So glad you're making Wednesday night a time to listen to TechVibreadio because if you're

tuning in, you made a super wise decision.

Why?

Because tonight we are announcing the finalists for the 2019 Tech 50 Awards.

Cannot wait.

And I got a special guest with me here to help get the party started. Usually I have my boss, our CEO of the Tech Council, Audrey Russo hanging out with us. She is out sick today. She cannot make it in. It's killing her because she loves hanging out with the Tech 50 crowd. We got the next best thing. We got Brian Kennedy hanging out with us. Otherwise, as doing as BK. The Man at the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

BK., thanks for hanging out with us.

Hi, Jonathan.

Thanks for letting me in the room.

So, BK., what do you do at the Tech Council these days? Or what do you not do at the Tech Council these days? Your hands are wrapped up in so many different things. I don't even know how to describe you anymore. I have the second best job in Pittsburgh, as Audrey Russo would say.

I lead a team of people that are really focused on helping technology companies. I have the second best job in Pittsburgh, as Audrey Russo would say.

I lead a team of people that are really focused on helping technology companies in the region succeed.

Right.

And that ranges from helping get international customers to pick Pittsburgh companies to work with,

to recruit some of the top talent here to Pittsburgh to fuel our growth,

and to work with our elected officials to make sure that we can we can grow together as a region and create jobs and improve the

community. So and you lead up our event, you lead up our events team which puts on this

Tech 50 event, which is our biggest event of the year at the end of the day, right?

Yeah, Tech 50 is a 700-person event every year.

For 23 years.

It's one of those events where you really get to understand that you're not alone in

Pittsburgh.

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