Technology and Innovation in the Valley
This week the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council will conduct its annual TechNite, which among other activities, celebrates the leaders shaping technology and innovation in our region. RBTC was established in 1998 to be a catalyst for innovation and technology in our region, seeking to educate, inform, grow, and unite the region’s growing technology community. They seek to better the technology industry by actively connecting and enabling the community, by supporting our region’s technology companies, and by actively pursuing positive changes in our community. RBTC is itself part of a larger innovative ecosystem, VERGE, established in 2020 as the region’s front door for innovators, founders, and funders to connect a growing roster of companies – both startups and established – with resources to grow and thrive. The City of Roanoke through its Innovation Corridor has long been a supporter and collaborator in these efforts.
Awards
At TechNite, awards will be announced in each of the following categories:
- STEM-H Educator
- Rising Star
- Innovator
- Entrepreneur
- Regional Leadership
- Leading Technology Company
The evening will also include selection of an induction into the RBTC Hall of Fame, an honor that has in the past acknowledged the contributions of such notable leaders as Doug Juanarena, Russ Ellis, Mary Miller and many others.
The Future Economy
Innovation and Technology are key to the economic success of our region and the City of Roanoke. Further evidence of this is a visit this week by the Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. The Secretary will be joined by Heywood Fralin in a discussion of how science and innovation are poised to accelerate Virginia’s economy- locally and throughout the Commonwealth.
These events and their participants are continued evidence of the significance of technology and innovation in our area and the role it has and will continue to play in the vitality of our local economy.
-- Bob Cowell