Southeast Shoutouts | Appalachian Regional Commission awards $3.5 million to Mountain BizWorks
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) has announced the winners of the 2024 TAG Technology Awards.
From Asheville, NC:
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $3.5 million to Mountain BizWorks to bolster its new fund supporting Hurricane Helene recovery efforts throughout 28 counties in North Carolina. The fund, WNC Strong: Helene Business Recovery Fund, is providing rapid, flexible loans of up to $100,000 to small businesses suffering unprecedented economic losses related to Hurricane Helene.
This award resulted from ongoing conversations with state partners to determine how ARC can best support recovery efforts in Appalachia’s most impacted states, including North Carolina. Mountain BizWorks launched the fund on October 7 with $7.5 million provided by the Golden LEAF Foundation, and has already received applications requesting nearly $14 million in support. The award, funded through the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” and ARC’s Area Development Program, will help the WNC Strong fund deploy more recovery loans to hurricane-impacted small businesses in Appalachian North Carolina, including those in economically distressed areas.
Mountain BizWorks anticipates that the fund will support at least 500 businesses, leverage an additional $25 million in disaster recovery and other investments, and help retain roughly 5,000 jobs.
From Atlanta, GA:
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the leading nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state’s technology industry, has announced the winners of the 2024 TAG Technology Awards. Presented by EarthLink, the annual TAG Technology Awards promote and celebrate the inclusive technology community throughout Georgia.
“Congratulations to all of our winners who help make Georgia a global hub of innovation,” said Larry K. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TAG. “Our annual awards program was designed to shine the spotlight on technology leaders paving the way in our industry, and this year’s winners truly represent the most innovative technology leaders and organizations across our great state.”
The winners are:
- Corporate Tech Leader of the Year: Jonathan O’Connor, CEO of MAAST.
- Emerging Leader of the Year: Francine Marquis, Cloud Artificial Intelligence (AI) Program Manager, Google.
- Government/Education/Non-profit (“Public Servant”) Tech Leader of the Year: Robbie Vickers, Chief Information Officer, Technical College System of Georgia.
- Innovation Driven Company: Momnt (Start-up), BlinkSky (Small Business), TechBridge (Mid-Market), and Cantaloupe (Enterprise).
- Tech for Good: Georgia AIM (AI in Manufacturing) initiative.
From Huntsville, AL:
With one of the largest contracts it has ever received, Huntsville, AL-based Dynetics will produce missile parts for the Army. The company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos, was awarded a $204 million firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of launcher assets, spares, and incidentals. The company of more than 3,000 employees has its headquarters in Cummings Research Park and offices throughout the U.S.
The work will be performed in Huntsville; Chanhassen, MN; and Dallastown, PA: with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2026.
From Charleston, SC:
The first cohort of SCbioDrive, a life science accelerator program implemented by SCbio, will present to investors during a Demo Day in Charleston, SC on November 21. Sixteen life science -have been mentored by industry experts over the past eight weeks.
The SCbioDrive program, developed in partnership with The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), was created to support the life science ecosystem, advance critical scientific breakthroughs, and establish South Carolina as a hub for life sciences innovation and collaboration.
“By bringing together these world-class innovators, we’re not only advancing critical scientific breakthroughs but also shining a spotlight on South Carolina as a hub for life sciences innovation and collaboration,” said James Chappell, SCbio’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
From Charlotte, NC:
Microsoft Corp. has started construction on three data centers in the Charlotte region, according to a report in the Charlotte Business Journal. Each is part of the technology giant’s announcement in 2022 that it would invest $1 billion in new data centers across Catawba County.
Paul Englis, Microsoft’s Director of Community Engagement, confirmed the projects’ timeline in a statement to the publication. The corporate giant began site work on its Conover project in February, its Maiden site in April, and its Hickory project in July. All three data centers are still in the site preparation phase.
From Jacksonville, FL:
Baptist Health Jacksonville is one of the first health systems in the country to embark on a new artificial intelligence (AI) solution that enhances care by streamlining the charting process for nurses to document important details about a patient’s condition and care plan.
A collaboration with Microsoft, the innovative solution is voice-enabled, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual documentation. This new ambient listening technology is currently being piloted at Baptist Medical Center South in Jacksonville, with the intention to eventually roll it out to the entire health system. Baptist Health is one of a select few health systems in the nation to collaborate on the development of the new time-saving solution.
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