Copyright 2000, www.times-standard.com

Technology on the North Coast ? What Gives?
by Chris Crawford, Justice Served
www.justiceserved.com

Crawford serves as president of the Redwood Technology Consortium (www.redwoodtech.org), a professional trade organization promoting technology-based economic development on the North Coast.

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This is the beginning of a series of articles on the topic of technology, and how it affects our lives on the North Coast. The authors will be officers and members of the Redwood Technology Consortium (RTC), a professional trade organization promoting technology-based economic development on the North Coast (www.redwoodtech.org).

Talking about technology can be unsettling for many of us who are faced daily with a dizzying array of goods and services such as video tape recorders, microwave ovens, cell phones, and telephone voice response systems that are supposed to make our lives easier but sometimes only confuse and frustrate. In our jobs, it is increasingly difficult to work without computers. Car repair, fast food service and even milking cows have become technology-dependent vocations. At times, we are all tempted to ?unplug? and go back to a simpler life.

Technology, however, has another face that is often ignored in our consideration of local community issues. Clearly, the California, US and world economies have benefited from a shift to information-based industries that bring high paying jobs and increased productivity. Rural communities, generally, have seen fewer rewards unless specific strategies are developed to meet the challenges of the new economy.

What are we doing on the North Coast to prepare for this economic shift? The good news is that groups such as RTC are paying attention to these issues and providing the opportunity for our growing technology industry to articulate its needs. Some specific examples include:

1) TECH EXPO ? for four years running, a technology and education event is conducted thanks to the support of NCC Radio, Humboldt County Office of Education, RTC and others. This program helps prepare our youth for the jobs of tomorrow, and provides training to our local entrepreneurs. This year, College of the Redwoods served as a major sponsor and Tech Expo was conducted on campus.

2) ADVOCACY ? the RTC develops position papers and participates in economic development and governmental forums to promote regulatory issues, land use policies and local programs that encourage technology-based job growth.

3) SCHOOLS ? our members serve on local school advisory boards and make class presentations to ensure that course content is in sync with the technology industry needs.

4) COMMON GROUND ? RTC allows members and interested parties to speak a common language and assist one another in problem solving.

In this continuing series of articles, you will hear about technology from a wide variety of perspectives and covering a lot of related topics. It is our aim to give readers a chance to stay current in technological developments, and better understand the opportunities for improving our local economy in the information age.

Because many of our new tech companies do not have local customers, storefronts or traditional business models it is easy to dismiss them as unimportant. However, anyone who is marketing to the world, creating new jobs and bringing outside cash into the community deserves our attention. You will meet some of these new age pioneers in future articles.