60 Valley high school and college students created "back to business" mobile applications and websites that offered important city updates and critical resources in preparation and during a major catastrophe such as a natural disaster at The Valley Economic Alliance's third Valley Hackathon on Friday, October 13th at the Downtown Central Library in Glendale. As part of Glendale Tech Week, teams of participants at the technology competition developed concepts within 4 hours and pitched their solutions to a panel of judges for a chance to win prizes.

Valley Hackathon III winners with judges and prizes.

"Help App" received first place and offered disaster navigation, information and communication. The user friendly interface included a chat system by area and community, color coded system of emergency shelters and resources. "Quick Safe" received second place and "Emerging Together" placed third.

The judges panel included from left; 

Matthew Martinez of MCS, Inc./Open Tech Initiative;  Jennifer McLain, Principal Economic Development Officer with City of Glendale;

Philip Lanzafame, Director of Community Development with City of Glendale;  Yvette Gabrielian with Kroll Cyber Security;  Armin Nikravan, Vice President of Union Bank;  Clayton Weise, Director of Cloud Services with Key Information Systems;  Marc Netka, CEO of STS Education and  Frank Miller, Executive Director of Hollywood Burbank Airport 

Teams had 5 minutes to pitch their final presentations to the panel of judges.

Event sponsor Tony Tartaglia with Southern California Gas Company also delivered remarks about the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and its impact on businesses.

The event concluded with an internship fair for Hackathon participants. LA Promise Fund, Simple Layers, Inc., Collab and Play, Cloud 77, LLC, Bruno Group, Inc., Glendale Community College Student Employment Services and Volumen were in attendance and scouting for interns. Students brought copies of their resumes and networked with employers. Valley Hackathon participants signing up for Volumen internship opportunities. 

Participants represented USC, UCLA, Cal State University Los Angeles, Mount San Antonio College, La Canada High School, Burbank High School, John Burroughs High School, Cal State University Northridge, Granada Hills Charter High School, Glendale Community College, Valencia High School, Santa Monica College and San Marino High School.

 

Other event sponsors included Cal State University Northridge, Express Employment Professionals, DWP Information Architects, Union Bank, Auntie Anne's/Cinnabon, Top Leaders/John Maxwell Team and Whole Foods. 

The Valley Economic Alliance's Board of Director's met at Providence Tarzana Medical Center's North conference room on October 19th. 

Dale Surowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Providence Tarzana Medical Center welcomed guests and  presented information on the Tarzana Reimagined Project. Providence Tarzana Medical Center, ranked among the nation's top 100 hospitals, and will invest more than $514 million to build a new, state-of-the-art patient wing, featuring all private rooms and a new Emergency Department, as part of a major redesign of the medical center.  The plan also includes improvements to the existing 33-bed Women's Pavilion, new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and calls for expanded diagnostic and treatment areas, an enhanced lobby and visitor reception area, additional parking as well as a more healing environment with art, water features and green space.

In only its sophomore year, the second annual Glendale Tech Week reported increased attendance, added more locations and guest speakers as well as awarded a $25,000 prize package to a local start-up company.

Organized by the City of Glendale's Economic Development Division, the event took place this past week and was anchored by an all-day "city summit" Wednesday that brought special guest speakers and leaders in the technology industry to the Alex Theatre.

Two of the 65 speakers included Dan Goods, a visual strategist with NASA, and Brian MacMahon, founder of Santa Monica-based Expert DOJO.

On Thursday, Fischer Imaging beat out eight other local and Los Angeles area-based companies in a "Shark Tank"-style competition, winning with its prototype breast-cancer screening and diagnosis machine.

Shabbir Bambot - chief executive and co-founder of Fischer Imaging - convinced a panel of investors, business leaders and city officials that his improved mammography machine should receive $25,000 in combined cash and services.

" Breast cancer is one of those cancers that doesn't have to be [as prevalent] as it is right now. We can do a much better job in detection," Bambot said. "We looked at the standard of care and found many improvements that can be made."

According to Bambot, the machine produces higher resolution and contrast X-ray images while also reducing exposure to radiation. The device also allows for a more comfortable "cone-shaped" compression of the breast during a screening as opposed to the standard parallel plates.

"Being selected among some very strong competitors by our peers brings huge validation for our approach," Bambot said.

Jennifer McLain, Principal Economic Development Officer for the city, said this year's Tech Week benefited from additional spaces where events were held, including the Americana at Brand and the recently renovated Glendale Central Library.

"The biggest difference from last year is the level of programming interest from speakers and sponsors... We got about 100 submitting to participate, when, last year, we just called whoever we thought was in tech," McLain said. "Now, they're coming to us, and it's an indication that companies are excited about [Tech Week]."

Roughly 800 people registered to attend a Tech Job Fair Thursday morning, where 30 potential employers set up booths at the Central Library. The event was previously held at the Verdugo Jobs Center and could accommodate only about 350 people.

The third annual "Valley Hackathon," sponsored by The Valley Economic Alliance was held on Friday at the Central Library as an auxiliary Tech Week event. About 60 college and high school students took part in the all-day event.

 

Desiree Doubrox, CEO of An Empowered Woman, moderated the "Leading Networking Groups" with an informative session on best tips for connecting your business. The panel included NAWBO, Brunch Net, Holistic Chamber and PCL. 

The Community Foundation of the Valleys has launched their Give Local Campaign and they need your help. The Campaign is focused on educating professional advisors, corporations and community members about the importance of giving local - the most successful recipe for a better community.

Funds raised through this campaign will be given back in scholarships and grants to local charities. The scholarships are for leaders to attend a year-long Executive Leadership Training Program with a coach, designed to help both new and experienced Executive Directors transform their leadership, strengthen their network and guide their organizations toward long-term growth and sustainability. Additional grants will also be distributed.

Give Now, Give Back and Give Local by becoming a sponsor to support the Community Foundation of the Valleys mission, educational outreach and local nonprofits.  Below are various Sponsorship opportunities for your consideration.

Community Foundation of the Valleys is a  501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization dedicated  to accelerating all charitable giving in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. For more information, contact us at 818-377-6386 or [email protected]

The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council has come out against a highly controversial potential site proposed in its community as a light rail system storage yard.

The neighborhood council almost unanimously approved a motion at last week's council meeting to send a letter to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority opposing one of the locations the agency is targeting to redevelop into a railcar maintenance and storage facility to serve a new rail line that would run from Oxnard Street in Van Nuys to Sylmar.

In the motion, the council says it "strongly opposes" the site referred to as Option A, which straddles the existing Orange Line bus service between Kester and Vesper avenues. Specifically, the site is bounded by Kester Avenue, Oxnard Street, Calvert Street and just past Cedros Avenue.

The 58 parcels hold industrial buildings occupied by 1,500 employees and 186 businesses, according to The Valley Economic Alliance. Should Metro decide to move ahead with the rail system and redevelop the site into the storage yard, which it reportedly needs to operate the line, the businesses would be evicted.

"This is a thriving Industrial and artisanal area that if chosen would displace at minimum 200 small businesses and hundreds of workers that add tremendous value to the area and the community," the letter read, according to the motion.

Jason Ackerman, vice president of the council and the motion's author, said the businesses came to a planning and land use committee meeting to voice their opposition to the site. He also attended another meeting in which the issue was discussed.

"It was very apparent that very quickly we had to do something about this," he said. "It's too hard to create more industrial zone areas, particularly the medium manufacturing zone areas," which most of the businesses would require to operate in.

He said the original environmental impact report for the site from three years ago stated there was sufficient industrial space within a mile to move the businesses.

"But now there's no space within (even) two and a half miles," Ackerman said. "The automotive-related businesses would be especially hard to relocate. Plus, there's a need for older industrial buildings that have already been paid for (because) they don't have to have high rent and can act as incubators. Older industrial areas are very crucial to the health and growth of a community."

The motion recommends Metro seek other options, including 7600 Tyrone Ave., or Option D, that the businesses had suggested. But the site's property owner, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP), informed the group last week that it plans to transform the vacant site into the Mid-Valley Water Facility Project, which it expects to break ground on in 2019.

Ackerman said he and others may suggest to Metro that it buy that parcel but also the parcel next door because the two total 47 acres.

"There would room for both the DWP and Metro," he explained, and he added, while one business operates on the second lot now, "it's better to relocate one business rather than 150 to 200 businesses, and we don't have to lose more industrial space."

Also last week, land use and planning expert Robert Scott, executive director of the Mulholland Institute in Calabasas, sent out a public statement opposing the Option A location, saying industry - as opposed to retail or hospitality - supplies high-paying jobs that allow for a balance between jobs and housing.