This fall we are celebrating a major milestone — five years in publication! On Sept. 15, 2011, I launched Techwire as a communications platform for the state IT community and the 10,000 professionals who support California’s digital infrastructure. For those who manage projects, databases, email systems, data centers and IT programs, what started as a website and weekly email newsletter has become a widely known, thriving source of daily news and information focused on California’s annual $5 billion industry.
Elise Armitage, my communications intern at the California Technology Agency, and her college friend Ashley Nelson, both at the time graduate students and experienced journalists, helped me launch the site. We ran articles about large projects, policy initiatives, leadership changes, legislation and other important technology-related matters. Never before could industry professionals read about topics so closely connected to their work — we aimed to be a business journal exclusively for the government technology community that I learned about while I was working for the state.
In March 2012, we launched our quarterly printed magazine, which kicked off a period of steady expansion that would eventually include adding contributing writers such as Rachelle Chong, former commissioner of both the Federal Communications Commission and California Public Utilities Commission, and former Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. We were also fortunate to have on the team CALinnovates Executive Director Mike Montgomery, veteran AP reporter Samantha Young and tech journalist Matt Williams. Williams currently serves as Techwire’s managing editor.
In that same year, we launched our video interview series hosted by intellectual property attorney and law professor Christina Gagnier, to quiz state officials about technology-related policies and major IT projects. In more than one hundred sit-down interviews, Christina spoke with State Controller John Chiang, State CIO Carlos Ramos, DMV Director George Valverde and other officials working to modernize the technology systems that help government serve California's constituents. Our series, which ran on statewide television aired by the California Channel, raised the level of attention on important tech issues in California.
While a lot of the ground work was laid during the first year, we have steadily grown our coverage over time, with regular in-depth features and high-quality journalism. In 2014, Techwire was acquired by e.Republic Inc., the Folsom-based publisher of Government Technology and Governing, both respected national publications. With more customers to support our platform and an award-winning design team that creates stunning magazines, each issue of Techwire is better than the previous.
So where do we go from here? I hope it is safe to say that Techwire has reached a level of sustainability that will allow the platform to grow and last over time. Despite the rapidly changing publishing industry, I believe there is still a distinct place for traditional information gathering to serve a vested audience of business people, policy-makers and information technology professionals.
We have come a long way in five years but none of it would have been possible without a tremendous amount of community support in both the private and public sectors. I appreciate all of the feedback and tips that have helped us improve and mature. Our success is truly a reflection of you, our readers, and the credibility you have given us.
Thank you for tuning in over the years.
