Editorial Board Letter

Dear Reader,

Beginning in 1997, a core group of technology leaders in Central Ohio banded together to create what has come to be known as the Central Ohio CIO Forum. Although at that time in 1997, there were only 8 members, today there are over 160, representing many of Central Ohio’s best companies that total over an estimated $1 trillion in assets. This group worked together to address issues confronting each other and issues facing the community. Some of these have included helping to create a non-profit that solves problems for over 200 health service non-profits in the community, succession planning for the technology community, training for up-and-coming technology executives, and addressing talent shortage.

Each year since 2002, the group has also sponsored an annual event called “CIO Tomorrow,” which focuses on current and relevant issues that business and technology leaders face. In the early days, an entity called TechColumbus played a key role in these events.

A core set of community events that occur throughout the year bring together people from all levels of organizations to learn from each other and work together on special interest projects and activities to benefit their companies and our community. These events are called TechStrategy, which is part of the bigger community building ecosystem called TechLife Columbus.

Working together in the spirit of community, the Central Ohio region and the city of Columbus are experiencing a tremendous upsurge in technology business investment and innovation that has won us recent recognition as the No. 1 U.S. city for technology workers and the No. 5 top U.S. city for entrepreneurs and startups. Now the 14th largest city in the United States, Columbus has burnished its tech reputation by winning the highly competitive Smart Cities award and by creating the first of its kind Columbus Collaboratory. Working together, we have helped create an atmosphere that launched unicorn startups such as CoverMyMeds and Root. Columbus is also home to world-class innovation such as the autonomous

vehicle project.

Ben Blanquera, VP Columbus Collaboratory, co-founder of TechLife Columbus and Tech Strategy; Ted Ford, founding president of TechColumbus; and myself are honored to serve as the founding members of the Central Ohio ComSpark Magazine Editorial Board. We look forward to honoring these leaders at the first Central Ohio Tech Power Player Awards and celebrating the companies who are champions of technology in the Central Ohio region.

Sincerely,

Angelo Mazzocco