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Aruna Kumar (left), of Makarapoint Consulting, and Frank Hall (right), part of the board of the Software Association of Oregon, discusses networking Kumar's company with other digital imaging companies at the High Tech After Hours convention yesterday evening.

Cutting edge of technology

HIGH TECH After hours at OSU

By: Rebecca Johnson

Posted: 11/14/08

Companies from all over the Willamette Valley gathered Thursday as OSU hosted the sixth-annual High Tech After Hours. This is the largest assembly of the high tech industry in the Willamette Valley.

The purpose of the event was for local businesses and entrepreneurs of the technological industry to come together and let people know what they were up to.

The event is also considered a great networking opportunity for those who are looking for ideas or investors.

"This whole thing is about networking," said Christopher Klemm, Director of the Austin Entrepreneurship Program. "It's about connecting people."

It was standing room only as the afternoon started off with a panel discussion with some high profile leaders of the technology and business world from the Corvallis area.

This included Ilene Kleinsorge, Dean of the College of Business and Ron Adams, Dean of the College of Engineering OSU, Skip Rung, Executive Director of Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, Mysty Rusk, president of the Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition, and Brian Weldon, Corvallis chapter president of the Software Association of Oregon.

Each panelist spoke about what their particular organization was doing in the technology and entrepreneurial field. After this they took time to answer questions from the audience.

Peter Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games, was invited to be the keynote speaker for the event. He is a leader in the gaming industry and discussed his experience in starting up his companies.

He went from what he referred to as a "five guys in a garage scenario" to launching a company called Wizards of the Coast.

He went on to sell that company for $500 million. He decided to take a couple of years off, during which he focused on rock climbing and snowboarding, but then decided to get back in the industry with his current company, which is centered around a gaming product for girls called Bella Sara.

Next came the Ignite Corvallis segment. This was a presentation where several local businesses had five minutes to tell the audience about what their business was recently engaged in.

Many of those who started a company in the area are spin-outs of Hewlett-Packard and OSU.

One of those was Larry Plotnick, who started up a business that is commercializing OSU technology locally. He is licensing a handheld meter that can read the health of a plant.

"I left HP and wanted to work with something aligned with my values," Plotnick said.

After the presentations, businesses set up booths for people to browse and learn more about what is going on in the world of technology in the Corvallis area. In total, 39 businesses had booths set up, with even more companies in attendance.

Also in attendance was Mayor of Corvallis Charlie Tomlinson, who was promoting a new website called "Business is Good Here."

"The point of the website is attracting and retaining entrepreneurial, creative business people," Tomlinson said. "(They are) the basis of the Corvallis economy."

Tomlinson is also a former member of the Business Enterprise Center, which was out in full force for the event. The BEC is a local organization that helps people start up businesses and is responsible for the start up of many companies presented at the expo.

They say they are interested in finding entrepreneurial people and helping them get their ideas off the ground.

That is why they attend the High Tech After Hours.

Brian Weldon, President of SAO, was happy with the event. He said he was especially impressed with the collaboration of OSU, SAO and the Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition in putting on this event together.

His hopes for next year are to invite a nationally-recognized keynote speaker and to expand the Ignite Corvallis segment.

Rebecca Johnson, staff writer

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231