COVINGTON – Several local technology firms will use Wednesday`s visit by the “Microsoft Across America Truck” to tout the tech community they are developing in downtown Covington.
“We like to call it a technology showroom on wheels,” Judith Goldfarb of Microsoft said about the 42-foot truck that will be parked at 1 Madison Ave., on the circular pier where Covington Landing used to be. “And it`s decked out with the coolest, most innovative new solutions and technologies from Hewlett Packard, Cisco, AT&T – we have a ton of sponsors for the technology that`s on the truck.
“When people go on they can see the new software solutions,” she said. “And they can also see the new hardware solutions from HP, and things like that. It`s cool.”
The free 11 a.m.-to-3 p.m. event is tailored to small businesses. Food and refreshments will be served, and the truck is heated.
A Covington police sergeant coined the phrase, “Covington – IT is Happening,” – a twist on the city`s usual “It`s Happening” slogan – for the event.
Microsoft offered the truck to Covington firm C-Forward, whose president, Brent Cooper, decided to turn the visit into a community event that could spotlight other tech firms in the Covington Arts & Technology Zone. Other businesses will include Tier 1 Performance Solutions, Systems Insight, the Covington Business Council and TANK, which is offering wireless Internet on some of its buses.
Also participating at the event will be the city of Covington, showing its incentives for businesses; Northern Kentucky University; Gateway Community and Technical College; and the Covington Business Council. Republic Bank is a sponsor.
“I think it`s very fitting that an IT company here in Covington was selected, because of their growth and their overall participation in the community,” said city Renaissance Manager Kathie Hickey. “C-Forward was gracious enough to invite other companies in the technology zone to participate with them.”
C-Forward, located at Fifth Street and Madison Avenue, was founded in 1999 and has grown 12-25 percent in the number of employees each year since. The company is a “network administrator” for firms that cannot afford or do not need a full time IT employee.
From Cincinnati.com`s Enquirer site: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20071210/BIZ01/712100315/