A medical device entrepreneur, an innovator of corporate flow and an expert on career building will be part of the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council’s third-annual Emerging Technology Conference.
The event is set for Nov. 19-20 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.
Keynote speakers are Ken Gall, who has seen his startups acquired in five transactions, and Nigel Thurlow, who co-created The Flow System to address business world complexities. Featured speakers include Nicole Hall, a vice president at the University of Virginia, who will lead a session focused on moving from college to career.
The Emerging Technology Conference is designed to share insights and resources on emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, investment and infrastructure, according to an RBTC news release. Last year’s event “convened more than 500 innovators, founders and tech leaders from more than 250 companies and organizations from the Roanoke and New River valleys, and beyond,” according to the news release.
Gall is chief commercial officer at restor3D, a Durham, North Carolina, company that makes 3D-printed orthopedic implants. Thurlow, who co-created The Flow System while he was with Toyota, has moved on to become chief executive officer of The Flow Consortium, a consulting group in Dallas.
Gall’s business combines advanced manufacturing with healthcare innovation, while Thurlow, the first “chief of agile” at Toyota, specializes in both executive coaching and dealing with quick industry changes, RBTC spokeswoman Ada Cuadrado-Medina said in a Wednesday phone call.
“The featured speakers in the keynotes really represent where we see the innovation economy for our region going, not just where it’s at right now,” Cuadrado-Medina said. “We brought these people together to the main stages to make sure that we’re giving folks who are coming to the conference a glimpse of how this innovation economy is moving forward.
“Everything that’s growing is living at the intersection of tech and everything else in life. I think this group represents that really well.”
Other speakers and their topics:
- Gary Mays, chief operating officer at research, technology and healthcare company Axle, based in Rockville, Maryland, will lead a session on building a translational research network.
- Mark Otter, founder and managing partner of Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based consulting firm Community Works Collective, will speak about rethinking professional credentialing.
Virginia Tech and Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic are combining as a nexus of research with commercial possibilities, leading to multiple businesses emerging, Cuadrado-Medina said. That makes the technology council an apt host for a showcase event like this conference, she said.
[Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
“Roanoke and Blacksburg as a region is really up and coming in this world of innovation,” Cuadrado-Medina said. “We have all these pieces. … I think maybe 10 years ago it was a very different story. Today the Roanoke-Blacksburg region I think is coming into its own.
“We not only have a lot of that translation work and a lot of research and a lot of talent, but we’ve spent the last like five, 10 years in particular really dedicated to building out the infrastructure and the foundations for that economy to thrive. … It’s important for us to host this kind of conference, so that we not only bring folks from the outside to participate … but make sure that we’re recognizing that and continuing to invest in it and grow it in the region.”
Registration for the Emerging Technology Conference is $325, $275 for Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council members. The tech council will announce more speakers and program details in the coming weeks, according to the news release. Get more information via emergingtechconf26.sched.com.
