On Wednesday, May 6, your Chamber’s Cyber Council / CyberSecurity San Antonio program gathered for its monthly meeting via video conference. With more than 70 people in attendance, the group returned to its regular agenda of briefings to learn about Hallmark University’s cybersecurity program, the new Soto Building on Broadway, and UTSA’s brand new COVID-19 Business Accelerator.
First, Associate Dean for the College of IT Paul Cooper presented on Hallmark’s cybersecurity program, its upcoming Security Operations Center (SOC), student enrollment, and course offerings. Cooper encouraged employers to continue hiring students as interns and can be reached at pcooper@hallmarkuniversity.edu with any questions.
Next, Hunter Kingman of Hixon Properties Incorporated presented on The Soto Building, the first mass timber office building in Texas. The Soto is a harbinger of sustainable design and construction that has proved its strength in Europe, Canada and Australia, and more recently, the United States. The Soto is an anchor for the Cavender neighborhood, an urban neighborhood near downtown that will offer a full complement of restaurants, retail and entertainment designed for the modern workforce and nearby residents. The Soto is a Class A+ workplace for businesses focused on recruiting and retaining today's top talent.
With welcoming timber columns, beams and ceilings, The Soto brings a calming charm and wellness of nature into the workplace. Not only is timber construction beautiful, it is exceptionally sustainable. Concrete and steel buildings have large carbon footprints, whereas The Soto's timber structure is carbon negative. Through responsible forestry practices, young growth trees were harvested for the building's construction. The carbon dioxide absorbed into the wood as these trees grow is captured and harvested. New trees are then planted and the cycle of carbon-banking is repeated. The Soto is seeking tenants, and interested parties can contact Alcide Longoria of JLL at alcide.longoria@am.jll.com .
Last but not least, Terri Williams, Associate Regional Director of the UTSA SBDC Center for Government Contracting and SBDC COVID Business Recovery Accelerator (COBRA), presented on the new Accelerator program. This COBRA program is funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Small Business Administration (SBA), and helps small businesses access relief, recovery, rebooting, and resilience resources. UTSA’s COBRA will also work with small businesses to navigate federal funding opportunities – all for free. For more information, call 210-458-2272, email businessrecovery@utsa.edu , or visit www.txsbdc.org/businessrecovery . Assistance is provided in English and Spanish. Terri can be reached at terri.williams@utsa.edu .
Housed in the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, CyberSecurity San Antonio is lead convener and brand manager for the region’s cybersecurity ecosystem. Keep the momentum going and stay engaged: www.sachamber.org/cyber.
