My Ten-Year Journey through Innovation
Fall 2009 Pointe Innovation Magazine Column by Heath Hall

This coming November, the Mississippi Technology Alliance will celebrate the tenth annual Conference on High Technology in Jackson. I have had the privilege of working on all ten conferences, watching how they changed over the years. However, the core mission has never changed: to bring technology professionals and innovators under one roof to impact Mississippi’s future.

When we first started the Conference on High Technology, there were no iPods, mobile phones were mostly for executives, and no one had personal GPS navigational systems. It was a time when email was just starting to become a major part of how we do business, and company websites were becoming the new thing. The Dotcom era was so new that many of us didn’t really know how to capitalize on it.

We certainly didn’t have social networking websites whose membership had outgrown the population of some countries. In addition, we never would have thought there would be more than 2 trillion text messages sent daily around the world.

As I write this column, I am starting to feel like a grandfather telling his grandson about walking 5 miles through the snow to get to school. However, the advances in technology will be one of the highlights of my generation.

During my time at the Mississippi Economic Council, we were called upon to plan the first Conference on High Technology. We had to ask ourselves several questions before we started planning the conference. Where would we find companies and people who wanted to attend? How would we maximize our attendees’ experience?

We took the low-tech route, flipping through the Yellow Pages and inviting several hundred companies. The attendance surpassed my expectations tenfold, with more than 500 people representing at least five states.

But the most fun was seeing the latest and greatest technology that was being commercialized. One that comes to mind is SkyGolf, which uses geospatial technology to help golfers navigate through golf courses all over the world. Very cool.

We are now planning our tenth conference. The conferences are the premier meeting place for innovative technology companies and entrepreneurs, offering great speakers and providing sessions that will assist in building and growing a business in our state. A perennial star of the conference is the Mississippi Research Consortium, composed of our four research universities. We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with them, as they have driven their research discoveries into the commercial marketplace.

Many famous people have spoken during the conference luncheons. We have had the founders of Monster.com and Travelocity.com, but during recent years we decided to focus on Mississippians who are more worthy of this spotlight.

This year our keynote speaker is Joel Bomgar, a Mississippian with an incredible success story. Bomgar developed the first version of Bomgar™ software as a way to provide helpdesk and technical support to disparate users - without them having to leave their desk. Since founding the company in 2003, Bomgar has been responsible for more than doubling the company employee base and increasing revenues by more than 500 percent.

Bomgar has appeared on ABC News' "Ahead of the Curve" and NetworkWorld's "Hot Seat." At 28 years of age, Bomgar was accepted into the Young Presidents' Organization, the world's largest network of company presidents and CEOs.

I hope you will join us this year as we celebrate the 10th anniversary milestone; not only for MTA, but for the state of Mississippi.

As always, please contact me with story ideas or comments. Thank you for reading Pointe Innovation Magazine; it is our pleasure to bring you the latest and greatest in innovation and technology. If you have missed an issue, you may read some of our past articles at www.mta.ms

  

 

     
 

 

New Technology Could Stop Pancreatic Cancer View the Press Release here.

Alliance Wants to Spur Investment Dollars View the Sun Herald Article here.

Ablitech Receives Additional Investment View the Press Release here.

Hattiesburg-Based Company Eyeing Ways to Stop Bladder Cancer View the Press Release here.

Rex Baker Executive Director, Gateway Rescue Mission, 48, Brandon View the Clarion Ledger Article here.

Was a white supremacist murdered for propositioning a black man? View the CNN Video here.

Richard Barrett Murder Suspect Could Face Death Penalty. View the story here.

Court of Appeals Judge Donna Barnes Announces Bid for Re-Election. View the Press Release here.

Pointe Innovation Releases Spring 2010 issue. View the cover here.

Mississippi Business Journal: Ablitech relocates to The Garden. View the article here.

The Clarion Ledger - Prospectives: SUNDAY MORNING WITH - Michael Guest, district attorney, Madison and Rankin counties. View the article here.

DA Guest: Jackson Man Found Guilty of Two Counts of Armed Robbery and One Count of House Burglary. District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that a Madison County jury found Avery Neyland guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of house burglary for his role in the crimes at the Sunchase Apartment Complex. View the press release here.

SMG Completes DA Guest Video. View the video here.

10th Annual Conference on High Technology video. View the video here.

DA Michael Guest's Think Again Program. View the signs here.

DA Michael Guest: Pearl Murderer Found Guilty; Receives Life in Prison Following a Two-Day Trial. View the press release here.

Cliff Cox Radio Spots. Hear the new Cliff Cox radio spots here.

CNN: Hughes Trial. Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announces the guilty verdict returned to Carla Hughes for the murder of Avis Banks. Click here to find out more.

MTA President Pens Book. MTA President Dr. Randy Goldsmith's new book, The Guardian Angel: Every Entrepreneur Needs One is now available. View the cover here.

Rankin Record: DA Michael Guest is Tough on Crime. Story in the May 21, 2009 issue of Rankin Record. View article clipping here.

DA Guest: Canton Man Sentenced to 15 years for stealing $50 from 67-year-old-victim. Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Marcus Donell Sims of Canton was sentenced to serve 15 years in the state penitentiary for the robbery of a 67-year-old-man. View press release here.

SamarionSolution Installed in Covington Retirement Community. Samarion Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Rodgers announced today that the SamarionSolution has been installed in the Christwood retirement community in Covington, Louisiana. View press release here.

Samarion Announces Partnership with Adesta. Samarion announced today it has entered into an agreement with Nebraska-based Adesta for the nationwide installation of the SamarionSolution in long-term care and acute care facilities. View press release here.

DA Guest: Billy Ray Corkern Pleads Guilty to Murder. Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Billy Ray Corkern pled guilty to murder in the August 2008 death of Robert Clemons. The defendant was sentenced to life in prison. View press release here.

Randy “Bubba” Pierce. Chancery Court Judge and former State Legislator Randy “Bubba” Pierce of Leakesville announced today that he will be a candidate for the Mississippi Supreme Court; District 2, Place 2 in November. View press release here.

DA Guest: Walter Tard Found Guilty. Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that a Madison County jury found Walter Tard guilty of the armed robbery of the Drury Inn in Ridgeland. View press release here.

Cliff Cox for Sheriff. Cliff Cox, former commander of the Natchez-Adams County Metro Narcotics Unit, announces candidacy for Adams County sheriff. View more info here.

MTA releases Fall 2009 Issue of PIM. View the cover here.

Alzheimer's Foundation of America and Samarion Form Strategic Alliance. Alliance to enhance care for individuals with dementia. View more info here.

DA Guest: Jimmy Lee Fisher, Jr. Receives Maximum Sentence. Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Jimmy Lee Fisher, Jr. of Madison received the maximum 15-year sentence for robbery through a plea agreement. View press release here.

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet. Spring 2009 column for Pointe Innovation magazine by Heath Hall. Read the column here.

My Web 2.0 Journey. Summer 2009 column for Pointe Innovation magazine by Heath Hall. Read the column here.

My Ten-Year Journey through Innovation. Fall 2009 column for Pointe Innovation magazine by Heath Hall. Read the column here.

The First SamarionSolution Installed in Lake Charles Alzheimer’s Facility. Samarion CEO Mark Rodgers announced that The Guardian House Alzheimer Care Facility in Lake Charles, La., has adopted the SamarionSolution. View press release here.

Preventing falls in nursing homes. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and non-fatal injuries. Now, a cutting edge fall prevention system is helping nursing home residents maintain optimal health. View more info here.