Tech council picks interim chief; Farmer, who joined the council in 1999, will serve for one year in the position
BYLINE: A.J. HOSTETLER; Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
The Greater Richmond Technology Council has chosen William L. "Chip" Farmer to serve for a year as interim executive director.
Farmer, a Richmond native and a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, joined the council in 1999, served on several of its committees and became a board member in 2006.
"The council has a unique opportunity to build on our past success by using this leadership transition to revisit and update our strategic plan," said Lyn McDermid, the council board chairwoman, in a statement. "Chip Farmer will help us keep the council moving forward as we craft and implement that plan."
Farmer, 45, previously was responsible for new business at Gyrus Systems, a small software firm based in Richmond focusing on the manufacturing and distribution sectors.
Farmer's tenure will focus on four areas:
* ensuring the success of council events and activities;
* expanding memberships, sponsorships and partnerships;
* maintaining relationships with associations and industry groups that benefit council activities; and
* assisting in providing a new strategic plan for the council by July.
"The technology community in Richmond is at a crossroads," said McDermid, chief information officer of Dominion Resources Inc. "Every company has become technology-enabled, if not technology-driven. We must build a strategic plan that ensures that we help the business community, and the central Virginia economy in general, take advantage of and manage their technology planning and investment."
Before Gyrus, Farmer held positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Experient Technologies and CapTech Ventures. He also worked in sales and marketing in the pharmaceutical and paper industries.
In the coming months, he plans to meet with council partners and sponsors as well as previous board members and founders for their take on the council's future.
The council begins its 2008 breakfast meeting series tomorrow at The Place in Innsbrook in Henrico County. The 300-member group brings together the region's technology for informational meetings and monthly networking breakfasts.
Founded in 1989 as the Central Virginia High Technology Network, the council hired its first full-time executive director, Robert J. Stolle, in 1998. Stolle left in December to join Core Consulting, a local business-management and information-technology advisory group.
Contact A.J. Hostetler at (804) 649-6355 or ahostetler@timesdispatch.com