What do sponsors, exhibitors and attendees like about the Tech Jam?
Charles Baldridge
Manager, Business Intelligence
MyWebGrocer
“When I moved to Vermont, in September 2006, I was kind of interested in Dealer. But at the time, my position didn’t exist there, so I found work elsewhere. Then you guys had the first Tech Jam, and I was able to investigate all the other companies with my position around this area. I also talked to Dealer’s human resources director, who encouraged me to apply, but they still didn’t have my position. The Tech Jam was a great overview of IT in Vermont. There was more than I thought — quite a bit more. But I still really wanted to work at Dealer. So I waited until the next Tech Jam came along and took full advantage. I put my resume in front of Dealer, which had grown considerably in five years, and I ended up getting my position, which now does exist. I had a great experience with the Tech Jam, and now I’m happy at Dealer.com”
Sandra Vishnevsky
Technical Business Analyst
Dealer.com
“When I moved to Vermont from Boston, I wanted to meet more people in the Vermont tech community, so I went to the Vermont Tech Jam. In my personal experience, the most valuable aspect of the Jam is that it’s the largest concentration of coding peers and employers in the state. I met folks there who got me involved in local pro bono projects, tech meetups and programming events. It’s also how I found my current full-time job as a web developer at Brandthropology. The potential to walk away with a bunch of interviews is great, and really important, but I think community involvement has an even higher rate of return. And the Tech Jam is the perfect place to kick that off. This year, I’ll be on the other side of the booth, which is a nice change!”
Micah Mutrux
Interactive Brandthropologist
Brandthropology
“We’ve experienced some pretty incredible growth at Logic Supply in the last few years so it’s definitely a challenge to find tech people in Vermont. We’re extremely picky…. so many of our positions require a combination of business and technology skills…That’s why we participate in the Vermont Tech Jam. It’s great to have an event where all the geeks are all in one place. One of our best Tech Jam hires was for a position that was open for 10 months and he has been a rockstar ever since. I’m glad he was interested in us because people with his skills get snatched up fast.”
Mark Heyman
Human Resource Manager
Logic Supply
“Every year, C2 looks forward to participating in the Vermont Tech Jam. We’ve met a lot of great job candidates as well as interns at the Jam, and have even hired some of those interns as full time employees. It’s a great networking event for us — C2 employees love to get involved and are really energized by talking with other members of the tech community. The Tech Jam is something you don’t want to miss.”
Kathy Elkins
HR Recruiting Consultant
Competitive Computing
“At Greensea Systems, we build underwater robotic systems and are very passionate about what we do. We’ve hired employees we met at the Vermont Tech Jam, but the main reason we attend is to connect with students. We like to show kids the application of the math and science behind our robots, and that engineering doesn’t have to be about bridges — and there’s more to Vermont than cows and cheese. Every year, we make great relationships with teachers, parents and students. The Tech Jam excels, more than any other event in the state, at connecting companies with schools. It’s our duty to connect where we can. I love what the Tech jam does for the community.”
Ben Kinnaman
President
Greensea Systems