08.05.19

Hoeven Announces Agenda for 2019 State of Technology Conference

Senator Arranged Keynotes from Federal Leaders in Precision Agriculture & Unmanned Vehicle Technologies

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced the agenda for his 2019 State of Technology Conference, which is being held at the Avalon Events Center in Fargo on Wednesday, August 14. 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 and is part of the senator’s work to position North Dakota as a hub of technology entrepreneurship, the third wave in the state’s economic growth.

“Day after day, innovators throughout our state are leveraging advancements in technology to create new opportunities for investment and growth across industries,” said Hoeven. “Our annual State of Technology conference is all about realizing these opportunities, building new bridges between businesses in North Dakota and telling the stories of our entrepreneurs and innovators. We look forward to insights and updates from all of this year’s speakers, including Dana Peterson and Joseph Van Valen, our keynote speakers on Precision Agriculture and unmanned vehicles – two items at the forefront of our state’s growing tech sector.” 

This year’s conference will feature keynote addresses from Dana Peterson, who oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s efforts on Next Generation Precision Agriculture, and Joseph Van Valen, a White House Fellow in the Office of Science and Technology and lead policy advisor for the administration on advanced transportation, which includes unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and autonomous vehicles. Hoeven invited Peterson and Van Valen to attend the conference in order to give firsthand insight on the administration’s priorities in these two areas, which are increasingly important to North Dakota’s economy.

The event will be emceed by Josh Teigen, the President of Mind Shift, and will spotlight innovations in health care, manufacturing and agriculture. A media availability will be held with Hoeven, Peterson, Van Valen and the conference speakers at the conclusion of the event.

For more information on the 2019 State of Technology Conference, please visit the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber website or call (218) 233-1100.

The full schedule is as follows:

7:30 a.m.       Doors Open  

8:00 a.m.       Welcome

                    Craig Whitney, CEO, The Chamber 

                    Josh Teigen, President, Mind Shift – Event Emcee

                    Seth Arndorfer, CEO, Dakota Carrier Network – Presenting Sponsor 

                    

8:20 a.m.       Dr. Greg Wettsetein

                    Chief Engineer, IDfusion 

                              

8:40 a.m.       James Brown 

                    VP of Corporate Development, Aldevron 

9:00 a.m.       Dante and Holly Battocchi

                    Founders, Elinor Coatings

9:20 a.m.       Peter Chamberlain 

                    Founder and CEO, WalkWise 

9:40 a.m.       Jeff Young

                    President, Wex Health, Inc. 

                    

10:00 a.m.      TECHND Award Presentations     

10:20 a.m.      Joel Honeyman

                    VP of Global Innovation, Doosan Bobcat North America

10:40 a.m.      Grand Farm Development Update

Greg Tehven, Executive Director, Emerging Prairie

Barry Batcheller, Chair of the Board, Appareo

11:00 a.m.      U.S. Senator John Hoeven

11:20 a.m.      Keynote: Next Generation Precision Agriculture

 Dana Peterson, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Agriculture

11:40 a.m.      Keynote: Advanced Transportation – UAS and Autonomous Vehicles

Joseph Van Valen, White House Office of Science and Technology

          

12:00 p.m.     Media Availability

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