In March 1984 the charter members of the Washington State Software Industry Development Board gather to conduct their initial organizational meeting. The meeting takes place at the Seattle offices of the Economic Development Partnership for Washington (1218 3rd Avenue). In attendance are Bill Grinstein (president, EDPW), Bruce Milne (CEO, Accountants Microsystems, and first chairman of the group), and representatives from Washington's other six leading software firms, including Boeing Computer Services, Microsoft, AMI, and MicroRim. The new organization will soon be renamed the Washington Software Board.
Four months later, on July 15, 1984, the organization promoted a kickoff event which featured an introduction by Congressman Rod Chandler (b. 1942), a letter of support from Governor Booth Gardner (b. 1936), and a keynote speech by Senator Slade Gorton (b. 1928). In the years following the board expanded its mission beyond serving as a trade group just for the software industry, and in 2008 it became the Washington Technology Industry Association – a fitting moniker for a group that, as current WTIA CEO Ken Myer recently explained, now includes local "companies in the electronics and device segments of the industry, complementing our existing strength in software, digital media and telecom" fields.
Washington State Software Industry Development Board's Executive Committee holds first meeting in March 1984.
- By Peter Blecha
- Posted 11/10/2009
- HistoryLink.org Essay 9205
Sources: WTIA Press Release, "Washington Technology Industry Association and TechAmerica Join Forces To Serve the Tech Industry: Agreement Makes the WTIA Exclusive Partner for TechAmerica in Washington State," Washington Technology Industry Association website accessed on September 28, 2009, (http://washingtontechnology.org/community/forums/thread/737.aspx); HistoryLink.org, The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Washington Technology Industry Association" (by Peter Blecha), www.historylink.org/ (accessed October 15, 2009).
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