JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

PREMIER news

T AG ’ S E X C L U S I V E N E W S L E T T E R F O R P R E M I E R M E M B E R S

Your monthly connection to all things Premier at TAG. Premier News provides

you with special announcements, upcoming event details, features on new

Premier companies, current member spotlights and more!

A message from our CEO, Tino Mantella

CHANGE AGENT

It has been said that the only constant thing in life is change. We experience change in business, in job status, in seasons, and we are

certainly experiencing change in our economy.

TAG, invariably, is always seeking ways to affect and make change happen in Georgia. Whether it be through legislation or business,

through our government relations efforts and our 27 different societies, we have already gained some success. There are many stories

to tell, but most recent, three of our legislative initiatives were signed into law. Now that’s exciting!!!! (See page 3)

With making change happen, there is one thing we know, without your support as a premier member we can not make Georgia one of the top five states

for technology in the country. If you have not already taken part in helping us make change through our government relations efforts or want to being a

catalyst for legislative change, we have made it easy. Earlier this year, our government relations department launched Capwiz. Capwiz is TAG’s new grass-

roots mobilization software that allows you to influence government to support technology policies you believe in. In addition, Capwiz will to keep you

informed on important issues and gives you a way to stay connected to your local officials.

Through Capwiz, it only takes 5 minutes for you to become a Georgia change agent. For more information or to join Capwiz go to www.capwiz.com/

tagonline/home/.

A note from Era Carroll, Director of Corporate Relations

Tino Mantella

President & CEO

WHO WILL GEORGIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR BE?

TAG’s Board of Directors, and Technology CEO leadership group, shared the responsibility of spending time with

Georgia’s lead gubernatorial candidates. Each candidate attended a key TAG meeting and was given the opportu-

nity to layout their platform.

The rationale behind the meetings was to encourage all of the candidates to consider technology as a central

component to Georgia’s future. TAG provided a wealth of information, prior to each presentation, intended to

educate and inform the contestants. We also rallied a group of more than 20 public and private entities to identify

common needs and interests in respect to the state’s next leader.

Resulting from the caucus was the creation of a white paper that is now being provided for each candi-

date. Additionally, we are inviting each candidate to go to the TAGthink.com web site and answer a series of ques-

tions about their positions on various aspects of Georgia’s technology. This will give our stakeholders a chance to

evaluate each contenders position on the issues.

We take our role as a “voice for technology” seriously and are happy that we can keep our Premier members in-

formed on where the candidates stand.

Tino

JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

Upcoming Events Check out our 2010 Calendar!

Jun 15, 2010

TAG Recruiting: Hidden Talent Pools

Jun 17, 2010

TAG International Business: What Happens When Companies

Go Global

Jun 17, 2010

TAG North Metro / TAG FinTech Present: Olin Wise, CTO of

TSYS

Jun 22, 2010

TAG Diversity: Globalization- Visa/Immigration; Management

Without Borders

Jun 22, 2010

Taking Advantage of Generational Diversity - OneEighty at

Georgia Tech

Jun 23, 2010

TAG Orientation

Jun 23, 2010

The CEO Bootcamp

Jun 24, 2010

WIT Connect 2010 - Connect for a Cause

Jun 24, 2010

CIO Certification Series Networking Event

Jul 1, 2010

TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs Presents "Rock Star" Joan Herbig

Jul 7, 2010

TAG Enterprise 2.0 Society Meeting

Jul 8, 2010

TAG Customer Relationship Management "Technology: Leading

Edge CRM Technologies"

Jul 13, 2010

TAG Breakfast Series

Jul 13, 2010

TAG Fin-Tech: Regulatory Issues and Risk Management

Jul 14, 2010

TAG Product Management: Summer Social

Jul 15, 2010

TAG Marketing

For a complete calendar or to register for events go to:

http://www.tagonline.org/events.php

Upcoming Professional Development Programs

CIO Certification Series June 16-August 13, 2010 The CIO Certification Series is a 5-week training program developed for aspiring (and existing) CIOs and CTOs. In the 5 sessions of this program, participants will discover the ins-and-outs of the CIO role and learn valuable tools and techniques for strategic planning, positioning, managing operations, and managing resources and budgets.

For more information or to register go to:

http://www.tagonline.org/trainingcalendar.php

WELCOME!

New Premier Members

CentriNet

Scintel Technologies

Georgia Gwinnett College

JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

Three Great Wins for Georgia’s

Technology Community!

The 2010 Georgia legislative session proved to be one for the history books. The General As-sembly typically convenes the second full week of January for a term of 40 legislative days, adjourning Sine Die between mid-March and early-April. Though, this year the General Assem-bly stretched its work to the tail end of April, making this year’s session the longest in history. Lawmakers were hard at work battling budget woes and trying to find solutions to fill the state’s significant deficit. The task was certainly daunting; however, tough decisions had to be made to move the state forward for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget was not the only item legislators wrestled with this year. General Assembly mem-

bers also reviewed important policies – including legislation affecting transportation, education and healthcare. In addition, lawmakers had the foresight to pass noteworthy pieces of legislation that positively impact the technology community as well. TAG actively worked with state elected officials for the creation of legislation that will surely help our technology industry to continue to thrive here in Georgia. We are pleased to report all three initiatives passed both chambers and were signed into law by the Governor. This is a great win for our community at-large and we look forward to the road ahead. Please see below for a quick synopsis of each bill:

Angel Investor Tax Credit: 22 other states currently have the capacity to provide an income tax credit for angel (or private) investors who invest in a qualified business venture. Programs vary from state to state; however, the underlying theme is the same – states view this program as a means to boost their overall statewide econ-omy by incentivizing angels to infuse capital in early-stage companies (namely high-tech, bio, etc) who typi-cally cannot get bank loans, even in a good economy. Angel investing is necessary for the high-tech commu-nity, as it is an important part of the financing stage of all our companies. Without the capital provided by angel investors, many companies will not be eligible for venture capital funding, and consequently, will not be able to grow to yield the positive economic development measures (e.g. jobs, IP, etc) that benefit the state. TAG helped to promote HB 1069 which provides an income tax credit to a qualified investor who invests in a qualified business, as defined in the bill. The income tax credit is 35% of the investment, at an individual cap of $50,000 per year. The aggregate cap per year for the program is $10 million.

Alternative Investment for Georgia’s Public Firefighter Pension Fund: Georgia is the last state in the nation

that does not authorize our public pension funds the option to invest in the broader alternative asset class, which includes venture capital. As a direct result, Georgian companies in search of venture capital often struggle to receive the next stage of financing necessary to continue business growth/development. Investing in alternative assets would be a great help to our public pensions as it would allow for diversification which would lower the overall risk of the portfolio and open the door for a greater return on investments made. To address this issue, TAG promoted HB 249 which authorizes the Georgia Firefighter Pension Fund to invest in the altnerative asset class, including venture capital up to 5% of the fund. The bill does not mandate invest-ments, rather just provides for another tool in the tool box. GPFPF would be required to provide annual re-ports to both Senate and House Retirement committees for review. This bill does NOT apply to the Em-

ployee Retirement System or the Teachers Retirement System. Broadening the Definition of a Textbook: TAG also promoted SB 319, which authorizes the Georgia Board of

Education to broaden the definition of a textbook to include the hardware and technical equipment necessary to support digital content in direct classroom instruction. The legislation received broad support from both the technology and education community.

A special thanks to members of our community who reached out to their elected officials and the Governor’s office to voice their support for the above legislative initiatives. Your voice was certainly heard! For more information on our government relations efforts e-mail Kaylyn Seawell, Director of Government and Public Affairs at Kaylyn@tagonline.org.

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Friends and Supporters: We are honored that TAG-ED has been selected as one of the charities supported by The Tour Championship’s TICKETS Fore CHARITY program for the 2nd consecutive year. 100% of the proceeds from tickets purchased through this program support Atlanta charities with 50% of that going to TAG-ED. See the postcard below. Remember to use the TAG-ED charity code – TCTBQT when you purchase your tickets. If you are interested in purchasing ticket books for the tournament’s MasterCard Championship Club through this program, please let me know. Thank you for your continued support. John Hurlbut Executive Director TAG Education Collaborative 404-920-2038 john@tagonline.org

JOIN THE

CONVERSATION

www.TAGthink.com

LOOKING FOR TALENTED NEW HIRES!

As a TAG Premier Member, you receive FREE access to TAG’s online job board!

Your company is entitled to unlimited job

postings and resume views.

Set up your employer account today by visiting the Job Board.

Please select “Unlimited Package”

Enter the following promo code during setup: 24768573

For questions about your Job Board benefits, please email:

ariel@tagonline.org

JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

Bowling Night 300 Atlanta - 2175 Savoy Drive

Atlanta, GA 30341

Registration is $45 for individuals and

$375* for a corporate team of 6

players.

* Group pricing includes the following benefits:

• Recognition on the sponsor board at the event

• Promotional item in event goody bags,

• Recognition in the TAG next newsletter

• Entry in the Group Spirit Award

July 29, 2010 6:00 PM

A TAG Members Only Event

Bowlers will have an opportunity to show off their unique bowling skills, and even win one of the prestigious awards of the evening for best bowler,

best team and best group spirit.

Don’t miss out on TAG’s 6th annual C-level golf tournament.

September 13, 2010

Sponsorship include the Masters Level, Margarita Station,

and Cigar Rolling Station!

Learn more by going online to http://www.tagonline.org/tagit10.php

JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

JUNE 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6