‘Complacency can not be an option’: Lessons these 10 orgs are carrying into 2023

2022 contained much tumult and transition, and nearly no individual or organization was spared from the world’s chaotic compressions. This was a year to adapt and evolve, to react to rapidly shifting conditions and then adjust again as those circumstances continue changing. Both tech companies and their ecosystem builder supporters — including universities, law firms, accelerators, economic development groups, coding bootcamps and corporate entities — have a lot to learn from their experiences over the last year, and hopefully are feeling ready and confident heading into 2023.

For the month of December, Technical.ly’s reporting has explored the theme of Technology of the Future for our editorial calendar. For some additional perspectives, we asked our Technical.ly Talent and Ecosystem Builder companies the following question:

What is a lesson from 2022 that your org is carrying into 2023?

Here are some replies from their teams, and if you like what you see, follow the links to companies’ Directory Pages to learn more and explore open roles.

Ballard Spahr

“Adaptability. Over the past several years, our clients have had to navigate immense changes stemming from the global pandemic as well as political and economic changes that have rocked several industries. We have learned to throw the metaphorical rule book out the window with respect to what it means to serve our clients and have learned to adapt our hours of availability, communication technologies and our understanding of ‘normal’ in order to be able to advise clients that are evolving their businesses in uncertain times.

Some examples of this have included coming up with unique pricing models to support startups through uncertain economic conditions, traveling more to meet clients who have felt isolated by remote working conditions and making our conference room spaces in various cities available to startups who have relinquished office headquarters as a result of the WFH movement.

We have also adapted by sharpening our skills in areas that have become more salient to startups as a result of changing technologies, including healthcare regulations, cutting edge trends in financing transactions and evolving information and data security regulations.” — Kimberly Klayman, partner

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

“One major lesson I am taking into the new year is the importance of sticking to fundamentals in uncertain times around valuing your team, your stakeholders and staying true to your mission.” — Omar Mencin, managing director, IT investment group

Fastmail

“One of Fastmail’s internal goals is ‘fewer, better ways,’ and I’m sure that this will continue in 2023 and beyond. Many of our internal initiatives have surrounded reducing complexity and streamlining our processes, which directly leads to benefits for our users. This has led to work that has been highly visible, like a UI refresh which we launched earlier this year, but also things happening behind the scenes which help our developers, like a revamped test suite for our frontend application. I’m excited for the improvements we have scheduled for next year!” — Joe Woods, senior client application development lead

FinLocker

“How to not contribute to consumer digital abuse — consumers value authenticity in a business. They want a business that takes time to understand their needs, respects their privacy and digital boundaries and creates effective engagement that is minimally invasive and yet truly solving a problem for them. Ever-increasing sophistication of performance marketing (targeting ads and marketing by tracking you and your family across sites, devices and locations) is quite harmful to consumers and businesses … and yet many businesses continue to invest in more, just because this is the status quo. Businesses that are contrarian in how they deliver user experiences, with consumer consent at the forefront of how they connect and engage with a consumer, are the ones that earn trust, and over time develop high-value and longer-lasting business relationships.” — Prabhakar Bhogaraju, EVP of strategy and product

Kleer

“2022 has continued to show us that complacency can not be an option. Our world is rapidly changing and we need to stay proactive and strategic in our approach as we continue to grow. Our team has the skill, expertise and passion to execute on our 2023 goals. If we stay focused we can have a tremendous impact in the year ahead.” — Melissa Richardson, VP of team success

Morgan Lewis

“We have relearned how productive (and equally important fulfilling) it can be to collaborate with each other and our clients in person in our new hybrid work world to better serve our clients and better connect with our entire Philly tech community.” — Jeffrey P. Bodle, partner

PNC Financial Services

“In 2022, we expanded our potential talent pool by dropping the four-year degree requirement for tech jobs, lowering barriers of entry to focus on skills and experience. But recruitment is only half the battle. We have communities of support to promote innovation and drive collaboration and have created opportunities for teammates to rotate, learn, develop and be promoted from within. We continuously recruit great tech talent, and that includes re-recruiting our own team, which has helped us improve upon retention. We made great strides in 2022 in achieving our diversity, equity and inclusion goals in our hiring, and we are excited to continue with that momentum in 2023.” — Kate Rush, enterprise technology strategy and planning director

TEDCO

“In 2022, TEDCO launched an initiative to expand and elevate our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. As we enter a new year, we are proud to be continuing these efforts, holding ourselves accountable and supporting those traditionally underrepresented in the entrepreneurial community. This expansion will allow Maryland’s ecosystem to thrive — allowing much needed diverse perspectives and innovative ideas into the market.” — Troy LeMaile-Stovall, CEO

Verizon 5G

“2023 will bring new opportunities to continue the momentum towards promoting digital inclusion for all. Thanks to federal initiatives like the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) and Affordable Connectivity Programs, states and counties in partnership with broadband companies and community stakeholders, will have the ability to expand broadband to unserved and underserved communities across America. Additionally, states will begin to implement digital equity programs that promote digital literacy and inclusion, STEM education and emerging tech training, providing pathways for all communities to participate in today’s digital age.” — Paul Brooks Plymouth, director of state government and local engagement

Zip Code Wilmington

“What did we learn in 2022? Simply this — the tech wave is coming to your industry in a big way. Are you ready to ride the wave?

For example, when the Chips and Science Act passed this year, we witnessed how an immediate and urgent need in the semiconductor manufacturing industry resulted in explosive market potential in select regions. The Act was passed in order to meet the goal of maintaining US leadership in the industries of tomorrow, including nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. One region affected by this change — Ohio — is currently bracing for the demand to immediately start producing 10X its normal output of semiconductor engineers!

By rapidly expanding chip education, Purdue is aiming to graduate 1,000 semiconductor engineers annually as soon as possible — up from perhaps 150 a year today.

Whether its semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, data science or software development, engineers and technologists are needed in large numbers in order to keep our economy safe and growing, but colleges and universities cannot keep up with the demand. The need for a technology savvy workforce is a ‘today’ problem and is ubiquitous both here in Delaware and across the country. Tech is moving this country forward and we all have to continue to move and grow in order to sustain it.

Zip Code Wilmington is dedicated to increasing the number of people who are trained and ready to take on and succeed in software developer and data engineering roles. In 2023, be part of the solution, give yourself a raise, and get into tech to move you, your family and our community forward!” — Desa Burton, executive director

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