Business news in brief

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Chamber launches technology council

The Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce’s new NWA Technology Council will provide education, networking and community involvement for individuals and businesses in the technology field. Meetings will be the second Wednesday of each month.

The council’s first meeting will be March 12 from 7:30-9 a.m. at the chamber, 200 E. Central Ave., Bentonville. The program’s speaker will be Richard Ford of VTEL Products Corp., a videoconferencing systems manufacturer based in Austin, Texas. He has experience in operations of a Silicon Valley startup, as an investment banker and as the investment manager of a Texas venture capital firm.

The annual cost for membership in the NWA Technology Council is $45 per individual or $250 for a group of 10.

To join, participants or their employers must be members of the chamber. To register, go to bbvchamber.com/ general/202/nwa-technology-council. Additional information is available from Jon Cadieux at [email protected].

WorkMatters sets simulcast lineup

Laura Bush, the former first lady, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, are among the speakers appearing in this year’s WorkMatters Leadercast conference. In recent years, more than 750 sites in 40 countries have connected to the broadcast. David Roth, WorkMatters president, has spearheaded the conference for 11 years.WorkMatters is based in Rogers.

This year’s simulcast also includes speakers Henry Cloud, psychologist and business consultant who wrote Integrity and Boundaries for Leaders; Laura Schroff, former advertising executive and author of An Invisible Thread; Randall Wallace, producer of films We Were Soldiers and Pearl Harbor; Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action; Bill McDermott, chief executive officer of SAP software company; Andy Stanley, author of Next Generation Leader and Visioneering; and Malcolm Gladwell, author of David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference. The broadcast will originate from Atlanta. Organizers say this year’s conference will challenge leadersto leverage their influence for the sake of others.

The conference is 7:45 a.m.-4 p.m. May 9 and may be viewed locally at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, 2448 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers. Sponsorships are still available. Tickets are on sale at workmatters.org. Individual tickets are $80. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets at $75 each or 20 or more are $70 each. Prices rise by $10 April 1. On the day of the event, tickets are $99.

WorkMatters can be reached at (479) 444-1477 or info@ workmatters.org.

Briefs are for businesses in Northwest Arkansas that are new, have moved or closed, opened new branches, changed owners or have been honored by an independent organization. Email items to [email protected]. Information will be published as space allows.

Business, Pages 66 on 03/02/2014