A Q&A with the President of TAG, Tino Mantella
We recently sat down with Tino Mantella, President of TAG (Technology Association of Georgia), to get his take on everything from economic conditions to his favorite restaurant.
Prior to joining TAG in 2004, Tino had amassed over 20 years of leadership at two prominent volunteer-driven organizations – the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and the National Arthritis Foundation, the latter of which brought him to Atlanta.
Tino who typically starts his day bright and early with a 4:30AM workout and doesn’t often turn the office lights off until 8pm – took a few minutes out of his busy day to answer some of our questions.
Tino Mantella has been guiding the TAG ship for the last 4 years.
Q: How are the current economic conditions affecting the Technology industry in Georgia?
A: On the enterprise side; provider companies who are able to demonstrate a true ROI for their clients, are gaining. If perceived expendable, they are hurting. Even those that had a terrific year in ’08′ are extremely cautious looking at ’09′. Some staffing firms look to be particularly hard hit. Venture funding has slowed down.
Q: How is it affecting what you guys do here at TAG?
A: Since TAG’s plan is to add value to people and companies in the tech community, our actions remain consistent with our plan. The TAG Board of Directors and I want to remain aggressive in respect to “owning connecting” and we are growing in respect to being a voice for Georgia’s technology. The combination of being a touchstone for the tech community and a driver of a stronger economy, makes our operating agenda more relevant than ever.
Q: Beyond the economic challenges, what are some of the other challenges that the technology community faces in Georgia?
A: I’ll start with the positive side… a growing young educated population; a well respected university and tech-college system; a robust entrepreneur community; the Hope Scholarship; and leading industries like logistics, financial transaction processing, software, and all kinds of internet technologies. What to do needs… I’d say include a strong K-12 education system; more public and private investment in technology; and more of a systematic approach to make Georgia the #1 place for entrepreneurs to grow their business.
TAG’s office is located in the heart of Technology Square in midtown.
Q: Are there any other common concerns your members are voicing right now?
A: The entrepreneurs want capital. Some big companies are concerned about downsizing. Generally, it’s about the economy. Everyone wants to see the education system improve in K-12. Some of us are concerned with the general lack of young people’s interest in STEM courses [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics courses].
Q: What’s been the biggest change about the state’s technology industry you’ve seen since starting at TAG four years ago?
A: There are all kinds of groups wanting to help entrepreneurs. That’s a good thing. It does need to be more systematic, as I mentioned. In ’07′ and ’08′ I was amazed at the M&A activity going on in Georgia. We were the third or fourth most active state in the USA. More than 25% of my Board of Directors sold their companies during one of those two years. And, of course, TAG has matured and is much more viable in respect to our value proposition.
Q: There has been some talk in recent month about promising earlier stage tech companies from the area who have left to go to places like the Valley. Some point to challenges with the region’s early stage investment ecosystem. What’s your take on that?
A: TAG just completed a research study asking VCs from across the US why they do or don’t invest in Georgia. The good news is out of the 180 respondents, slightly over half did invest in Georgia in the last 5 years. The better news is that 71% said they would invest in Georgia companies if they met their criteria. The bad news is that there is a general lack of awareness about Georgia companies. TAG, TechJournal South, Venture Atlanta, and others are starting to do something about that.
I don’t think it’s realistic to expect mass migration of investors to Georgia, or to anywhere for that matter. It’s more realistic to do two things… Number one: Think about organic growth. We have lots of people with wealth in our area. We have to convince them that an investment in technology can be a great investment. We were competing against real estate here, in respect to where people invest their dollars. Maybe that’s taking care of itself. Number two: As our research showed, VCs can be in other parts of the US and will invest here. We need to make them aware of the opportunities.
TAG handles 6000 members with a staff of 7. Tino and TAG’s Barbara Martin at one of TAG’s many events.
Q: Are you twittering or blogging?
A: On and off. I only do it when I have something to say. I am not a big fan of telling people my every step. I can’t understand why people are twitting that they are going to buy ice cream, recording baseball scores minute by minute, or what they did on their summer vacation. My news just is not that interesting, and, in my opinion, theirs isn’t either… message to twitters… stay of the airwaves unless you have something to tell me.
Tino Mantella Snapshot:
Family: Wife and 3 grown kids. No pets.
Favorite Atlanta restaurant: Marlow’s Tavern in Alpharetta. He recommends the Hummus.
Free time: Runs, plays tennis.
Pet peeves: “Lead, follow or get out of the way. I hate bureaucracy.”
Favorite destination: Tuscany, Italy.
Average commute: 45 minutes. Listens to a book a week in the car typically.
Recent book read: Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman.
Wanted to be growing up: Professional football player.
Learn more about TAG, catch up on Tino’s blog and maybe even follow him on Twitter (just don’t expect him to let you know when he’s going out for ice cream)… all at www.tagonline.org
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