The Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative

Gov 2.0a – Technology applied to improve government
May 6th and 7th
Cox Convention Center
http://gov20a.com

Gov 2.0 stands for Government 2.0, the application of increased connectivity and new technologies to better help government achieve its goals by being transparent, participatory and collaborative. The benefits of this approach include increased efficiency, improved services, greater accessibility of public services, as well as more accountability.

The Gov 2.0a conference is focused on applications of technology to government problems. The conference will be a forum to learn about successful Gov 2.0 applications through case studies, to learn about best practices for Gov 2.0 applications, and to network with other professionals from city and state organizations, community groups, non-profits and the private sector who share interest in the application of technology to improve the functioning of our government.

Gov2.0a Keynote Dinner with incoming Oklahoma CIO Alex Pettit

Join us for dinner on 6pm, May 6th and hear presentations from Oklahoma State Representatives Ryan Keisel and Jason Murphey, and a Keynote presentation from Oklahoma’s Chief Information Officer, Alex Pettit on the future role of technology in Oklahoma government.

Speakers

* Jari Askins, Lt. Governer, Oklahoma
* Laurel Ruma, O’Reilly Media
* Carolyn Purcell, Cisco Systems
* Kurt A Snodgrass, CEO, OneNet
* Joey Senat, Professor, OSU
* Mark Mitchell, OK.Gov
* Mike Koehler, Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR
* Scott Anderson, CIO, Spigit
* Zach Nash, Creative Director, City of OKC
* Matt Mueller, City Manager, Guthrie, OK
* Paul Monies, OPUBCO
* Stephen Nolen, CIO, Shawnee OK
* Craige L. Baird, Technology Services Director, Ponca City
* Ryan Kiesel, Oklahoma State Representative
* Jason Murphey, Oklahoma State Representative
* Alex Pettit, CIO, Oklahoma
* Dustin Haisler, CIO Manor, Texas
* Jeff Blasius, CTO of SeeClickFix.com

Register Now! Only $10

okcCoCo Stirs Young Professionals’ Interest
By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9
News 9 Report

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fingers are crossed as new unemployment numbers are set to be released next week. That’s following a record number of jobless claims filed in the state last month, and while it’s been a rough ride for many, one group is benefiting from this bad economy.

One man took an empty building in downtown and turned it into a place where day dreamers can become business believers. Dustin Brewer is doing what he’s always wanted to do, work for himself.

“Now I do freelance Web design for agencies and direct client work and stuff like that,” Brewer said.

Brewer was laid off in December and decided now was the time to pursue his dream, but he lacked the office space and connections to make it happen. So he came to okcCoCo.

“There’s a lot of people you can feed off of for anything you might be working on at the time,” Brewer said.

The Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, or okcCoCo, is a new place for young entrepreneurs to come and network with one another. Its co-founder says the goal is to grow Oklahoma’s business and artistic community.

“What we’ve seen in the time that we’ve been open is that people have worked together to form new partnerships, even start new businesses,” okcCoCo Co-Founder Derrick Parkhurst said.

Parkhurst says the biggest benefit is the work space. There’s an open area that feels more like a coffee shop, but if privacy is what a client needs, he’s got that too.

“In this open area we have a space where someone who can’t quite afford an office can still have a professional work environment,” Parkhurst said. “They can leave their stuff overnight. They can expect it’ll be secure; it’s a secure area.”

Parkhurst hopes his business provides the people, place and position in today’s competitive workforce to launch successful careers down the road.

“We’re trying to grow not only the technical community, but the ENT community and the creative community,” Parkhurst said. “There’s a real synergy right now in this city going on between those three groups and we’re hoping to be the one place where they can come together.”

There’s a monthly membership fee for users, but Parkhurst says he offers a discount for those who’ve been laid off. He calls it the down-and-out plan.

Join us at H&H Gun Range, Friday – March 26th at 6PM for an evening of guns and fun! This is a gun-n00b friendly event. Women are encouraged to participate in this event. This event is especially for those who have never fired a gun, but are thinking about purchasing one for home defense. They also have a cafe that serves a very tasty burger…

We have a whole 6 lane bay to ourselves and have reserved a selected list of firearms from some of the most commonly carried firearms manufacturers for self and home defense. The idea is to get people familiar with the different brands and how they feel in your hands.

Experienced shooters are definitely welcome to attend and help out. We will have a lane open for attendees who want to bring their own firearms.

A certified trainer is available for $35.00/hr. Trainers must be requested one week in advanced. Costs of trainers will be up to you and whoever else is willing to split the costs of the trainer.

Pricing:
Cost for gun n00bs: $15.00 + Cost of ammo.
(This covers the costs of the lanes and firearms rental. Rented firearms MUST use ammo purchased from H&H. Ammo costs vary. See ammo prices below for additional info)

$8.00 if you are bringing your own firearms.
(Discounted lane fee. You may bring and use your own ammo. Please read the rules regarding firearms transportation at the H&H website)

Ammo Pricing:
.22LR – Really cheap. Still need to confirm pricing.
9MM – $13.95 / box of 50
.40S&W – 20.98 / box of 50
.45acp – $25.98 / box of 50.

Startup Weekend OKC

Startup weekend is a 54 hour event that provides networking resources and incentives for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. Get connected with local developers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Build Community. Start Companies. No Talk. All Action. Startup Weekend OKC will be held March 5-7th. Visit the Startup Weekend Website for more details.

Getting Real Competition

The Getting Real Competition is a high pressure race to develop web-based software and launch an online startup. Competitors are asked to work in teams and go from an idea to online startup in two weeks. A series of hack days are scheduled at the okcCoCo where teams will be provided space, drinks and food to fuel technology and business development. The startups will launch at OpenBeta 4 and will be asked to give a technology demonstration and a 10 minute pitch to a panel of expert judges made up of experienced entrepreneurs, investors and technologists. The winner of the competition will take home cash and business services towards supporting a public launch. Getting Real Competition Launch Event will be held 9am – 5pm, Saturday, March 13th. Visit the Getting Real Competition Website for more details.

OpenBeta 4 – Where Ideas Meet Opportunity

OpenBeta is a participant-driven community event aimed at exposing innovative ideas and creating business opportunities by connecting smart, passionate and motivated people, with similar interests in technology but different talents. OpenBeta 4 is scheduled for Thursday, March 24th, 2010 at the Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative.
The keynote speaker will be Wynn Netherland, web designer and developer, and creater of the SXSW award winning online service TweetCongress.
The event will also have technology demonstrations, lightning talks, business pitches from the Getting Real Competition and an after party. Visit the OpenBeta Website for more details.

Startup Weekend Oklahoma City
March 5-7th,2010
Friday: 5:30pm – 11pm
Saturday: 9am – 11pm
Sunday: 9am – 10pm
Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative

Startup Weekend is a grass roots organization of 15,000+
entrepreneurs/developers that rapidly develop new startups in 54 hours. Startup Weekend is a tech focused event currently operating in 60 cities spanning 18 countries and growing. During the event, attendees form new ventures from mobile apps to web services to cupcake shops and anything between.

The event is open to anyone interested in the local entrepreneurial community, and it puts them in a setting where anything is possible. In the past 2 years, 280+ startups have started, 9,000+ entrepreneurs have been inspired. Teams have even started to generate revenue during the 54hr event, and others have even gone on to direct angel and VC investment. None of these stats take into account the amazing networking, ongoing professional relationships, and amazing experience that happen at every event.

Speakers & Mentors that will be there to help teams during the weekend including: Jim Rogers, Daniel Mercer, J.D. Meryweather, Piyush Patel, and Michael Smith

Startup Weekend Oklahoma Organizers:
Adam Dani
778-8484
adani@irapllc.com
Clint Nelsen
clint@startupweekend.org

Thursday February 11th: 6pm.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Application Integration is a key part of IT strategy for every business today. Businesses are looking at Service Oriented Architecture to help their business become more flexible and responsive. For SOA, the Connectivity Entry Point is fundamental to the success of a SOA strategy and deployment.

Join us for anti-pasti and pizza from The Wedge Pizzeria and age-appropriate beverages from COOP Ale Works as we discuss some core WebSphere Connectivity products including:

* WebSphere MQ, the award-winning messaging backbone for deploying your ESB today as the connectivity layer of a SOA.
* WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition, the reliable, managed file transfer solution for moving files – regardless of size – between IT systems.
* WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, the standards-based connectivity and integration solution that allows you to create and deploy interactions quickly and easily between applications and services, with a reduced number and complexity of interfaces.
* WebSphere Service Registry and Repository, the industry leading solution that enables you to easily and quickly publish, find, enrich, manage and govern services and policies in your SOA.

IBM experts will be on hand to explain the benefits of utilizing WebSphere products as part of your development strategy. There will also be ample Q&A opportunities.

“Non-disclosure and Non-compete Agreements”
Shawn J Roberts

6:30pm, Thursday, Feb 4th (Note the new date!)
The Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative

So, you are working at a local technology company and you have a great idea for a new start-up company? What is the best approach to getting your new company off the ground without running afoul of any non-disclosure or non-compete agreements that you might have already signed? What kind of contracts can companies force employees to sign? How enforceable are these contracts? What are the consequences if you violate such an agreement? What are smart strategies for getting your company off the group free and clear of claims from your current employer? We’ll discuss these issues and then have an extended question and answer session, so please bring your questions.

The Bootstrappers beer is a free to attend monthly meeting for entrepreneurs in Oklahoma City. The goal of the meeting is to provide educational and networking opportunities to young entrepreneurs. Many of the attendees are passionate about bootstrapping start-up companies and… beer.