation. Last year’s Tech Jam raised over $55,000 for the Foundation’s programs. This year’s Decade of Rock event will feature a Battle of the Bands contest, as well as a silent auction and VIP Lounge for our attendees. If you’d like to attend or donate, you can visit our website for details: www.tbtf.org/techjam.

So if your company uses, sells, develops or is a fan of technology, come check out a TBTF event. You never know who you might connect with.

Jill Pearson is the Director of Membership for the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. She’s been with the organization for several years and you can likely find her at any TBTF event telling membership success stories to members and guests alike. She runs a Member Orientation once a quarter at the Tampa Club as well, if you’d like to stop by and learn what a TBTF membership can do for your business. Or, just see how she’s incapable of talking without using her hands. www.tbtf.org