Arizona Technology Council’s TechFocus Member Spotlight Podcast

Learn how HiMS is transforming the integrated health care experience one user at a time...

Health Information Management Systems (HiMS) is a strategic-thinking group of electronic health record software experts who are passionate about harnessing the power of technology to create value-based care tools for integrated health care providers. Khalid Al-Maskari, Founder and CEO at HiMS - With 20+ years in health care, Khalid Al-Maskari is considered a thought leader by peers in the integrated health care field. As Chief Executive Officer of Health Information Management Systems (HiMS), Khalid rapidly grew the company from a single Tucson-based customer to achieve a multi-state presence. As a goal-oriented executive with demonstrated experience in planning, developing, and implementing innovative technologies and information solutions that serve the diverse needs of integrated health populations, Khalid likes to inspire his team to think big. Always striving to add to his knowledge base, Khalid sought out certification opportunities. He earned his MBA in Healthcare Administration and achieved certifications in project management, Microsoft Products, CISSP and several others. Nationally, Khalid went on to provide assistance and guidance as co-chair for CCHIT’s Security Workgroup as a result of implementation of HIPAA rules, and was an Electronic Health Records Security proctor for several years. https://hmsfirst.com/

Mercury brings together state-of-the-art technology and a DMEA accredited facility in Phoenix, Arizona

With more than 22 years of experience designing high assurance microelectronics, Tom is responsible for programmatic and technical execution of the latest 2.5 and 3D microelectronics for rugged defense applications.Tom Smelker, VP and GM of Microsystems for Mercury Systems. Mercury Systems is a global commercial technology company serving the aerospace and defense industry. Headquartered in Andover, Mass., the company delivers trusted, secure open architecture processing solutions powering a broad range of mission-critical applications in the most challenging and demanding environments. Inspired by its purpose of delivering Innovation that Matters, By and For People Who Matter, Mercury helps make the world a safer, more secure place for all. To learn more, visit http://www.mrcy.com.

Improving the lives of patients with brain tumors…Matthew of GT Medical Technology

About the Company: For decades, clinicians have sought better treatment options for patients with brain tumors that would effectively target tumor cells while preserving eloquent tissue. Driven to overcome the limitations of current treatments and raise the standard of care, a group of brain tumor specialists joined forces to address this critical, unmet need. Together with medical device experts, they developed GammaTile Therapy, Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) for recurrent intracranial neoplasms. About Matthew Likens: Mr. Likens is an accomplished leader in the medical device industry. Prior to coming to GT Medical Technologies, he served as the president and chief executive officer of Ulthera, Inc. There, he led the startup from pre-commercialization to more than $100M in revenue and a $600M acquisition by Merz Pharma GmbH. Mr. Likens’ professional career began with Johnson & Johnson. However, he spent the bulk of his career at Baxter Healthcare Corporation, where he progressed through a variety of domestic and international sales, marketing, and general management roles that ultimately culminated in the position of president of Baxter Biotech North America, and then the president of its US Renal Care division. After leaving Merz in mid-2016, Mr. Likens eventually retired for 15 months before meeting the five founders of GT Medical in mid-2017. Mr. Likens is a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council Healthcare Innovation Committee and the City of Mesa Economic Development Advisory Board, as well as a member of the Kent State University College of Business Advisory Board. He joined GT Medical Technologies because he was inspired by the company’s powerful purpose of “Improving the lives of patients with brain tumors.”  To learn more about GT Medical's technology, please visit https://gtmedtech.com.

The Cloud and The Grand Canyon State: Hybrid IT, Data Centers and AZ’s Economic Impact

James (Jim) Buie, the President of Involta, oversees all day-to-day operations and has been a driving force in accelerating Involta’s growth trajectory throughout the country. Jim has built cohesive operations and a sales and marketing culture that models his motivation and enthusiasm for the business. Initially joining Involta in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer, Jim has steadily taken on more responsibility, helping the company to profitably grow while expanding nationally. Prior to joining Involta, Jim held executive roles at ViaWest, Comcast and AT&T. During his tenure, ViaWest became one of the largest privately-held data center infrastructure, cloud and managed IT providers in North America. At both Comcast and AT&T, Jim has been praised for his role in the successful launch and similar growth of new services. Jim serves on the board of Sun Corridor, the economic development leader in Southern Arizona, helping drive business investment and job creation in the region. He also stays active in numerous other industry and regional technology organizations focused on developing the technology workforce, deepening tech community relationships, and driving public policy to protect innovation. Jim is a graduate of the Florida State University and earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Colorado. https://www.involta.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbuie/ https://www.involta.com/data-centers/data-center-locations/pennsylvania

Service is Key to a Successful Company

Craig Jackman, president of Paragon IT Professionals (Paragon), founded the company with his brother, Joel, in 1997 in Des Moines, IA. As a staffing firm focused solely on IT, the two were determined to be more than a service provider and were committed to providing exceptional service with consistency and authenticity. With a strong foundation and a lot of hard work, the company established the Paragon Proven Process that businesses have come to rely on to find contract, contract-to-hire and full-time tech talent. Craig’s career in technology began in 1993 as a computer hardware sales rep where he quickly understood the opportunities and needs companies would have for decades to come. With a deep desire to grow, the Jackmans expanded to Minnesota and Nebraska before setting their sights on Arizona. Craig serves as a board member for the Technology Association of Iowa, is a member of the Arizona Tech Association and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. In his free-time he enjoys playing golf, traveling, reading and spending time with his wife and three college-aged sons. Craig is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in economics.​ https://www.paragonitpros.com Paragon IT Professionals is an IT staffing firm that has been helping connect technology professionals to new opportunities since 1997.  

Unraveling CMMC: Insights for Aerospace and Manufacturing DoD Subcontractors

Over the last 20 years, Karl Bickmore has honed his ability to successfully lead and grow his IT Consulting business while becoming a well-respected thought leader in the industry. As CEO of Snap Tech IT, Karl continuously provides insights into operational improvement for IT companies & regularly speaks at cybersecurity management & international conferences while finding time to contribute to industry publications. Karl is the Co-President of Partner Advisory Council for Sophos, Advisory Council Member & User Group Facilitator at ConnectWise. Led by technology veterans in the industry, Snap Tech IT provides IT management, cybersecurity, cloud services, professional services & data center services for small and medium-sized businesses nationwide, with offices in Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco. Founded in 2001, Snap Tech IT delivers technology to solve business challenges, coupled with exceptional client experiences that enable businesses to focus on strategy & growth. Snap Tech IT has solved a multitude of technology challenges for clients, from minimizing cybersecurity risk & operational downtime to managing IT roadmaps tailored for client business needs. A dedicated IT partner that believes client success is their success. https://snaptechit.com kbickmore@snaptechit.com  

Linda talks with Roger of Apex Systems the Necessities of Strategic Assessments

Roger is the Chief Technology Officer and a Vice President within Apex Consulting Services responsible for all solutions and serving all industries. His focus is growing and evolving the Apex solutions portfolio including thought leadership, people, technologies, capabilities, experiences, processes and artifacts needed to help position Apex to lead our clients yet still be close enough to listen and understand their needs. He also helps apply these technology solutions to industry specific problems. Roger engages with strategic clients to identify, scope and architect solutions that will be built, tested and deployed by Apex engagement teams and ultimately set our teams up for success. Apex Systems is a world class technology services business that incorporates industry insights and experience to deliver solutions that fulfill our clients’ digital visions. We provide a continuum of service from workforce mobilization and modern enterprise solutions to digital innovation to drive better results and bring more value to our clients. Apex transforms our customers with modern enterprise solutions tailored to the industries we serve. Apex has a presence in over 70 markets across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Apex is a segment of ASGN Inc. (NYSE: ASGN). For more information, please visit our website. https://www.apexsystems.com

Linda talks with Doug about FreeFall Aerospace’s New Revolutionary Antenna Technology

Doug Stetson is the CEO of FreeFall Aerospace developing innovative antenna technology for satellite communications. Before founding FreeFall, Doug spent 30 years at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory having lead roles in systems engineering and mission design for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn missions. After leaving JPL in 2008, Doug was the project manager for the LightSail mission that successfully deployed and tested a solar sail in Earth orbit. Doug holds a B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. He is the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and the JPL Award for Excellence in Leadership. FreeFall is developing revolutionary new antenna technology for ground, air, and space. Their innovative spherical antennas are drawing interest from a wide variety of commercial and government organizations, offering a wide field of view, electronic steering, and low mass to dramatically simplify and improve satellite communications. FreeFall was founded in Tucson as a spin-off from the University of Arizona and maintains a close connection with UA faculty and supporters.       https://www.freefallaerospace.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/freefall-aerospace https://twitter.com/FreeFallAero https://www.facebook.com/freefallaerospace

Learn About the Dynamic Growth of this Local AZ Company with Elizabeth Oviedo, CEO of Symmetry Software

Elizabeth began her career at Symmetry Software in 2012 as the sole Marketing Director and, over the past five years, as the Chief Strategy Officer. Since joining the company, Elizabeth has spearheaded major strategy and technology shifts across its software products and services portfolio. During her most recent tenure as CSO, Elizabeth led the company to its most rapid growth in new business and product development. In 2020, Symmetry launched an API of its popular Symmetry Payroll Forms application, developed new endpoints for its flagship Symmetry Tax Engine Web API, and enhanced its own small business payroll product, PaycheckCity Payroll. All the while broadening its tax research and support teams and onboarding a record number of new employees and clients, all remotely. A unique characteristic that sets Elizabeth apart is that she intimately knows and understands Symmetry Software after having "grown up" with the company as the daughter of Symmetry Software's founder Tom Reahard. This life-long study of the industry, customers, and products, along with her business acumen and finance background, has led her to achieve significant success at Symmetry. Elizabeth's passion and purpose is helping millions of people get accurate paycheck calculations. From tiny businesses using the calculators on PaycheckCity.com to large enterprises hiring thousands of employees each day, Elizabeth's tenure as CEO will continue to keep Symmetry's clients and partners at the company's heart. Symmetry's fully integrated suite of payroll tax APIs and software tools allows companies to ensure that employee and employer taxes are correctly calculated and managed. In other words, deliver "the right taxes the first time." With payroll integrations that range from electronic withholding forms to federal, state and local tax lookup tools, we make our customer's processes more regulatory compliant, automated, efficient, and error-free. While we do not process payroll, we do the most difficult parts of the payroll process, and payroll and HR service providers and large employers license our payroll APIs and software tools to improve their products and compliance. Contact us to see how payroll tax withholding software can make a huge impact when you are using the right tools. https://www.symmetry.com/.  LinkedIn

Collaboration is What Drives the Growth of Tech Parks Arizona says Carol Stewart

Tech Parks Arizona creates the “Interactive Ground” that generates, attracts and retains technology companies and talent in alignment with the research, mission and goals of the University of Arizona. Tech Parks Arizona directs the UA Tech Park, the UA Tech Park at The Bridges and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation, placing the highest priority on recruiting companies desiring connectivity to the University of Arizona. Carol Stewart, a long-standing authority on research parks, is the Associate Vice President for Tech Parks Arizona at the University of Arizona. Carol Stewart leads the UA Tech Park at Rita Road and is developing the UA Tech Park at the Bridges. She is also president of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation, a technology business incubator network serving the University of Arizona, Tucson and international community. Stewart’s expertise in university research parks spans decades and nations with more than 20 years of experience working with research parks, technology commercialization, business incubation, governmental relations and business development. As a pioneer in the research parks world, she has driven national policy, standardized programs, created national and international networks, built technology clusters, engaged stakeholders, and assisted countries with the development of their national science and technology policies. Stewart is passionate about her community and serves as a champion in university-based economic development. She is a member of Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Flinn Foundation Steering Committee, a member of the Canadian Global Mentor Program and she also serves on the Board of Directors for Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, Pima County’s Workforce Investment Board, Sun Corridor Inc., Arizona Technology Council, Desert Angels, and is a member of the City of Tucson Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Council.