08.11.17

Hoeven Announces Agenda for 2017 State of Technology Conference

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced the agenda for his 2017 State of Technology Conference. The event is being held at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo next Wednesday, August 16. The senator holds his annual conference with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce to highlight breakthrough technologies and the local innovators creating them. The conference has served as a catalyst for new innovation and investment in the state, including the Dakota Fiber Initiative, which has resulted in measurable advancements in broadband infrastructure across North Dakota. 

“In our seventh year of hosting the State of Technology, we have an opportunity to drive home how far the dynamic growth in our state’s tech sector has spread,” Hoeven said. “We will be highlighting some of the most successful startups from around the state, as well as folks who work to inspire a new generation of tech leaders and push our state’s industries to remain on the cutting-edge.”

The theme of this year’s conference is “Technology from Every Corner of the State.” The event will be emceed by Sandi Piatz, the site leader and director for Microsoft’s Fargo campus. It will feature presentations on a wide range of technology developments, including the fastest growing startup in North Dakota – CoSchedule – energy research and development in Grand Forks, online retail for Made in America military and oil field apparel in Minot, a nonprofit providing tech education and enrichment for young women and the winners of this year’s North Dakota State University Innovation Challenge.

For more information on the 2017 State of Technology Conference, please visit the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber website or call (218) 233-1100.

The full schedule is as follows:

12:30 p.m.                  Registration and Networking

1:00 p.m.                    Welcome
                                    Sandi Piatz, Site Leader, Director Fargo Campus Microsoft
                                   Event Emcee
                                    Seth Arndorfer, CEO, Dakota Carrier Network
                                   Presenting Sponsor
                                    Craig Whitney, CEO, The Chamber

1:15 to 1:45 p.m.        U.S. Senator John Hoeven

1:45 to 2:00 p.m.        Richard Leshovsky
                                  Assistant Operations Manager – Dakota Outerwear

2:00 to 2:15 p.m.        Betty Gronneberg
                                  Founder and Executive Director – uCodeGirl

2:30 to 2:45 p.m.        Brian Kalk
                                  Director of Energy Systems Development,
                                  Energy and Environmental Research Center

2:45 to 2:55 p.m.        Air National Guard Presentation
                                  Col. Britt Hatley – Commander, 119th Wing

2:55 to 3:05 p.m.        Microsoft Demonstration

3:05 to 3:25 p.m.        Break

3:25 to 3:40 p.m.        ITCND Awards Ceremony

3:40 to 3:55 p.m.        Justin Walsh
                                  Co-Founder and CTO of CoSchedule

3:55 to 4:10 p.m.        James Froberg and Fataneh Karandish
                                  NDSU Innovation Challenge Winners

4:10 to 5:00 p.m.        ND Governor Doug Burgum

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