Since he took over as president of the Wisconsin Technology Association roughly four years ago, Eric Printz has been on a mission to make his organization the premier resource for the state’s tech community.
In 2019, the WTA hosted more than 1,000 people throughout its 11 events, which covered a range of tech themes. By the end of 2019, the WTA had just under 100 paying members, with a growing number of younger professionals.
With Printz at the helm, the WTA has grown both membership and attendance. The events organized by the WTA, Printz said, focus on networking and collaboration rather than powerpoints and sales pitches, giving university administrators and company executives a window to engage in discussions about developing talent for today’s workforce, and recent college graduates and industry veterans to swap information about best practices and emerging trends.
“It’s how people find out what other people are doing in the market and what happens outside their own network,” said Printz, who has worked in Wisconsin’s tech industry for more than 20 years.
This spring, the WTA will host multiple events that will cover IoT, business intelligence and analytics and artificial intelligence, just to name a few. The main event will be its annual Technology Conference at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee on May 21.
“People can’t get enough training,” Printz said.
Printz began his tech career assembling and selling computers for CompUSA. He later became senior manager of network engineering for Foot Locker and network technology manager for security at Kohl’s.
The WTA started in the 1970s as the Wisconsin Telecommunications Association, but as digital devices and the internet changed the fabric of tech in the state, membership dwindled, Printz said. Around 2016, Printz had the organization’s name changed to the Wisconsin Technology Association.
As a result, younger professionals are becoming members, Pritz said.
The WTA is very active in the Greater Milwaukee area and Printz is planning to expand its presence in Madison.
“I want to see the WTA here for decades and I want us to stay relevant,” Printz said.
You can check out the upcoming WTA events here.
