Entrepreneurs got together and created a formidable organization

Bill Soards, we're fortunate in Colorado to be at the epicenter
1209_ 5/14/12 - Bill Swords serves as Chairman of the Board for Colorado Technology Association, started in 1994 originally called the Colorado Software Association. Over the years, like so many organizations, it's gone through some name changes. But there was a group of entrepreneurs in the early 90s that felt like the software industry in Colorado was really burgeoning and in need of some formal organization and so the Colorado Software Association was born, later they adopted the word Internet into the group as well. And just about a year or so ago, we became known as the Colorado Technology Association. At AT&T, appointed in April of 2009, Soards is responsible for all external affairs for AT&T in the state which includes state and local government relations, community affairs, regulatory and legislative activities, and initiatives before the Colorado General Assembly and Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission. Bill said, "It's interesting, the industry has been around for a long time but the association historically, has been one of networking. You know, it's largely an organization of entrepreneurs, and as these small business people so typically do - they're off running their businesses, trying to make payroll, trying to secure capital, funding for expansion and growth." About two years ago, the Colorado legislature passed a software tax, which didn't apply just to software companies but to all businesses in the state, so that suddenly their software products that they would purchase, would be subject to state sales tax. That kind of woke ‘the sleeping giant’ that is the technology industry in the state. So it became a natural for the association to begin increasing our activity in the public affairs and legislative arena. We found very quickly, there weren't many legislators around the capital that had a really good understanding of technology or all of these companies in their districts that are hiring people, investing and creating jobs. So the first kind of public policy mission of CTA became to repeal that Colorado software tax. ..There's much more, listen now...
Related Links: CTA Home || CTA: Public Policy Forum End of 2012 || AT&T || Software Channel || Keywords: Bill Soards, AT&T, Colorado Technology Association, CTA, w3w3® Media Network, Technology, Colorado legislature, Software Tax, Governor Hickenlooper - bytes=5558755
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