STEM

Former GCU Exec Planning Nonprofit Tech School, Students Will Attend For Free

Original Article via Phoenix Business Journal 

Brent Richardson, who helped build Grand Canyon University to what it is today, has plans to build a nonprofit school in the Valley for coding, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

The “new kind of school” would be built somewhere in the greater Phoenix area, offering accelerated programs for free to students, Richardson said.

“We’re hoping students will be hired by local tech companies and start new companies here,” said Richardson, a Scottsdale resident. “We hope to bring 2,000 jobs to the state.”

Richardson is close to signing a “tech pioneer” for the project, which would offer 12- to 18-month programs in various of tech careers, including gaming, drones and systems engineers.

“We’re hoping we can be part of the solution,” he said.

The school would be funded with company donations, and the plan is to open it in two years, he said. Richardson wants to model the new school after DigiPen Institute of Technology in Seattle, which offers degree programs in several subjects, including video game programming, computer science and computer engineering.

Richardson made the announcement Thursday night at the first DestechAZ networking dinner at the Camby Hotel in Phoenix. The event was designed to gather 200 local people involved in tech companies, tech training and tech legislation to work with each other.

“Anyone that touches tech was invited to help Phoenix continue to build the tech scene,” Richardson said. “We want to hold this dinner every six months to continue the dialogue.”

Guest speakers at the dinner were U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Gary Hensley, the COO with Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology for the state of Arizona.

Richardson is now the CEO and chairman of Exeter Education, which runs three Valley-based companies focused on coding training and education: Coder Camps, Codigo and Blue Anvil Marketing.

He also serves as CEO of the Dream Center Foundation’s recent acquisition of Education Management Corp., which includes 102 locations in the U.S.

Richardson invested and became the majority shareholder in Grand Canyon University in 2003 when the university was a small school with nursing and teaching programs.

Continue Reading…

2016 SRP Forum | PHX East Valley Entreprenership

Entrepreneurs are innovators. They observe opportunity and gaps in the marketplace to create new goods and services. Entrepreneurs play a vital role in economic development as key contributors to technological innovation and new job growth. They help build their communities by providing jobs, conducting business locally, creating and participating in entrepreneurial networks, investing in community projects, and giving to local charities.

Nowhere is this changing model of business more apparent than in the PHX East Valley. The spirit of collaboration and innovation is prevalent and these new business models are proving to be important engines for economic growth in the area. Realizing both the economic and social impact of entrepreneurship, many states and local communities, including those in the PHX East Valley, have implemented aggressive strategies aimed at cultivating and nurturing entrepreneurs.

 

Join us on Tuesday, September 13 for the 2016 SRP Forum on Entrepreneurship.

 11:30 AM Registration / 12:00 Noon Program & Lunch / 1:15 PM Program Close

Hilton Phoenix-Mesa – 1011 W Holmes Ave, Mesa, AZ 85210 (60 @ Alma School)

Sponsored by Salt River Project

Download the Full Event Invitation

Register Online Today

 

Attendees will hear a keynote address from Clate Mask, CEO & Co-Founder of InfusionSoft. Mask is a national expert and speaker on entrepreneurship, a New York Times bestselling author, and a PHX East Valley native and resident. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a Top 100 Small Business Influencer by Small Business Trends, and one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2013 by Goldman Sachs. Attendees will also hear from a panel of local entrepreneurs sharing their stories and talking in-depth about the local, regional, and state resources that helped them achieve success.

Incubators, entrepreneurship, and creative businesses models are becoming part of our daily lives and have a reverberating impact on our economy and growth. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of these models, resources for innovative ideas, and how to best support entrepreneurship in their business circles and communities.

In partnership with SRP, this forum will aim to:

  • Raise awareness and understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit and opportunities in the PHX East Valley;
  • Provide a forum to share experiences of business incubation, entrepreneurship and creative economic development models for job growth and prosperity;
  • Provide a platform for attendees to hear from and interact with nationally-recognized entrepreneurship experts and local entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities;