Montgomery, Ala. – April 22, 2019 – The City of Montgomery has earned its place as one of five Smart Cities Readiness Challenge winners thanks to the collaborative efforts of a team comprising the City, County, Montgomery Public Schools, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and Alabama Power Company. By winning the Smart Cities Readiness Challenge, Montgomery will receive global recognition, new development opportunities and access to a year-long technology program.
TechMGM, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s initiative to connect and leverage Montgomery’s unique technology assets, was proud to partner with the City and the entire team that worked for weeks to put the application together. TechMGM and the Chamber are eager to continue to promote and invest in smart city initiatives with our many community partners.
“Montgomery is maximizing and refining the region’s existing infrastructure and physical and intellectual resources to establish innovation strategies that continue to drive demand for the city as a long-term sustainable location for investment,” says Charisse Stokes, Executive Director of TechMGM. “Receiving this honor reinforces our strategy to make Montgomery a smarter place to live and work.”
The Smart Cities Readiness Challenge is a grant program supported by the Smart Cities Council, the industry’s largest smart city coalition. The program offers communities interactive workshops, mentoring and digital tools that help them develop their smart cities plans, build community support and strengthen their projects to deliver more widespread and inclusive results.
"This is another special moment – a watershed day – for our community because it signifies our success in positioning Montgomery to capitalize on the ample opportunities for growth and economic development that come through the advancement of technology across our city," says Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. "But what's even more important is our resolve to investing in practical high-tech solutions that better serve residents, optimize quality of life and expand access to the tools and technology crucial to developing our youth for tomorrow's workforce. We are grateful to our partners at the County, Montgomery Public Schools, the Chamber, Alabama Power and Maxwell-Gunter who have raised their hands to join us in this venture."
As a winner, Montgomery will receive a full-year Readiness Program, including mentoring, an outcome-oriented Readiness Workshop, a Readiness Roadmap based on its priorities, plus regular progress calls and follow-on workshops. Montgomery will also receive nationwide publicity as a great place to live and work, plus travel scholarships to Smart Cities Week twice per year to continue learning. To top it off, the City and its partners get access to financiers who can structure public/private partnerships and other forms of alternative financing.
Savio Dias, the Montgomery City/County IT Manager accepted the honor on behalf of the team during the Smart Cities Council’s annual conference and awards ceremony in San Diego. Along with Baltimore, Maryland; Edmonton, Canada; Racine, Wisconsin and Cleantech San Diego; Montgomery was selected from more than 100 applicants throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
ABOUT TECHMGM
TechMGM is a collaboration of local industry, educational and government entities working together to connect and leverage Montgomery, Alabama’s unique technology related assets. This initiative is designed to maximize the community’s diverse technology talent pipeline and promote the city as an emerging and innovative technology hub to enhance the workforce and grow the regional economy. Montgomery’s unique combination of partners have invested in critical tech infrastructure, including contributions from federal, state and local government, educational institutions and the local business community’s large corporations and small and non-traditional businesses. These collaborations have led to the development of the powerful Montgomery Internet Exchange (MGMix) and the implementation of fiber infrastructure throughout the city that will lead to even more smart city-based initiatives.
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Media Contacts:
Meg Lewis
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
mlewis@montgomerychamber.com
334.312.2007
