GSA Technology Council

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has promoted Don Poinsette from Marketing Associate to Account Executive. In his new role, Don will be responsible for bringing in new customers and he will be focusing heavily on the healthcare market.

Before becoming an Account Executive, Don was responsible for lead generation for Immedion. He has been with Immedion for over a year and a half and has proven to be a valuable member of the Immedion team.

“As Immedion’s customer base continues to grow, we’ve realized some markets need more focused attention due to government regulations and compliance concerns,” says Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “There are many reasons for the healthcare industry to utilize the benefits of an outsourced data center and with government mandates and regulations, the healthcare industry needs a little more attention ” adds Mobley. “With compliance, disaster recovery, and electronic medical record requirements, I think it’s very important to have an Immedion representative focused on this vertical and Don is a strong fit.”

via: Immedion

Upstate business executive Carmen Geschke, President and founder of Greer-based Protec Enterprises, has been named to the vice chair role of the Minority Business Enterprise Input Council (MBEIC) Foothills Region serving both North and South Carolina.

The MBEIC is a standing committee of the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council, which works with minority businesses and corporate leaders across the Carolinas to foster partnerships that lead to increased business opportunities for both parties. As vice chair of the CMSDC’s Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC), Ms. Geschke will largely focus on businesses and corporations primarily in the Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina regions.

The announcement was made by Ray Lattimore, president and CEO of Marketplace Staffing of Greenville, who serves as chairman of the Foothills Region MBEIC and is a board member of the CMSDC.

“Carmen is an extremely talented, committed and energetic leader who brings tremendous credentials to this key role for the MBEIC,” said Lattimore. “Her connection, abilities and insights will go a long ways towards advancing the cause of minority businesses across the Carolinas.”

A native of Germany, Ms. Geschke founded Protec Enterprises in 2004 to offer custom production services, quality assurance, logistics management and warehousing/distribution to tier 1 and tier 2 automotive suppliers. ISO 9001:2000 certified and a certified Minority Business Enterprise, Protec has enjoyed consistent growth and success since its founding.

Ms. Geschke previously held leadership positions with automotive organizations in both Michigan and Duncan, South Carolina before founding Protec. She is active in numerous area organizations including the YWCA, the Black German Cultural Society and New Apostolic Church of Greer.

via: CMSDC

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has added an additional member to their sales team, Bradley Wright. Bradley joins Immedion as their new Senior Account Executive. In his role at Immedion, Bradley will be responsible for the development of new territories, clients and vendor relationships.

Before coming to Immedion, Bradley served as a National Account Manager for Consultedge, Inc. where he had a proven track record for delivering results and exceeding customer expectations. Bradley has over 13 years of IT sales experience and brings to Immedion his extensive business development, vendor relationship and sales management knowledge.

“We’re very excited to have Bradley on our team,” says Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “His experience is going to be a big asset to Immedion as we continue to grow,” adds Mobley. “He has made a name for himself in the upstate IT community and we’re glad he has chosen to be part of the Immedion family.”

via: Immedion

Upstate businessman Ray Lattimore, President and CEO of Marketplace Staffing, has been elected to the board of directors of the Carolinas Minority Suppliers Development Council (CMSDC) serving both North and South Carolina. Separately, Lattimore was awarded the coveted Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification by the Society of Human Resource Managers HR Certification Institute.

As part of his CMSDC board responsibilities, Lattimore will work with minority businesses and corporate leaders across the Carolinas to foster partnerships that lead to increased business opportunities for both parties. As a member of the CMSDC’s Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC), he will largely focus on businesses and corporations primarily in the Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina regions.

Since credentialing began for human resource professional in 1976, the number of certified HR practitioners in the United States has risen each year and now numbers over 36,000. HR professionals in all industries and at all levels of experience are becoming credentialed at an increasing rate. The SPHR certification demonstrates that the holder has mastered the increasingly complex human resource body of knowledge and accepted the professional challenge to stay abreast of new developments in the HR field.

“To be successful in today’s marketplace, HR professionals must know how to deal effectively with strategic management and planning issues, international competition, management staffing and family and social issues that affect the workplace,” said Lattimore. “The SPHR certification provides us with strategic and policy level insights that we can use to benefit our customers.”

Founded in 1996, Marketplace Staffing provides high quality, value-added staffing services and solutions to leading companies across the Southeastern United States. 100% minority owned, Marketplace has grown to become one of the leading independent staffing providers in the entire country by providing world-class, comprehensive staffing and productivity solutions. The organization provides a blue–chip client list with contract and outsourcing services, temporary staffing, temp-to-hire associates, executive recruiting and placement, and payroll and support services.

Marketplace was recently named as one of South Carolina’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2009 by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and The Capital Corporation at the Chamber’s annual meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. The firm was one of only two staffing companies so honored.

via: Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council

Acumen I.T., a Greenville-based technology company, has announced the addition of Jennie Fowler to its team. Fowler will serve as the director of project management for the company’s growing Project Management division.

In this new position, Fowler is charged with building the company’s project management-for-hire team, enabling customers to have on-site strategic project management oversight without having to hire employees on their own payroll. Fowler’s team will also assist internal and external customers to better recognize and understand the implementation of best practices for their ongoing projects.

In addition, Fowler will assist with enhancing and strengthening the Application and Development department while overseeing current projects in that department and helping to acquire new opportunities.

Fowler brings more than 16 years of experience in the Information Technology and Project Management fields to this position. Ten years of that experience included Departmental Management at the director/executive level. Prior to joining Acumen, Fowler served as the head of the Enterprise and IT Project Management office for Advance America and worked with the headquarters of Toyota Motor Sales as their lead Project Manager. She has also managed high-level planning, resource allocation, training and coordination for a number of large companies. Fowler holds a Masters Degree in Adult Education and received her undergraduate degree in Computer Technology. She is a certified Master Project Manager™ (MPM), as well as a member of the Project Management Institution (PMI).

“Jennie is an excellent addition to Acumen, as she brings outstanding project management and leadership skills to our team,” says Acumen’s CEO David Pence. “She will be instrumental in assisting our customers with growing and nurturing their businesses by helping them best utilize the skills and expertise made available through our for-hire project management professionals.”

via: Acumen I.T.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces that Colonel Scott Henderson has joined the company. He will serve as the director of Mission Assurance and Integration and will also handle Florida external relations, assisting with state and local governmental, customer and media relations. Henderson will primarily support former astronaut Ken Bowersox, vice president of SpaceX’s Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance office, working out of the company’s Florida office.

Henderson joins SpaceX after 25 years in the United States Air Force (USAF), an experience that began by earning a degree in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy. His prestigious career in the USAF included assignments in a wide variety of high level space operations and acquisition positions. A certified acquisition professional, Henderson has also earned a masters degree in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology and was a National Defense Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Prior to SpaceX, Henderson held the position of Commander with the 45th Launch Group at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. His responsibilities in this position focused on Department of Defense (DoD), civil and commercial space launch-related activities. Henderson joins SpaceX just as the company is preparing for the first Falcon 9 launch from CCAFS.

“Scott Henderson brings a great deal of operational launch experience and technical expertise to our company,” said Bowersox. “As we begin the first flights of the Falcon 9/Dragon system, Henderson will serve as a critical link between the SpaceX Safety, Mission Assurance, Operations and Integration teams.”

via: http://www.spacex.com/

The IBM (NYSE: IBM) board of directors today elected W. James McNerney, Jr., to the board. Mr. McNerney, 60, is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company.

Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer, said: “We are very pleased that Jim McNerney will be joining the IBM board of directors. Jim has decades of experience running complex, global enterprises, and his knowledge and insights will make a significant contribution to IBM.”

Mr. McNerney, who assumed his current leadership posts at The Boeing Company in July 2005, oversees the strategic direction of the world’s largest aerospace company.

Previously, Mr. McNerney was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of 3M. He also had served in several top executive positions at the General Electric Company, including as president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines and GE Lighting, president of GE Asia-Pacific, and president of GE Information Services. Prior to joining GE, Mr. McNerney worked at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Co., Inc.

Mr. McNerney is also a director of Procter & Gamble, and he serves as a trustee of Northwestern University and The Field Museum of Chicago. He is a member of The Business Roundtable and a former chair of The Business Council, the US-China Business Council, and the American Society of Corporate Executives. Mr. McNerney is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Mr. McNerney received his B.A. degree from Yale University and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University.

With the election of Mr. McNerney, the IBM board now has 13 members.

via: IBM

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) recently installed its 2009-2010 Global Executive Committee at the association’s 2009 Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nev.

Raman P. Rama, CHA, CHTP, CHAE, Installed as HFTP Global Secretary

Rama is vice president and director of IT and Telecom for JHM Hotels in Greenville, S.C. He has been a member of HFTP since 1991. He currently serves on the ProLinks Education Advisory Council and just finished his second term on the HFTP Global board. Rama has also served on the Membership Marketing, HITEC and Education Advisory Councils, as well as various other committees. He is an active member of the HFTP South Carolina Chapter, having served numerous leadership roles in the chapter. He has also been a driving force in educating hospitality university students about the benefits of HFTP by creating and supporting the University of South Carolina and the Coastal Carolina Student Chapters.

“The HFTP benefits and educational resources I’ve accessed as a longtime member have been invaluable to me for developing a successful hospitality company,” said Rama. “After gaining so much from HFTP professionally, I felt it was time to give back to the association and help bring fresh ideas as HFTP continues to grow worldwide.”

About HFTP

HFTP, Austin, Texas, USA and Maastricht, The Netherlands, founded in 1952, is the global professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. HFTP provides first class educational opportunities, research and publications to more than 4,800 members globally, including the premiere hospitality technology conference HITEC, founded in 1972. HFTP also awards the only hospitality specific certifications for accounting and technology — the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in the USA as the National Association of Hotel Accountants.

via: HFTP

Acumen I.T., a Greenville-based technology company, has announced the addition of Jim Holman to its team. Holman joins Acumen as a Senior Solutions Consultant and Project Manager, expanding the firm’s consulting staff to support ongoing growth. Holman will operate a satellite office in Atlanta, GA, enabling Acumen to expand its presence in the Atlanta market.

Holman brings more than 17 years of manufacturing systems experience to his position, having been implementing and supporting the Microsoft Dynamics GP application for more than 12 years. Prior to joining Acumen, he was a Dynamics GP Consultant for one of Microsoft’s largest partners/resellers in the United States. He has been providing consulting services for business flow, manufacturing, distribution processes, and analytical reporting to help clients improve and re-engineer business processes, identify redundancies, eliminate non-essential procedures and reduce costs.

“We are very fortunate to add a consultant with Jim’s background and experience,” says Steve Nevelle, practice manager for Acumen’s Business Applications Management (BAM) Division. “His consulting expertise and manufacturing background will be an asset to our clients and our expanding team.”

Before moving into consulting, Holman worked as an IT Manager for a Fortune 500 specialty chemical company, where he was responsible for the implementation and support of several software and hardware projects, including the Microsoft Dynamics GP application.

David Pence, CEO of Acumen I.T., adds, “Jim’s years of manufacturing systems experience have enabled him to expertly determine the key software systems requirements of manufacturing and distribution personnel at all levels of an organization. His experience in large manufacturing companies has given him the ability to relate to financial, sales, manufacturing, and logistics professionals. Jim’s ability to understand and speak their same language is a key factor in the repeated requests he has received to be the national manufacturing and distribution lead consultant in many ERP/MRP implementation projects.”

via: Acumen I.T.

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s only dedicated data center and managed services provider has hired Natalia Muska as their new Manager of Marketing and Communications. Natalia will be responsible for all of Immedion’s communications and marketing objectives. She will play a vital role in expanding Immedion’s market presence through on-going market research, copywriting, pr and media relations efforts.

Natalia comes to Immedion from KeyMark Inc. where she served as a Marketing Communications Specialist for three years. Prior to her work with KeyMark, she was a Marketing Specialist with Fluor Corporation. Natalia has over six years of marketing and communications experience and holds a master’s degree in professional communications from Clemson University. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Carolina’s chapter of the Business Marketing Association’s (BMA) Best in South Carolina Pro Ad award for work she did on KeyMark’s annual Horizons Conference.

“We’re very excited to have Natalia on our team,” said Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “Her experience and enthusiasm are the perfect fit for us. Immedion strives to put our customers first and to always stay ahead of the curve by being proactive and anticipating our customer’s needs. Part of that is having a strong marketing and communications strategy. We have hired an exceptional staff of professionals and Natalia is a positive addition to our dynamic group.”

via: Immedion