By Josh Witt
Read the full article on Wichita Business Journal here.
Kansas is armed with several tools to make a leap as a leading state for the technology industry — but it needs to make sure it's not being meek about its capabilities.
That takeaway rang out from Luis Rodriguez, president of Keycentrix, and other speakers as the inaugural Ad Astra Technology Summit kicked off Monday morning at Riverfront Stadium.
"If I could ask one thing of each of you, it would be to be loud," said Rodriguez, chairman of FlagshipKansas.tech, the locally-based technology council which put on the event. "It's time for us to get louder. It's time for us to take every opportunity to update the picture of Kansas, one that doesn't confuse our humility for a lack of ingenuity, a lack of will or a lack of opportunity."
In remarks in front of around 150 attendees from across the state — including educators and those in business — Rodriguez said Kansas and its cities "have a branding problem" in spite of a skilled workforce and gifted teachers within its education system.
The conference, featuring the tagline "connecting industry and education," sought to help with that issue through engagement and practical sessions in an entertaining environment.
“Some investors say you can’t succeed in Kansas — that’s ridiculous," Rodriguez said. "If we want tech businesses and entrepreneurs to choose Kansas, then we have to change how we talk about Kansas.”
The event's keynote speaker, HitchPin founder and CEO Trevor McKeeman, provided a counter to the narrative that tech can't build and grow in the state.
McKeeman, whose Manhattan-based startup is a digital marketplace for the agricultural industry, shared the story of when he first went to investors with his HitchPin idea.
They all told the Dickinson County native and Kansas State University graduate they loved his idea — but he needed to move to California "where there is money and talent."
"I said what we're going to do is locate this thing in Kansas; we're going to hire people who understand food production," McKeeman said. "We raised our first round of capital in 12 days. So, the idea that there are no resources here, no talent here is a total false assumption. And I think right now the world is realizing that."
After remarks from Rodriguez, Mike Zamrzla, Sen. Jerry Moran's deputy state director, and McKeeman, a panel session — inspired by the hit YouTube show, "Hot Ones" — took place.
Rodriguez moderated the discussion titled, "What does a strong tech sector mean for Kansas?" Panelists — including Keith Lawing (president and CEO at the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas), Jade Piros de Carvalho (Hutchinson mayor and director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development), McKeeman and Callie Harris (assistant principal at Maize's Pray-Woodman Elementary School) — ate hot wings as they answered questions.
The panel hit on the need for education to adapt to the changing world of technology for the benefit of students, Kansas workforce readiness and the Kansas tech industry.
"We cannot afford to lose our base in technology to the coasts and other places," Harris said.
Harris said education needs to move toward more tech application in the classrooms, while she also spoke about breaking down silos between subjects like math and science, and emphasizing hands-on problem-solving.
"Our students need to be applying technology starting in kindergarten," she said. "They need to be coding a robot, they need to be building with block code, they need to understand how a snap circuit works."
Lawing said employers can step up and help educators.
"For the business community: we need you to get engaged in the classroom," he said. "We need employers to come visit those classrooms. We need employers to have those students visit their offices, plants, operations and labs."
Following the opening events at the Wichita Wind Surge's home, participants headed to separate downtown locations for breakout sessions focused in three areas.
Sessions for educators took place at the Kansas Leadership Center, while workforce development and businesses/entrepreneur-specific discussions were located at The Vail and Distillery 244.
The summit concluded Monday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium with an award ceremony honoring a Kansas technology startup, community innovator, visionary and educator of the year, followed by a happy hour.
McKeeman said he foresees summit attendance growing in years ahead, as more people and businesses realize that excellent work can happen anywhere — bringing continued technology industry opportunities to Kansas.
"This is our time to strike as a state," McKeeman said. "It's our time to put a flag in the ground and say, 'This is what we do. We own tech meets ag, or tech meets aviation, or tech meets education.'"