SALT LAKE CITY – March 30, 2007– The common thread that unites 10-person start-ups with the nation’s largest Information Technology (IT) companies is the need for growth, according to Shane Robison, executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer at HP. Robison shared his insights with leading Utah executives in his keynote address at this week’s Utah Technology Council’s (UTC) Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday, March 29. Robison notes that the amount of growth HP experienced in 2006--$5 billion—is equivalent or larger than the total size of most other companies: “The size of growth HP needs to achieve every year is the size of an entire company like Symantec or Lexmark. We need to grow by the size of a Fortune 150 company every year.” Given that challenge, Robison shared the strategies HP uses to manage this growth. Robison notes that freeing up cash for research and development is a critical tactic. For a company like HP, mergers and acquisitions are important as well. “Automation and information technology are our big keys to increasing efficiency and freeing up capital,” Robison stated. “These are the tactics that can benefit smaller companies as well.” On the whole, Robison sees further developments in areas of mobility, including the convergence between devices and rich content such as music and video, and innovative ways to connect content directly with users via the Internet.
Annual Members’ Report
At today’s Annual Members’ Meeting event, UTC President Richard R. Nelson noted that Utah’s Technology and Life Science industries are exceptionally strong. “The IT Industry experienced 8.4% annual growth in 2006,” he stated. “There are currently more than 3,300 IT companies that account for more than 43,000 jobs. The Life Science Industry is similarly thriving with 5 percent annual growth and there are currently more than 500 life science companies in Utah accounting for more than 18,900 jobs.” Richard Nelson acknowledged the following individuals with special recognition at the event: Legislator of the Year – Senate President John ValentineUTC Trustee of the Year – Alan Hall, CEO of MarketStar and Founder of Grow Utah Ventures (www.growutahventures.com) HR Executive of the Year – Glade Nelson, VP of HR Worldwide Operations, Novell
At the meeting, UTC Chairman and Control4 CEO, Will West, also acknowledged the following 2006 Executives of the Year: CEO of the Year - Richard R. Nelson, President and CEO of UTC and Chairman of CRITA (Council of Regional Information Technology Associations) CXO of the Year – Brock Blake, CEO of FundingUniverse CTO of the Year – Ken Knapton, VP of Engineering, ContentWatch
About the Utah Technology Council
As the premier professional organization for more than 3,900 Utah technology companies, the Utah Technology Council (UTC) exists to form closer relationships with industry and community leaders, develop superior management talent, sharpen professional skills and help gain access to capital. For more information on UTC, please visit www.utahtechcouncil.org.
Agency Contact:
Cheryl Snapp Conner
Snapp Conner PR
T) 801.918.1630
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UTC:
Judy Young
T) 801.568.3500
jyoung@utahtechcouncil.org
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