Hoover officials hold technology roundtable to discuss growing the city's tech sector

Hoover city officials today met with about a dozen Hoover-based technology companies to discuss ways to grow the technology industry in the city.

The technology roundtable was held in the Galleria Tower and drew roughly 20 people, ranging from startup technology companies to established companies that have been in business 30 years, said Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw, who organized the gathering.

The Hoover City Council this year set aside $35,000 to study ways to increase technology jobs in the city, he said. But first, they wanted to hear from tech companies already in the city.

Much of the discussion today centered around the physical infrastructure and work spaces needed for tech companies and the need for Hoover to figure out a strategy to brand itself as a city ripe for growth in the technology sector, Shaw said.

Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville and Mobile all already have technology initiatives under way, so Hoover needs to figure out its selling points, he said.

David Brasfield, who started and sold several banking technology companies over the past 30 years and now is CEO of a cybersecurity education platform called ThreatAdvice.com, said Hoover already has the infrastructure needed for tech companies.

Hoover has plenty of fiber bandwidth, ample office space and a good road network, said Brasfield, whose company operates out of Meadow Brook on U.S. 280.

But the technology industry is fairly new to the city in the big picture, he said. In the past, the city has focused on retail growth instead, he said.

Most of the big-name technology companies such as Facebook and Amazon are based on the West Coast, but the Southeast has its fair share of successful technology companies as well, Brasfield said.

Birmingham is getting a lot of media attention right now for its start-up companies, but there are some well-established technology companies in Hoover that nobody hears about, he said.

“If folks don’t know what’s over here, they’re not going to come,” he said.

Hoover would do well to market the tech companies that are here to attract more tech companies, he said.

Shaw agreed and said technology companies tend to thrive in clusters as talent pools expand. Many of the ones in Hoover currently are in the business parks in Riverchase and Inverness, he said.

Shaw, the chief technology officer and senior vice president for Mutual Savings Credit Union, has spent 22 years in the technology sector and said he is excited to see enthusiasm for an area that’s important to him.

“The thought that we could really focus attention there and take it to the next level is pretty important to me,” he said.

The technology roundtable plans to meet again to continue discussions, and Shaw said he hopes it will help the city as it develops its long-term vision for the future.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, City Administrator Allan Rice and Councilmen John Lyda and Derrick Murphy also were present at today’s roundtable discussion.

Brocato said in a news release that he enjoyed hearing Shaw’s vision on how the city can nurture technology businesses already in the city, as well as his ideas on how Hoover can recruit new businesses.

“He did a a great job of bringing tech leaders to the table to share ideas with some of our elected officials and leaders of these tech companies,” Brocato said.