Women in Tech a Great Event
By Kelsey Keener
kelsey@ironcountytoday.com
In celebration of International Women’s Day last Friday, several local organizations collaborated to provide a Women and Technology luncheon at Southwest Technical College.
Southern Utah University, Southwest Technical College, Tech Up Southern Utah, the Women’s Business Center of Utah, Silicon Slopes and the Iron County School District participated in Women and Technology to discuss reversing the trends showing a lack of women participating in technology-related career fields and educational programs. Read Kelsey's entire article at Iron County Today!!
kelsey@ironcountytoday.com
In celebration of International Women’s Day last Friday, several local organizations collaborated to provide a Women and Technology luncheon at Southwest Technical College.
Southern Utah University, Southwest Technical College, Tech Up Southern Utah, the Women’s Business Center of Utah, Silicon Slopes and the Iron County School District participated in Women and Technology to discuss reversing the trends showing a lack of women participating in technology-related career fields and educational programs. Read Kelsey's entire article at Iron County Today!!
Bringing Cyber Warriors To Cedar City
Written by Emily Oliver
John McGloughlin, the Founder and CEO of GuardSight, Inc., is no stranger to small college towns. “I grew up in a small town near the University of New Hampshire,” McGloughlin reminisces. Community pride, low crime, affordability, open spaces, no traffic, small government, and happiness are all benefits that remained in his memory throughout his 30-year career in technology; one that started “back when dinosaurs roamed the earth” he quips.
While living in the Los Angeles area in the early 2000s, McGloughlin realized that there was a prime opportunity to provide businesses with affordable cybersecurity services. There was never one specific moment that led to this epiphany, only experiences where he “[learned] about the various pain points corporations had regarding cybersecurity.” He just decided to act and founded GuardSight in 2009.
As the years went by and the company grew McGloughlin began to recall those small-town benefits. In 2018 he eventually decided the time was right to move the headquarters of GuardSight to a region similar to the surroundings of his childhood and found Cedar City, Utah. “Southern Utah is a beautiful place to live, and Cedar City is producing smart, trustworthy people that have a good work ethic and a value system that we desire at GuardSight. This place is a hidden treasure, and we’re excited to be here.”
GuardSight: About the Company
GuardSight is a cybersecurity services company that provides its customers with comprehensive threat protection and incident response for the safeguarding of their critical assets. They use sophisticated technology and professional analysis to help all manner of businesses to protect their data and devices. Their ideal customer is a company that requires cybersecurity operational support. When asked to describe GuardSight’s value proposition, McGloughlin provided the following items:
• Cybersecurity Operations — 24/7 cyber threat hunting and detection.
• Cybersecurity Assessments — Asset vulnerabilities and attack surface evaluations
• Cybersecurity Response — Rapid breach containment and digital forensics
• Cybersecurity Consulting — Governance, risk & compliance consulting
The company employs 20 people, 30 percent of whom are located at the company’s Cyber Security Operations Center, known fondly as the CyberSOC, just west of downtown Cedar City. The company is aggressively pursuing the hiring of local talent as well as United States military veterans that live in the area or that are interested in relocating. “We are really proud of our GuardSight military personnel,” McGloughlin said. “GuardSight is committed to supporting our US military including providing opportunities when they finish their service obligation. Thanks for kicking butt — Hooah!”
McGloughlin explained GuardSight’s hiring policy in two phrases: virtue before talent, attitude before aptitude. While talent and experience are definite necessities, the company wants employees that are not only good at what they do but are also good people with drive and a solid, self-determined belief system. The core value system of the company is centered around employee performance and development. Regarding their performance, employees must create value, establish trust and intimacy with customers, and make certain that they produce results of the highest quality. They must also demonstrate their commitment to teamwork and that they are always learning from various circumstances.
Dedicated to building elite ‘cyber warriors,’ as McGloughlin says, and producing top quality results the employees at GuardSight know that they have to be constantly vigilant in their duty to protect customer assets. They work towards their customers’ satisfaction 24/7 because the bad guys never sleep. It was evident when speaking with some of these cyber warriors that they all adhere to that code.
Why Cedar City, Utah?
When looking to relocate the company, many cities were considered, but, as McGloughlin mused, “there was just something about Utah, and specifically Cedar City, that just seemed to fit.” From the beginning, McGloughlin and the company’s HR Manager Kathy O’Neil were drawn to the sheer beauty of the state. The red rock mountains are a stark difference from the sandy beaches of Southern California.
The fact that Utah’s state and local governments are business-friendly was another plus for the GuardSight CEO. “The state government seems to care about prioritizing its resources towards increasing the productivity of its citizens and making good use of taxpayers hard earned money and that kind of atmosphere is one that I like.” Cedar City epitomizes this concept: unintrusive unless there’s something that disturbs the community in its entirety.
The cost of living in Utah is low compared to other states. It’s a metaphoric breath of fresh air. Relocating isn’t as hard of a decision because you can live comfortably without breaking the bank. “If you’re coming out of college now, you may have 30–40K in debt at a minimum. If you’re then looking at buying a house in California to start a family, you can’t buy a decent one for under a half-million dollars. If you bought that same house here in Cedar City, which you should not buy anyway because you probably can’t afford it, it would be really nice.”
Long-time employees feel this same way. Self-titled ‘jack of all trades’ Ethan Cudzilo has been with the company for approximately three years. Based in Los Angeles but soon relocating to Cedar City, Cudzilo expressed that this was such a smart move for the company because “you can set up the security operations center here and it would be cheaper than setting it up in California, New York City or Washington D.C.” In turn, Brendan Courtney, based in Boston, is thinking about his future both inside and outside the company. “When I move here it’s gonna be a lot less expensive for me to live. Just in general, it’s beautiful out here with so many views, and it’s really grown on me. The idea of coming out here, applying to a university for my Masters and then working here. It sounds really nice. Easy.”
GuardSight’s CEO believes there is the tremendous opportunity in terms of technological growth in Southern Utah and Cedar City in particular. McGloughlin stated, “You can visualize Cedar City being a tech corridor.” Of course, with that growth comes the need to hire more employees and Southern Utah University and Southwestern Technical College, both of which are located in Cedar City, will help supply the tech companies with smart and dedicated employees. While Cedar City may not yet be a technology hub, McGloughlin doesn’t care and insists, “We might be a little ahead of the curve but, as the Californian’s would say, we’re ready to catch that wave.”
Written By Emily Oliver
The Firebots are Going to Houston!!
The Firebots need our help. They are raising the money necessary to make the trip. They are incredible and have won the State of Utah's robotics!!
"Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our team! Here is a copy of the video of their robot run. Just a quick recap...The Firebots are going to Houston, TX on April 29-22, 2017 to compete in the FLL World Festival Championship along with 103 other teams from around the world. This is an incredible opportunity for them to be ambassadors for Southern Utah and to meet and interact with peers from around the world who are just as interested in engineering and robotics as they are."
If you would like to donate, you can either write a check directly to LeShell Murray, the coach of the Firebots and we are happy to come pick it up or you can donate to our gofundme account. Click Here to Donate!!!
"Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our team! Here is a copy of the video of their robot run. Just a quick recap...The Firebots are going to Houston, TX on April 29-22, 2017 to compete in the FLL World Festival Championship along with 103 other teams from around the world. This is an incredible opportunity for them to be ambassadors for Southern Utah and to meet and interact with peers from around the world who are just as interested in engineering and robotics as they are."
If you would like to donate, you can either write a check directly to LeShell Murray, the coach of the Firebots and we are happy to come pick it up or you can donate to our gofundme account. Click Here to Donate!!!
Iron County is going to the Robots
Ken Keen a local developer (KeenEyes Interactive) is keeping us informed of the local robotic programs and their events.
FIRST Lego League(FLL) Regional Qualifier
Jan 16, 2016, SUU Sharwan Smith Center ballroom
8:00am to 3:30pm
Best viewing times for the general public are from 12:30 to about 3:30.
We have 15 teams from southern Utah scheduled to compete at this event. The majority of these teams are from Iron County, and a few are from Washington County. FLL encompasses elementary to middle school-aged students.
The latest information is always posted here: http://randomrobotics.org/fll-qualifier
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FIRST Tech Challenge(FTC) Events:
SUU FTC Regional Qualifier (Inaugural)
February 6, 2016, SUU Sharwan Smith Center ballroom
8:00am to 6:00pm
We have approximately 9 FTC teams from southern Utah scheduled to compete at this event. FTC encompasses grades 7 through 12.
The latest information is always posted here: http://randomrobotics.org/ftc-qualifier
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Utah FTC State Championship
Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
February 20, 2016
http://www.weber.edu/utftc/state_championship.html
All southern Utah teams are scheduled to compete at this event in Ogden.
FIRST Lego League(FLL) Regional Qualifier
Jan 16, 2016, SUU Sharwan Smith Center ballroom
8:00am to 3:30pm
Best viewing times for the general public are from 12:30 to about 3:30.
We have 15 teams from southern Utah scheduled to compete at this event. The majority of these teams are from Iron County, and a few are from Washington County. FLL encompasses elementary to middle school-aged students.
The latest information is always posted here: http://randomrobotics.org/fll-qualifier
-------------------------------
FIRST Tech Challenge(FTC) Events:
SUU FTC Regional Qualifier (Inaugural)
February 6, 2016, SUU Sharwan Smith Center ballroom
8:00am to 6:00pm
We have approximately 9 FTC teams from southern Utah scheduled to compete at this event. FTC encompasses grades 7 through 12.
The latest information is always posted here: http://randomrobotics.org/ftc-qualifier
-------------------------------
Utah FTC State Championship
Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
February 20, 2016
http://www.weber.edu/utftc/state_championship.html
All southern Utah teams are scheduled to compete at this event in Ogden.
Iron County gets Lego League Tournament
Our first ever Lego League Tournament in Iron County is at SUU January 17. We have many volunteer positions we need to fill, including roles for middle and high school aged kids. I’ve already wrangled two Thinkubator members to be judges. Who else wants to help out?
Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask. (435) 572-0001 or ken(a)keen-eyes.com Regards, Ken |
Cedar City's North Elementary gets $10,000 for CodingNorth Elementary in Cedar City is our local S.T.E.A.M. School. This incredible elementary school prides itself on focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math thus its designation of being a S.T.E.A.M. School. Because of their dedication to these principles and their participation with the "Hour of Code" program, North Elementary received the $10,000 reward from the above mentioned program. Out of 270 schools in Utah, North Elementay was the winner. Read more....
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Trent Staheli in Mexico Growing Screenie.com
I just finished texting one of our original members, Trent Staheli. He is living in Monterey, Mexico and overseeing Screenie.com's growth throughout Central and South America. It is amazing to see where many of our members are going and what they have accomplished. According to the following article, they have doubled their growth every year.
Entrepreneurs Ken Frei and Trent Staheli have revved up the interview process for clients looking to hire a "good fit" on their work teams. |
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We are going to have to use his product one of these times and talk to him via Screenie.com for one of our meetings. Here is more info on Trent and Screenie. Read more...
TouchMD is Purchased by ALPHAEON Corporation
When Tech Up Southern Utah started so many years ago, TouchMD was the first presenters to talk to us about their great company. TouchMD has set everything in motion and now look at what Kerry and Jason have been up to:
October 10, 2014, Irvine, CA - ALPHAEON Corporation, a leader in lifestyle healthcare and subsidiary of
Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC, announced today that it has acquired TouchMD™ for $22 million.
TouchMD is an interactive software platform that helps specialty physicians educate patients before, during and after practice consultation, which enhances the patient experience and increases conversion rates.
“TouchMD is a best-in-class practice consultation platform that has been shown to increase practice
revenue by up to 33%,” said ALPHAEON Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Grant. “TouchMD’s patient
engagement technology is a critical element of the ALPHAEONMD™ portfolio, a first of its kind integrated
technology suite designed to increase the physician practice’s efficiency, profitability and growth.”
“TouchMD’s patient portal, education tools and sophisticated drawing capabilities have enabled us to
provide a unique patient experience that leads to greater patient confidence with their procedure and with
my plastic surgery practice,” said Dr. Lou Bucky. Overall, the platform has allowed us to enhance our
relationship with patients, increase conversion rates and decrease cancellations and ‘no-shows’.” Get more Info
October 10, 2014, Irvine, CA - ALPHAEON Corporation, a leader in lifestyle healthcare and subsidiary of
Strathspey Crown Holdings LLC, announced today that it has acquired TouchMD™ for $22 million.
TouchMD is an interactive software platform that helps specialty physicians educate patients before, during and after practice consultation, which enhances the patient experience and increases conversion rates.
“TouchMD is a best-in-class practice consultation platform that has been shown to increase practice
revenue by up to 33%,” said ALPHAEON Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Grant. “TouchMD’s patient
engagement technology is a critical element of the ALPHAEONMD™ portfolio, a first of its kind integrated
technology suite designed to increase the physician practice’s efficiency, profitability and growth.”
“TouchMD’s patient portal, education tools and sophisticated drawing capabilities have enabled us to
provide a unique patient experience that leads to greater patient confidence with their procedure and with
my plastic surgery practice,” said Dr. Lou Bucky. Overall, the platform has allowed us to enhance our
relationship with patients, increase conversion rates and decrease cancellations and ‘no-shows’.” Get more Info
Casino Game Maker opens in Cedar Cedar City Office
Casino Game Maker, Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of their Cedar City, UT office on September 2, 2014. The Cedar City office will be primarily responsible for the engineering and development of Casino Game Maker's wide range of Class II and Class III land based gaming products including 8 Baccarat Slots. In addition, the Cedar City, UT office will handle some production and light assembly of its current product line.
One goal of the Cedar City office is to work in conjunction with the local university, Southern Utah University (SUU), drawing from local talent in the areas of graphic design, computer science, mathematics, and engineering. Casino Game Maker has already brought on Programmer Interns from SUU and is excited for ongoing collaboration with the university. "I see the opening of the Cedar City office as a huge opportunity to work with a very educated and family oriented community. We see a big future in Cedar City as we grow and support a worldwide gaming market," says Darin Gifford CTO. Read Full Article |