Studer Community Institute

Pensacola-area tech sector is on the move

August 24, 2014
/ Mollye Barrows
/ economy,report-pensacola-metro-2014

Getting a 350-pound robot to walk like a human is half art, half science. It’s the kind of thing the robotics lab at the Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition specializes in. “We’re trying to build in the intelligence to balance and move,” said Doug Stephen, a researcher who designs software for “Atlas,” a humanoid robot built for disaster response. More than two dozen researchers at the lab are grateful for the opportunity to work on “Atlas.” And they’re glad to do it in Pensacola. “Research and jobs in the community is what we’re doing here,” said Johnny Godowski, another IHMC research associate. “We’re proud to be doing that in a community that appreciates it.” Building the technology sector and providing more opportunities like those at IHMC is critical to expanding Pensacola’s economic footprint. “The beauty of tech businesses is that we’re clean, we have high-paying jobs and we bring resources,” said Julie Sheppard, general counsel at IHMC. “Wherever we can grow our own companies here, that’s what we need to do.” The Pensacola area has a foothold in the growing technology world thanks to:

The growth of IHMC, which is becoming an internationally recognized hub for robotics research and innovation.
The presence of companies such as AppRiver, a leading provider of email and security services, and Avalex, which designs display and mapping systems for use by the military and law enforcement worldwide. They are just two companies that could have relocated to more urban areas, but have made a commitment to building Pensacola’s tech-community footprint.
A quality of life that makes Pensacola an appealing place to live.

Brice Harris, associate director of the University of West Florida’s Office of Economic Development and Engagement, says tech-based jobs can be the third leg to our economic stool. “We already have two, military and tourism,” Harris said. “The advanced technology and manufacturing industries have the potential to (diversify our local economy) if we make wise choices.” Local tech industry leaders say attracting more talent and tech based companies is key to growing the tech sector. “I think the biggest issue we’ve got right now is that people don’t know the area,” said Jim McClellan, director of marketing at AppRiver.

Tech talent

From its Gulf Breeze headquarters, AppRiver serves 47,000 corporate customers around the globe. The company recently opened offices in Atlanta and Austin because of bigger talent pools. “We’ve got a thriving tech sector here that’s brewing,” McClellan said. “We care about it, we worry about it, and we are very interested in expanding our tech importance here.” Vernon Niven, a 51-year-old entrepreneur, has worked in software his entire career. He moved to the Pensacola/Gulf Breeze area 20 years ago for his family and the lifestyle. “We just loved the place,” he said. “We could live anywhere we want so we said, ‘Let’s go to the beach!’ That was 1994 and we’ve had a home here ever since.” Niven’s latest enterprise is NeedTagger, a social media monitoring tool that helps market his clients to potential customers. He’s able to work from home part-time, a benefit of the software business. But most young people starting out want to live where there are more opportunities, he said. “Most people who have software engineering degrees will work in the metro areas where they can move around from company to company for the first couple of years, from project to project,” Niven said. “When you get to Pensacola, the risk is very high if they lost a job, they’d have to move. That’s probably the biggest obstacle for us.” The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a business incubator formed by the Greater Pensacola Chamber and Pensacola State College, is designed to help grow technology-based businesses. The CIE takes up the third and fourth floors of the college’s downtown center, offering office space, support services and business coaching, all at a reduced rate. Frank White’s “thank.hu” is housed there. It uses technology and sales savvy to help businesses thank their clients with the right gift. White believes if any one of the dozen or so businesses now simmering at the CIE hits it big, all of Pensacola will benefit. “I think the one thing we need is for just one company to make it and to make it on a significant scale,” White said. “That will spin off such wonderful benefits for the rest of us here in terms of talent recruitment and convincing people to come here.” The CIE’S mission is to help build the technology sector in Pensacola and make it attractive for entrepreneurs. “Just because Silicon Valley has a lot of successful engineers, doesn’t mean Silicon Valley is the only place where engineers can thrive,” said Daryl Tucker, senior analyst for College Frog, another CIE company, which provides an online platform for accounting students to post their resumes.

Getting the word out

Despite the challenges, industry leaders and entrepreneurs are taking steps to show there is vitality in Pensacola’s tech climate. The CIE and IHMC have co-hosted two Startup Weekend events in the last year, each drawing 100 or so people. Startup Weekends are organized online and draw entrepreneurs, angel investors and business gurus together for a 54-hour marathon of brainstorming and collaborative business planning. White was a part of those events and believes the networking and synergy will foster success. “For me, the goal is that in 20 years, when we have 40 of Startup Weekends, we will have an economy that resulted from a couple of big wins from it,” White said. Strengthening the ties that bind the local technology sector is also the aim of Innovation Coast, a not-for-profit network of technology and knowledge-based companies. AppRiver is collaborating with other local tech industry leaders including Avalex and the IHMC to support it. Innovation Coast showcases companies and professionals along the Northern Gulf Coast from entrepreneurial start-ups to established leaders. Harris is executive director. “We want to provide social networking for tech industries,” UWF’s Harris said. “We want to see a cluster of tech companies emerge and attract new companies as well as talent. The tech sector is more likely to be successful if a potential employee sees a number of opportunities.” Organizers have hosted a number of social events, but their signature event this year is the Innovation Awards. The business plan competition offers $215,000 in cash and prizes. The first prize is $100,000; second is $50,000 and the third prize is a year’s worth of free space in the CIE. Microsoft is also giving the applicants free software and will select three finalists for a software makeover. The competition is a partnership among Innovation Coast, Space Florida, and the Florida Small Business Development Center, which will coach the top 20 companies, offering help with anything from strengthening business plans to finding angel investors. The showcase and awards are planned for Nov. 6-7 on Pensacola Beach. The IHMC’s Sheppard is vice chairwoman of Innovation Coast. She hopes the competition not only will boost the local tech sector but also raise the area’s profile. “We’re really trying to network and help each other and help the community, so kids who are going away to get degrees can come home and know they will be able to find a place to work.” She also hopes Innovation Coast, which launched just two years ago, becomes a resource for businesses and professionals and the community at large. The network already has formal relationships with UWF and PSC, with hopes of creating more educational opportunities, including tailoring curricula to support tech industries. “We want to make sure we are doing everything we possibly can to help them recruit talent here,” Sheppard said.

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Pensacola-area tech sector is on the move

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