by Jennifer Hallmark | Aug 2, 2019 | Video
Contributor Duane Roebuck (BlueStar) recently returned from the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) annual conference in San Jose, California and shares his insights. Roebuck considers this one of the top conferences in the industry and it favorably impacted his ability to engage in Point Of Sale (POS) business development efforts. Along the way in this interview Roebuck throws in knowledge nuggets from this three years in the cannabis vertical.
Wears Many Hats
Harry Brelsford is the founder of SMB Nation (www.smbnation.com) from Bainbridge Island, Wash. He is a long-time SMB channel partner who has served customers and mentored other partners (SMB Nation has over 49,000 members who are Managed Services Providers (MSPs) and SMB technology consultants). He oversees the popular SMB Nation workflow including content and events (webinars, workshops and multi-day conferences).
He holds an MBA in Project Management from the University of Denver (and numerous certifications such as MCSE, MCT, CNE, et al) and is the author of 21 books on technology and business topics. His 20 years of SMB technology experience were supplemented by teaching 12+ years at night as an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University and other higher-learning institutions. He served as the Dean in the Graduate School of Technology at Aspen University (where he was awarded a PhD in Letters).
Harry is an in-demand speaker at industry events. Harry’s recent books include the “How to Be an MSP” and he has published over 400-articles in business (Washington CEO, Colorado Business, Alaska Business Monthly) and technology magazine (ChannelPro, Microsoft Certified Professional magazine, etc.). An active entrepreneur, Harry is the force behind the Pocket MBA, Telephonation, Cloud Nation and XPmigrations.com. His latest startup is 420MSP.
President & CEO of AxonTech
A highly skilled Network Engineer and outsourced IT Director with notable expertise developing and deploying innovative technical solutions to support an extensive client-base in both freelance and consultative engagements.
Web Developer/Consultant
Ruben is a seasoned web developer with expertise in responsive WordPress web development, Graphic Design and Branding. His focus is on developing long lasting relationships with clients that have a strong work ethic and allow him to take the reigns on the creative side of any project.
RubenYoung.com@gmail.com | RubenYoung.com
I bring this commitment to QUALITY to the work we do at Stratocent Technologies. In IT, there are many ways to cut corners or do things on the cheap. However, while it may not seem like such a big deal to cut corners in IT, when disaster strikes, or you have to be able to access critical data on the fly, or your business stops because you can’t figure out how to get to your email, doing IT with a focus on QUALITY is not only important, it’s critical.
We play hard at Stratocent. IT can be a lot of fun, there’s always new toys being offered in the marketplace, new gadgets, new ways to get things done. Our commitment to quality keeps us away from flash in the pan products of the week, and keeps our focus on what’s important – your data and your ability to get to it easily at any time from any place, while keeping it safe from people you don’t want to see it.
Frankly, I love making computers, email, networks, work. I love making it possible for you to focus on your business instead of swearing at your computer. Let’s talk and see what we can do for you and your business!
Dana has been awarded the distinction by Microsoft as an Enterprise Security MVP for over 14 years and has been a Microsoft Regional Director for 4 years, focusing on the convergence of writing and deploying secure software. He is an Azure Advisor for Microsoft offering suggestions, guidance and recommendations to Microsoft’s Azure strategy around technologies like cloud identity and security, containerization and serverless computing.
• Managing Partner in Office in an Icon LLC, A Cloud Desktop/Server Technology Svcs Provider
• Managing Partner in MileStone Strategies LLC – An International Trading Company
• Past Member – Symantec National Small Business Security Advisory Panel
• Certified NxLevel Business Advisor and Instructor
• 2013/14 Chairman – South County Branch of The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce
• Co-Author and Program Chair for 9 years of The Computer Information Systems Security (CISS) program which evolved into The Computer Information Systems, Networking and Security (CISNS) Technical Degree Program at Clover Park Technical College. An NSA Certified Certification & Degree Program.
• 10 years Chairman for The South Puget Sound IT and Emerging Technology Skills Advisory Panel focusing on Technology career path development for six Community and Technical Colleges, four Universities and twenty School Districts throughout the region.
• Advisor to Regional Universities, Community and Technical Colleges for Curriculum development of Technology Degree programs
• Frequently featured Business and Technology Speaker at numerous local, regional and national technology conferences speaking to workforce development and technical security.
• Frequent Contributor to a variety of industry trade publications regarding Technology Security
• 25+ years developing technology solutions for Small, Medium and Enterprise Corps/Govts emphasizing secure technology HW/SW designs including best practices & corporate policies.
Awards
• 2010 Tacoma – Pierce County Veteran Owned Business of the Year
• 2011 – National SBA Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
Jenny has more than 13 years of experience in various operational and event roles, primarily in the technology field. She joined SMB Nation in 2007 in charge of all worldwide event logistics, conference development, contracts, and conference communications. Through the years, Jenny has worked in various roles at SMB Nation with her current role as president.
Prior to joining SMB Nation, Jenny worked at Microsoft in the conference center as an event manager. Her extensive work experience of event management coupled with her analytical abilities has enabled her to seamlessly plan events from large corporate meeting, product launches and tradeshows to fun team-building activities.
After spending as much time as she can with her family and friends, Jenny can be found enjoying the outdoors.
