SUMMER 2020
PUBLISHERS
Sandra Watson Steven G. Zylstra
EDITOR
Don Rodriguez
EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Morgan Carr
05 Priceless Solutions
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Jill A. Brownley
Arizona companies step up to help during pandemic
EMAIL techconnect@aztechcouncil.org For queries or customer service, call 602-343-8324. TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, 2800 N. Central Ave. #1530, Phoenix, AZ 85004
04 Publisher’s Letter Entire contents copyright 2020, Arizona Technology Council. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these page pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. Publication of TechConnect is supported by the Arizona Commerce Authority.
View more of TechConnect: aztechcouncil.org/techconnect
EdTech on trajectory to change learning as we knew it
08 Building Digital Pathways
Arizona is home to one of the most robust education technology ecosystems in the country
09 Change Agent
Zovio’s new home leads to new direction for new arrival
10 New Members
Arizona Technology Council welcomes a bevvy of new technolgy companies
EXTRA The Workforce of Tomorrow
The presidents of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and The University of Arizona share how they are using education technology to prepare the highly skilled workforce of tomorrow. Listen to the replay of their discussion on AZ TechCast sponsored by the Arizona Commerce Authority at www.aztechcouncil.org/podcast/june2020.
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
................................ Class act taking shape
No doubt many of you have had a front row seat to the importance of technology when it comes to learning. Make that distance learning as our homes have become our classrooms and offices while we adjust to an unprecedented period in our society. Whether your children have Zoomed to connect with their teachers and schoolmates or you have turned to webinars as alternatives to flying somewhere for training in person, we all are getting a taste of the state of education technology. I say “taste” because EdTech takes all shapes and forms. The companies to which we introduce you in this edition of TechConnect are just a sample of the variety that are now calling Arizona their home. They are getting their share of a market that is on an upward trajectory. A recent Australian government study of the U.S. market—yes, Australia sees the potential of customers here—forecast the value of our nation’s EdTech industry to be $43 billion with more than 1,500 companies as of last year. Further, a timely report issued by multinational Grand View Research forecasts the global EdTech market to reach $285.2 billion by 2027. Other measures of value were revealed in studies included in an overview of the industry published by InvestmentBank.com: •
K-12 students attending schools with technological integration efforts showed an average increase of 94 points in SAT I test performance.
•
Online collaboration among students was linked to a 20% overall reduction in disciplinary actions and dropout rates.
•
There was an increase in respondents’ teaching of higher education online courses from 30% in 2013 to 42% in 2017.
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So, what’s to come with EdTech? The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology took a look in its crystal ball to predict the future of learning technologies. The expected trends include: •
Increased use of simulations so students can experience working together on a project without leaving their classrooms (or rooms, for that matter). For example, they can be involved actively in a situation that feels urgent, causing them to decide what to measure and how to analyze data so they can solve a challenging problem.
•
Augmented reality (AR) to allow investigations of context and history. Students would use mobile devices with AR to support their “field” experience at a local historical site. In addition, the technology lets students view and experience the site from several social perspectives, and to view its structure and uses across time periods.
Our own Arizona Department of Education also is getting ready for a future filled with EdTech. The department has launched a workgroup to create revised educational technology standards for the state. Virtual meetings are underway for educators to work on the standards for adoption in March. As you likely can tell, we are moving beyond education technology simply meaning having computers in class. Our students not only deserve more, they expect more. And through great expectations will come new ideas that will make lifelong learning a reality for generations to come. n
PRICELESS SOLUTIONS
..................... Companies put profits on hold to meet new challenges
For Mary Gifford, the word that students would be turning their homes into classrooms as the pandemic took hold raised a number of questions, such as how long this change in venue would last. “Is it going to be a month? Is it going to be two months? Is it going to be the balance of the school year?” she wondered. She wasn’t asking as a parent but as the head of one of a number of Arizona-based education technology companies with the same question: How can we help? What made their responses more remarkable was they opted to offer their products at no cost. No strings yet no stripped-down versions either. “It comes down to our mission is to help students and educators succeed,” says Ron Robertson, CEO and co-founder of Tempe-based Picmonic.
The companies recognized students and schools desperately needed solutions—and they needed them fast. “What we started seeing right away,” says Gifford, president of Chandler-based StrongMind, “was a lot more like crisis remote learning rather than comprehensive online learning.” To meet that goal, StrongMind stepped forward to offer its premium products. “I knew that a lot of schools would not be in the position to invest in anything during a school year that ended up in much uncertainty,” she says. “And so that’s why I knew it needed to be free.” “We determined that providing our software at no cost to interested schools, teachers and parents was the best way for us to help with the challenges that were facing our educators,” says Lori Hershman, director of operations at Scottsdale-based Adaptive Curriculum. “Our decision was based on the fact that it was the right thing to do to support education.” The plus for the three companies was already having a variety of products on the shelf to help a variety of audiences. (See related story.) For Picmonic, its decision was an extension of already serving students pursuing careers in medical, nursing, pharmacy and related fields—all segments heavily involved in tackling COVID-19. “Being health-care focused and being with everything that’s happened (with the pandemic), it was just really a no-brainer for us,” Robertson says of the immediate connection with students as others were trying to find new ways to teach remotely.
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With most of Adaptive Curriculum’s team comprised of ex-educators, the company already was providing online access to standards-aligned, interactive middle and high school math and science content that lets teachers create assignments for students, track their progress and conduct online activity-specific assessment, Hershman says. Students also have the ability to search over 1,000 activities in the content library and complete activities that interest them. But now the company also realizes its product solution and delivery works in a wide variety of implementations, which is needed during this time.
“It comes down to our mission is to help students and educators succeed.” Ron Robertson, CEO and co-founder of Picmonic “It provides a flexible solution for teachers, whether they are having the student complete their assignment independently or when presenting a concept to a group of students using the activity in a presentation model” such as Zoom, she says. For users familiar with learning online, StrongMind was ideal. “It’s pretty much add water and stir,” Gifford says. “It’s not very complicated to get up and running.” But finding some potential users were new to this type of instruction started her team thinking to make things more turnkey, so a quick start kit to get going in three days is in the works. “We had districts reaching out to us for our free offering that didn’t have a learning management system of their own,” Gifford says. “They never thought about a learning management system.” Robertson says existing and new students have come to appreciate Picmonic’s fun and effective approach to learning by watching an interactive, two-minute video on a variety of topics then following it up with a quick quiz. But over the past few months, it became a question of how to give educators visibility into student performance, so product developers have been building out more robust analytics dashboards to track student progress.
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Adaptive Curriculum With math and science curriculum aligned to state and national standards, the company’s Activity Objects engage digital learners in grades 6 through 12 by integrating real-world scenarios, cutting-edge graphics, animations, 3D models, as well as interactive simulations, into active learning. Although free access has ended, the company has created a home version called AC Home to support parents and homeschool situations while providing the same content and instruction management interface as the school solution. In addition, Adaptive Curriculum is in the final stages of releasing a 2020 upgrade that operates on numerous devices.
While the companies learn more about their products’ capabilities, their employees also are finding out more about their own potential. While Picmonic’s team is accustomed to working remotely, so there was no need to make major adjustments to management from an operational perspective, “we’re always impressed at how quick they can adapt and change strategy during the challenging times,” Robertson says. “I believe that we all learned how important it is to think outside of the box and to do the right thing within our community, to understand that we can be a resource and have a positive impact on education,” Hershman says, “that it isn’t always about the sale but more about understanding a challenge and finding a solution.” That certainly is happening at StrongMind. Some team members are heading back to school not just to show teachers how to use the products but to find ways to help them keep students engaged in new virtual settings. “We’re finding that these conversations aren’t just about products,” Gifford says. “They’re about solutions right now.”
“We’re finding that these conversations aren’t just about products. They’re about solutions right now.” Mary Gifford, president of StrongMind
Picmonic Its app’s bite-sized, picture-mnemonic video lessons help increase student engagement and supplement existing curriculum. The app makes it easier for health care students to remember “hard to recall” facts, and has helped them prepare for classes, improve grades and increase board/licensing exam scores. After launching Picmonic for Medicine, the product line was expanded to include material covering nursing school courses, and courses for physician assistant, pharmacy, paramedic, occupational therapy, physical therapy and pre-health students, as well as an introductory medical terminology course. More than 730,000 students have used the learning system since the company was founded by medical students in 2013.
Count on more solutions coming from Arizona’s education technology sector. Some of that stems from deep experience in the field. For example, Gifford, a former executive at K12, now works at a company founded by CEO Damian Creamer, also the founder of Primavera Online High School. Add to that the homegrown talent coming from institutions such as Arizona State University, home of the Learning Design and Technologies program at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. “Others are the recognizing that is a great place for people who do really great digital work, as well as your straight-up engineers,” Gifford says. Adaptive Curriculum also recognizes the array of contributions that the university is making in the education technology field. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding partnership with ASU, creating content with the guidance and involvement of their subject matter experts,” Hershman says.
StrongMind Award-winning, robust middle and high school curriculum supports core, honors and elective courses for 6th through 12th grade students no matter where they are in their journey. Project-based activities promote collaboration while insightful class and student level reports are delivered for assessments. The courseware is designed to work within learning management systems already in use and optimized for Canvas and Agilix Buzz. It also provides online courses to schools without existing programs, which has been the case among smaller, rural districts left with few alternatives when their classrooms have been forced to close due to the pandemic.
ASU is just one of what Robertson calls “phenomenal” education institutions that are producing new talent. He says another member of that community is Grand Canyon University, as well as some of the community college programs. Robertson says there are a number of pluses for education technology companies doing business in his home state. “From an entrepreneurial perspective, it is a phenomenal community. Our ecosystem is a very generous community,” he says. “I wholeheartedly believe there are more great people and businesses trying to help others succeed, trying to help each other through tough times unlike anywhere else.” n
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DIGITAL PATHWAYS
..................... Arizona’s thriving EdTech ecosystem
Arizona is home to one of the most robust education technology ecosystems in the country. Companies and educational institutions have become leaders in creating a wide range of technology platforms for learning, training, collaboration, credentialing and financial aid. Arizona’s focus on advancing cutting-edge technologies has led to innovations in the emerging sector across the state. This cluster of EdTech companies was thriving in the state, even pre COVID-19. Today, online learning has become the new normal, and Arizona EdTech entrepreneurs have responded in kind. They’re showcasing how students, educators and academic institutions are adapting—and even thriving—amid a global pandemic. Arizona’s EdTech companies have pioneered new pathways to learning beyond the traditional classrooms, expanding access to students and families and unlocking technology solutions for educators and institutions. Chandler-based Prenda Schools is a fast-growing EdTech company that helped invent the category of “microschools”—a combination of homeschooling and traditional school. The company is experiencing explosive growth as parents struggle to find educational options or look for smaller learning environments for their kids during COVID-19. Prenda Schools have between 5 and 10 students and combine online instruction with project-based and peer-to-peer learning. Scottsdale-based K16 Solutions, recently secured $3.5 million in new funding to bolster its growth and product development. K16 helps universities transition data-heavy coursework between content-management systems. The cloud-based tool saves time and money for faculty. The increasing reliance on online learning has resulted in strong venture capital investments in EdTech firms across the U.S. and here in Arizona.
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Just last month, Chandler-based CampusLogic, an industry leader in financial aid tools for higher-ed institutions, closed a $120 million funding round, making it the second-largest venture capital investment in a U.S. EdTech firm this year. In February, Parchment, a Scottsdale-based software firm that digitizes and distributes academic records, announced a merger with Illinois-based Credential Solutions. The merger allows Parchment to serve more than 13,000 schools and organizations. Parchment had already raised at least $66 million before the merger. EdTech innovations are also being driven by the state through unique public-private partnerships. In addition, Gov. Ducey, the Arizona Department of Education, Helios Education Foundation and Arizona State University announced a new, $7.5 million partnership to help the state’s K–12 teachers adopt new digital instructional practices. The Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute is powered by an online learning platform that provides training and professional development for every teacher in Arizona. Arizona is also among the first states in the nation to participate in the Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative, which provides unemployed workers with free access to all 3,800 courses and professional certifications offered by the leading online learning platform. These innovators are just a few that make up a hub of more than 50 EdTech companies in Arizona that are making a difference by changing the way we learn. The COVID-19 pandemic has made online learning a necessity, but this real-world need has brought EdTech innovations to the forefront. Arizona is positioned as a leader in a dynamic environment where talented, homegrown entrepreneurs are making a difference for students, teachers, families and universities—at home and in the classroom. n
CHANGE AGENT
................................ Zovio’s new life goes beyond new name
It started with a basic question: Where are we headed? For Zovio, part of the answer was found in Chandler. But company leaders went deeper than just naming the site of its new headquarters. They wanted a new name that was in line with how they felt their company should be known. Combining the Greek word “sophos,” which means skillful and intelligent, with the Latin prefix “vi” for visionary, Zovio became the new moniker. “We spent so much time thinking through the right name to describe both our culture and our vision for the company,” explains Vickie Schray, its executive vice president and chief external affairs officer. This was just part of three years of planning for Zovio’s future. Schray says the effort included thoughtful consideration of the company’s strengths while looking at the future of both higher education, as well as the workforce and training needs.
“Our vision as an EdTech services company is to provide a full range supporting two partners: both universities and corporations.” Vickie Schray, EVP + chief external affairs officer This resulted in a focus on being an education technology services company. Add to that the decision to search for a new headquarters. Schray says a number of states and communities across the country were considered before leaving its former California base. “The reason we picked Arizona was it is business-friendly and not only supports company growth but encourages it.” “Also, we looked at it from the perspective of what was best for our employees,” she says. “So far, so good.” “There is a better quality of life. A number of folks tell us it was the first time they could afford to purchase a home for their family,” Schray says. Factor into that the talent already living here.
“We looked very closely at the potential pool of candidates in the area, which is why we picked Chandler,” she says. Even in the midst of a pandemic, Schray says, Zovio hired more than 200 employees in Chandler and is getting close to 500 employees in the area. They fulfill a variety of duties, including learner support, enrollment support and data analytics for marketing. The Arizona team members are among the employees whom the company has working around the country to serve student and worker life cycle learners. The Zovio network includes Fullstack Academy, TutorMe and Learn@Forbes. “Our vision as an EdTech services company is to provide a full range supporting two partners: both universities and corporations,” Schray says. One of the newest partners has well-established ties to the state. Zovio recently entered into an agreement to sell its Ashford University to a newly formed non-profit entity that will bear the name of The University of Arizona Global Campus. Under a long-term agreement, the company will continue to provide its innovative education technology services. A goal for the online institution is to expand the university’s access to more underrepresented and nontraditional students and new populations across the country and around the world. Offering its intelligence in a visionary way to make this happen is fitting for a company named Zovio. n
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NEW MEMBERS
To join the Arizona Technology Council, a member-supported group representing the interests of the state’s technology ecosystem, visit www.aztechcouncil.org.
Acena Consulting works directly with business owners and leadership teams in the tech industry to help educate and identify opportunities for the utilization of the R&D tax credit. www.acenaconsulting.com
Crowley Recruiting is a staffing firm that places technology professionals and direct hires without contracts to established technology clients. www.crowleyrecruiting.com
HT Metals provides raw material sourcing along with a variety of value-added services so customers can focus on the manufacture process, growth and prosperity of their businesses. www.htmetals.com
Advantage Resourcing is a group of “Hire Thinking” industry pioneers providing innovative workforce solutions for automotive, engineering, IT, manufacturing, professional and supply chain clients. www.advantageresourcing.com
Cyber Defense Group provides trusted cybersecurity services to innovative, cloud reliant companies. Cloud security and incident response are solved. www.cdg.io
Hye Tech Network & Security Solutions is an organization built on the vision of providing the highest level of technical network/security-related services. Its goal is to provide superior levels of expertise and solutions. hyetechnetworks.com
Advotech Company is a full-service microelectronic assembly facility with capabilities ranging from complex prototyping to high volume assembly. www.advotech.com Agile Rising provides enterprise agile strategy, scaled agile framework (SAFe) training and transformation, technology business management (TBM) training, and agile team and executive coaching. www.agilerising.com/phoenix
Datron Dynamics manufactures and distributes machine tools to the manufacturing industry across America while specializing in CNC mills, tooling and work holding. www.datron.com Deliverance Capital provides applications for home health. Diamond Coatings is a company specializing in vacuum-deposited optical coatings for a broad range of industries, including medical, automotive and aerospace. www.diamondcoatings.com
ILLUME Advising is a world-class research consultancy supporting the energy industry through cutting-edge social and data-science research via a holistic and boutique consulting experience. illumeadvising.com InfoArmor provides industry-leading solutions for employee identity protection and advanced threat intelligence to help organizations protect their most valuable assets. www.InfoArmor.com Katalize offers semiconductor technology and semiconductor capital equipment consulting. www.katalizegroup.com
Allied Cloud Solutions migrates companies from legacy software to the Oracle/NetSuite ERP platform. www.alliedcloud.com
Digitech Services is a global professional services company providing IT consulting and services. www.digitechserve.com
ANM is one of the fastest-growing IT consultancies in the U.S. with the highest levels of engineering certifications and recognitions from industry-leading manufacturers such as Cisco, VMware and AWS. www.anm.com
Dovly is the first, fully automated credit repair platform built on a sophisticated algorithm proven to improve credit scores. www.dovly.com
Kenect Phoenix is a high-tech social club with residential space, retail, coworking and social aspects built for city dwellers who want a flexible lifestyle for a great value. www.kenectphoenix.com
ElectionSuite is about making elections more secure, transparent and accessible. Its goal is to provide a simple experience for voters while maintaining the integrity of the voting system. electionsuite.co
KM2 Consulting offers business and education consulting. www.linkedin.com/in/ken-mattern-65a79ab1
Arizona Spaceport is non-profit organization focused on establishing and supporting world-class spaceport options in Arizona for the general benefit of the state, its residents and the global NewSpace sector. www.azspaceport.org Arizona Thin Films is an optical coating manufacturer specializing in custom antireflective coatings, optical filter coatings and mirror coatings. www.arizonathinfilms.com Bobcat Cyber delivers a cost-effective security validation service to reduce your risk posture through continuous and broad testing of your security controls. bobcatcyber.com Bralco Metals’ (aka Reliance Steel and Aluminum) ISO 9001, AS 9100 and AS 9120 certified service centers offer quality and traceability. All of its products can be cut to size and packaged to specific requirements. www.bralco.com Cinteot specializes in cybersecurity, big data, databases, software development, systems testing, and STIG compliance training. Its founders are senior IT engineers who represent the company’s specialties. www.cinteot.com CIS and digg have the privilege of representing more than 200 manufacturers and are proud to be a DIRTT dealer and the exclusive Knoll dealer in Arizona. www.cisinphx.com/solutions/dirtt Community Investment Corporation is a nonprofit economic development organization promoting economic inclusion for southern Arizona through access to capital including financing tools promoting private investment in early stage businesses. www.cictucson.org
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Exponent is a multidisciplinary engineering and scientific consulting firm that brings together more than 90 different disciplines to solve important engineering, science, regulatory and business issues. www.exponent.com ExtraHop Networks delivers enterprise cyber analytics that allow users to quickly investigate threats, ensure the delivery of critical applications and secure their investment in the cloud. www.extrahop.com #Fly is a corporate travel automation platform used by modern CFOs, HR departments and road warriors. Save 30% to 60% on travel, book 90% faster. fly.me Global Electronics AZ is a supplier of printed circuit boards and cable harness assemblies. www.globalelectronicsaz.com Google Cloud is part of Google and focused on cloud solutions for businesses, including collaboration technologies, data analytics and compute power. cloud.google.com GT Medical Technologies provides surgically targeted radiation therapy devices for the treatment of cancer. gtmedtech.com Hofstadter Analytical Services provides thermal and structural analysis for a variety of industries. Astronomy-related and spacecraft equipment comprise the majority of its work. www.hofstadteranalytical.com
L3Harris (aka Latitude Engineering) designs and manufactures patented Hybrid Quadrotor unmanned aircraft systems for scientific, commercial and defense-related missions. www2.l3t.com/latitudeengineering Marsh is a global leader in insurance brokering and risk management that helps clients better quantify and manage risk to survive and thrive. www.marsh.com MeMD is a virtual health care provider serving more than 4.5 million members nationwide who access medical and behavioral health providers through an app and online, and by phone. www.memd.net Metz & Associates is a full-service CPA firm that offers accounting, tax, consulting and audit services nationally. www.metzcpa.com Neubloc helps incredible companies build fantastic software applications and products. neubloc.net New Genesis Solutions was formed because organizations desire customized IT and cybersecurity solutions to answer the complex issues they face today. NewGenesis.Solutions Nocira is a new, non-invasive medical device system designed to treat migraines by stimulating the brain via nerve pathways at the ear. www.Nocira.com Openform helps growth-oriented businesses passionate about improving people’s lives to effectively communicate with customers and make them loyal followers of a product, brand or service. openform.co
NEW MEMBERS Optical Perspectives Group consults on optical alignment, testing and assembly of systems. It sells the Point Source Microscope used for alignment and the CaliBall for testing of interferometer transmission spheres. www.optiper.com Paradigm Manufacturing is a digital manufacturer that utilizes state-of-the-art technology to rapidly produce prototypes, production runs, reverse engineering, light-weighting of parts, and custom solutions. p3dmfg.com Photonics Automation Specialties make machines for testing photonics components. photonicsautomation.com RGROUP is a professional services leading broker and consultant for insurance, HR and finance solutions, including ERP, HCM, HRIS, payroll, employee benefits (group health, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, profit sharing and ESOP). www.linkedin.com/in/r-bruce-hadden-3846b33 Scorpion Technologies is focused on rapid product design, development, fabrication, integration and testing of complex systems. scorpioneng.com Spracht (derived from the German word meaning “to speak”) has the mission to help people communicate better, anywhere. spracht.com Strategic Growth Advisory advises, enables and supports executives to get desired results by continually measuring, assessing and improving in order to problem-solve while enabling a focused, positive, calm transparent and collaborative culture. www.strategicgrowthllc.com StratTech Solutions is a managed security service provider of solutions for the SMB market centered on managed services, cybersecurity, cloud and hosted services, website and SEO services, VOIP and premises security. www.stsaz.com
Televerde provides sales and marketing technology. www.televerde.com The Strategy Expert offers customized solutions to help clients achieve their vision and next level of success. www.thestrategyexpert.com The Talent Store provides recruitment and consulting services that place the right people in the right jobs, faster. Services include recruiting, consulting and recruitment process outsourcing. yourtalentstore.com Transact Campus offers privileges and payments systems for the education market. www.transactcampus.com Uncommon Giving is a digital platform that connects givers with nonprofits and causes they care about, and want to financially support. www.uncommon.today Vincit is a software company that creates digital services and software applications from idea to market, including mobile app development, software development, web development and UI/UX. Vincit.com Virtuosity Consulting Group is a technology services company specializing in the execution, automation and management of critical business and technology initiatives. Services include software engineering. www.virtuositycg.com VyaPay is a payment facilitator integrated with multiple B2B software companies and e-commerce platforms across the United States. www.vyapay.com Wavelength Opto-Electronic (S) Pte. Ltd is a manufacturer of precision optics, optical assemblies and systems, with a specialty in infrared, visible optics. www.wavelength-oe.com
Wilson’s Ventures offers a virtual/fractional CTO for leadership consulting, architecture and roadmap consulting, and agile adoption consulting and project oversight. jeremy.wilsons.cc World Wide Technology brings today’s leading technologies together in a physical and virtual environment to be accessible from anywhere in the world. Connect. Research. Explore. wwt.com YellowBird Holdings offers an on-demand platform that matches environmental, health, and safety professionals with businesses. Safety has never been so simple! www.goyellowbird.com Zigi delivers gasoline right to your car. It’s just that simple. No more stops at the gas station. www.zigigas.com Zuggand is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) advanced partner with a focus on helping leaders accelerate cloud adoption and business innovation. www.zuggand.com
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