Ingrid Cook is one of the Pittsburgh region's most energetic and creative tech company founders. From as far back as she remember, she always wanted to start and run her own company.     SHzoom is the original inventors of “Snap A Pic, Get A Quote,” for your minor fender bender!  We now use our patented system to sell up-time to organizations with large fleets of vehicles. Whether it’s a crash, OEM recall, or regular maintenance, its electronic repair management system with automated crash reporting destroys downtime problems by cutting the repair process in half!    

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Pittsburgh Founders: Ingrid Cook

Join us for an interactive discussion with Pittsburgh's top education technology leaders. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, keeping our children engaged, connected and in learning mode remains a challenge and top priority. Technology has provided countless solutions ranging from on-line learning to educational gaming to virtual STEM camps and so much more. Today on Business as Usual, we're talking to three Pittsburgh tech companies offering solutions to improve care and education in our region. Joining us today includes: • Jake Witherell, COO of Schell Games • Priya Amin, Founder and COO of Flexable • Dr. Tom Lauwers, Founder of BirdBrain Technologies As your children head back to school, discover how these companies can play a role in their education.

Business as Usual Explores Homegrown Ed-Tech Solutions

Many companies have reduced the acute risk of infection for their employees by shifting to working from home. Now that governments and businesses are gradually opening back up, returning to the office is becoming more of an option. However, employees must still be protected and, if necessary, infection chains must be traced. Nick Dove of Sycor talks about the free Sycor.Back2Work app to support you and your employees in returning to your accustomed workplace. By using the app, regulations regarding social distancing can be applied easily and clearly.

Summer of Stories: Nick Dove of Sycor/Sycor.Back2Work

Today on Business as Usual, get a front-row seat with David L. Holmberg, President and CEO of Highmark Health. As a $19 billion integrated health organization, Highmark Health includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. After discussing how Highmark Health has navigated COVID-19 to date and how it plans to operate in the future, David will address the organization's commitment to hiring people with disabilities. David wants to challenge every organization to make the same commitment to hiring as Highmark Health. To add to the conversation we invited Joyce Bender, Co-Founder of iDisability of Bender Consulting Services to this episode as well!

Business as Usual Featuring Highmark Health & Bender Consulting Services

Paradigm Global Innovation leverages latest technologies, to develop educational products, services, and business models that are innovative, affordable, scalable and accessible. In this episode Founder Rachel Afolabi talks about her most recent projects in the Pittsburgh area centered around education and immersive technologies. 

Summer of Stories: Rachael Afolabi of Paradigm Global Innovation

The Pittsburgh Technology Council's Creative Industries Network is pleased to present a discussion on Community Marketing with Duolingo, the Pittsburgh Steelers, & Trinity Health. We know that Community Marketing is very important for many industries, brands, and organizations—perhaps more now than ever before.  Our special guests include: -Julie Washington, SVP, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Trinity Health -Laura Nestler, Global Head of Community at Duolingo -Ryan Huzjak, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at the Pittsburgh Steelers Moderator: John Denny, Principal at Denny Civic Solutions

CMO Insights: Community Marketing

Today on Business as Usual, we welcome 2015 ATHENA Award Recipient Lynn M. Banaszak, Executive Director at Digital Transformation & Innovation Center at Carnegie Mellon University, to overview the importance of the ATHENA Awards, especially as we navigate COVID-19. On September 11, the Pittsburgh Technology Council will host the 2020 ATHENA Awards virtually to celebrate women who demonstrate excellence in their profession, contribute to the community and mentor other women. Lynn will be joined by Allison Kaharick, Pittsburgh Technology Council Director of Major Programs, who is organizing this year's ATHENA Awards to detail why this is a must-attend celebration for everyone. Plus, Andrea Krueger of the EDGE Women's Leadership Program, will overview this program targeting mid-career professionals and its upcoming retreat set for August 20-21.

Business as Usual Featuring the ATHENA Awards and the EDGE Women's Leadership Program

Mike Kula stops by our Summer of 50 PGH Tech Stories to talk about a new anonymous COVID-19 contact tracing system for the workplace called Accent. The Accent device is worn by employees while at work. The only information maintained in the device is the number of that device and whether that device came within 6 feet of another device for more than 5 seconds. Approximately 30 days' history is maintained in the device. An employee's only responsibility is to wear the device at work and charge it at night. No location or any other information https://four.libsyn.com/content_edit/index/mode/episode#main-social-tabis maintained in the device. In the event an employee has a positive Covid test, an HR employee will download the exposure notification from the device. It will them be HR's responsibility to notify employees who were exposed to that device (and that employee) that they may have been exposed and they need to be tested. No IT support is needed.

Summer of Stories: Mike Kula of Avalon Integration

Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, there are still strategies to capitalize your startup tech company. We are welcoming Mike Green and Matt Harbaugh, CoFounders of Mountain State Capital, to talk about the current funding environment and offer insights on how to get your venture capitalized. Mountain State Capital invests in a wide variety of technologies and industry sectors, ranging from software to life sciences and everything in-between. It looks for ideas that have the potential to disrupt billion-dollar markets. Mountain State Capital's portfolio includes such notable local startups, including ANGLR, UpContent, PecaLabs, COEO and Gridwise. Join for insight and access to one of our region's top investors.

Business as Usual Featuring Mountain State Capital

Ari Lightman just might be the Johnny Cash of Pittsburgh's tech industry: He's Been Everywhere, Man! Ari has deep roots in the industry serving a variety of roles in tech startups. He is now a Distinguished Service Professor, Digital Media and Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. Ari teaches classes focused on assessing and measuring the impact of emerging technologies including Digital Transformation and Measuring Social. In this episode, he talks about the Capstone Project and how CMU can connect students to help companies large and small solve some of their toughest problems.

Summer of Stories: Ari Lightman, Carnegie Mellon University

Bob Baker and Mark Dello Stritto of 321Blink talk about the importance of turning up your brand even when the economy is down. Plus 321Blink is developing affordable and flexible packages  (https://321blink.com/back-to-business/)to help clients in these tight economic times.

Summer of Stories: 321Blink

United Healthcare is one of the largest healthcare providers in the country with a significant presence in the Pittsburgh region. EJ Heckert talks about all of the ways United has stepped up to help its customers and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Summer of Stories: EJ Heckert of United Healthcare

Today, we are welcoming Sarah Spishock of the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development to overview key information when applying for the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) Tax Credit. Sarah will review tax credit eligibility requirements, what your company should know before applying, how to complete the application, any changes to the application from previous years, and what happens after the September 15 deadline. The KIZ is an incentive program that provides tax credits to for-profit companies less than eight years old operating within specific targeted industries within the boundaries of a KIZ. With a total pool of up to $15 million in tax credits available to KIZ companies annually, the KIZ tax credit program significantly contributes to the ability of young KIZ companies to transition through the stages of growth.

Business as Usual Featuring Sarah Spishock, PA Dept. of Community and Economic Dev.

If you're planning on doing any gardening, you might want to use PittMoss to get your flowers, plants and vegetables growing their best! On Business as Usual, we welcome PittMoss CEO Brian Scott to give us the dirt on growing his company that sells planting soils made from recycled cardboard. He's found great success during the COVID-19 pandemic to use crowdsourced funding to generate sales and interest in his products.

Business as Usual Featuring Brian Scott, PittMoss

We have a unique opportunity to host two leaders serving at the epicenter for our most vulnerable population -- seniors citizens -- many of whom are residing in long term care. On this episode of Business as Usual, we are featuring Nick Vizzoca, President & CEO, Vincentian Collaborative System and Nancy Zionts, COO & Chief Program Officer, Jewish Healthcare Foundation. The duo will offer their expertise and insights about the current state of providing services to seniors, COVID-19, testing and how this effects all of us across our regional community.

Business as Usual Featuring Protecting Seniors in Long Term Care

Check out Crystal Morrison's awesome story of building Integrated Village/Meerkat Village to help children with emotional disabilities better connect to care and their support community. And that's not her full-time job. Find out how Crystal juggles a family, full-time consulting business and startup company. Plus learn how Meerkat Village is helping children with special disabilities.

Summer of Stories: Crystal Morrison

Podcasts from TechVibe Radio, now on KDKA 1020 AM every Wednesday at 7 PM. The Pittsburgh Technology Council's Audrey Russo and Jonathan Kersting interview Pittsburgh's most dynamic technology companies and entrepreneurs.

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Pittsburgh Founders: Ingrid Cook

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