What can we expect from RBTC next year?
The RBTC has grown over time into the premiere regional organization for the New River Valley and the Roanoke Valley. We really are successful in bringing folks from both of those regions together. First and foremost, I want to honor that tradition and grow that tradition. It’s a great legacy. I want to make sure we sustain and continue. Beyond that, I really would like to find ways that we can provide connections to people within our member companies across their employment base, whether it’s a software engineer or it’s someone who’s working on cybersecurity or a research assistant in a lab. How do we provide opportunities for those people to get together and share their experiences? ...
I’m not an expert in all of those areas so I want them to be able to get together, to connect and learn from each other. And to create those connections. I think companies in this area will tell you one of their biggest problems is talent attraction and talent retention. One of the best ways to retain talent is to create connections between people. When people are connected to each other and connected to the area, they tend to stay. That’s a big piece of the puzzle we need to solve.
