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Today, Heather Terenzio from Techtonic joins the show. She's a name that comes up a lot with good buzz and we're lucky to have her on to talk about acting on and running with an idea, founding and leading her own company, challenges and successes of selling a unique concept, and what drives her. Tune in for loads of advice on building and running flexible companies that survive hardship as well as novel ways to build tomorrow's workforce. ABOUT OUR GUEST Heather Terenzio is the founder and CEO of Techtonic Group. Techtonic Group is a software services company building web-based and mobile products for start-ups and the Fortune 1000. Four years ago, Heather founded Techtonic Academy to train people with diverse backgrounds how to code using a unique, Department of Labor (DOL) approved Apprenticeship program. This highly selective Apprenticeship program recruits people who have the desire, ambition, and skill set to be a great software developer — regardless of their background or academic training. The Techtonic Group Apprenticeship program has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Popular Mechanics. Heather believes that diverse and inclusive talent are the building blocks upon which great companies are built. GET IN TOUCH WITH HEATHER ON LINKEDIN THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC National Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:15] Michael introduces Heather and the company she founded and asks her to talk about what Techtonic is, what it does, and how it came about. LET'S PAY YOU TO LEARN [4:55] Heather touches on how being an apprenticeship company is a really interesting intersection to be in. A whole world of government, grant, and foundation funding becomes available. AGILE [7:05] Challenges are something that agile helps Techtonics overcome, Heather shares stories of how the company has iterated its processes in order to be better at what they do. IT'S NOT JUST FOR TRADE JOBS [8:32] Heather touches on some of the reactions she got from developers in the beginning even if humans have been learning by apprenticeship for a long, long time. She also shares some of the apprenticeship criteria and attributes. BEING BACKGROUND AGNOSTIC [11:42] Taking all of the barriers to entry away was the key to unlocking diversity in a natural way. Techtonics only takes the best of the best and it turns out that this is a very diverse group of people. She shares the first Apple Watch fail as an example of diversity being a necessary element of any successful project. ONCE THEY'RE IN, THEY'RE HOOKED [15:57] Heather talks about how shifting mindset in potential clients — and their HR departments — takes a while, but once they're in, they're hooked! UNTAPPED LABOR FORCES [19:24] Training veteran spouses is one of Techtonic's initiatives and Heather touches on how the idea came about as well as who they partnered with to set it up. IT COMES DOWN TO GUT [22:52] Heather touches on what she looks for in her key hires for the company. She shares some stories of the good and bad fits she's had. BUILDING THINGS [24:42] This isn't Heather's first company. She talks about her love of building things and what kind of person it takes as well as her experience building her first company. THERE IS NO ONE HERE I WANT TO BE IN 5 YEARS [27:48] Heather shares her path from engineering to tech. She also talks about how she made her way to the C-suite. ADVICE [30:54] Heathers shares her advice for people aiming to be CXOs. She also takes time to share the advice her dad gave her. COVID [33:11] Crisis management is about focusing on what you can control; Heather offers that in her experience leaner companies fare better in crisis. BEST WORST JOB HEATHER EVER HAD [35:20] Waitressing in high school and college; it's horrible for a clumsy person, but it makes you so much more efficient and great at customer service. FINAL THOUGHTS AND READING RECOMMENDATIONS [37:22] [41:14] Michael thanks Heather for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways. We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Techtonic Book: Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC National Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly
Today, Heather Terenzio from Techtonic joins the show. She’s a name that comes up a lot with good buzz and we’re lucky to have her on to talk about acting on and running with an idea, founding and leading her own company, challenges and successes of selling a unique concept, and what drives her. Tune in for loads of advice on building and running flexible companies that survive hardship as well as novel ways to build tomorrow’s workforce. ABOUT OUR GUEST Heather Terenzio is the founder and CEO of Techtonic Group. Techtonic Group is a software services company building web-based and mobile products for start-ups and the Fortune 1000. Four years ago, Heather founded Techtonic Academy to train people with diverse backgrounds how to code using a unique, Department of Labor (DOL) approved Apprenticeship program. This highly selective Apprenticeship program recruits people who have the desire, ambition, and skill set to be a great software developer — regardless of their background or academic training. The Techtonic Group Apprenticeship program has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Popular Mechanics. Heather believes that diverse and inclusive talent are the building blocks upon which great companies are built. GET IN TOUCH WITH HEATHER ON LINKEDIN THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC National Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:15] Michael introduces Heather and the company she founded and asks her to talk about what Techtonic is, what it does, and how it came about. LET’S PAY YOU TO LEARN [4:55] Heather touches on how being an apprenticeship company is a really interesting intersection to be in. A whole world of government, grant, and foundation funding becomes available. AGILE [7:05] Challenges are something that agile helps Techtonics overcome, Heather shares stories of how the company has iterated its processes in order to be better at what they do. IT’S NOT JUST FOR TRADE JOBS [8:32] Heather touches on some of the reactions she got from developers in the beginning even if humans have been learning by apprenticeship for a long, long time. She also shares some of the apprenticeship criteria and attributes. BEING BACKGROUND AGNOSTIC [11:42] Taking all of the barriers to entry away was the key to unlocking diversity in a natural way. Techtonics only takes the best of the best and it turns out that this is a very diverse group of people. She shares the first Apple Watch fail as an example of diversity being a necessary element of any successful project. ONCE THEY’RE IN, THEY’RE HOOKED [15:57] Heather talks about how shifting mindset in potential clients — and their HR departments — takes a while, but once they’re in, they’re hooked! UNTAPPED LABOR FORCES [19:24] Training veteran spouses is one of Techtonic’s initiatives and Heather touches on how the idea came about as well as who they partnered with to set it up. IT COMES DOWN TO GUT [22:52] Heather touches on what she looks for in her key hires for the company. She shares some stories of the good and bad fits she’s had. BUILDING THINGS [24:42] This isn’t Heather’s first company. She talks about her love of building things and what kind of person it takes as well as her experience building her first company. THERE IS NO ONE HERE I WANT TO BE IN 5 YEARS [27:48] Heather shares her path from engineering to tech. She also talks about how she made her way to the C-suite. ADVICE [30:54] Heathers shares her advice for people aiming to be CXOs. She also takes time to share the advice her dad gave her. COVID [33:11] Crisis management is about focusing on what you can control; Heather offers that in her experience leaner companies fare better in crisis. BEST WORST JOB HEATHER EVER HAD [35:20] Waitressing in high school and college; it’s horrible for a clumsy person, but it makes you so much more efficient and great at customer service. FINAL THOUGHTS AND READING RECOMMENDATIONS [37:22] [41:14] Michael thanks Heather for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways. We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Techtonic Book: Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC National Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly ABOUT YOUR HOST For the past 20 years, Michael Mitchel, B.A., has been interviewing leaders in their fields. He started his career recruiting for United Parcel Service in Seattle, where he implemented the company's Welfare to Work program for the Washington State District. He has recruited for Federal agencies and U.S. Department of Defense contractors for classified programs internationally. He Founded OC Executive Search in 2001 to serve companies ranging from startups to Global F10. Michael is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy and enjoys skiing, cycling, traveling, photography as well as hiking in the Colorado Rockies with his cattle dog, Kala the Wunderdawg. FIND MICHAEL MITCHEL ON LINKEDIN AND ON TWITTER
Scott talks to Techtonic's Heather Terenzio about how her company is scaling tech apprenticeship. Techtonic Group is a software services company building web-based and mobile products for start-ups and the Fortune 1000. Four years ago, Heather founded Techtonic Academy to train people with diverse backgrounds how to code using a unique, Department of Labor (DOL) approved Apprenticeship program. Techtonic Group was recently named “2017 Innovative Company of the Year” by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Legislature. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/culture-killing-diversity-heather-terenzio-mccollester/
Episode 18: Chris Magyar - Techtonic Group Techtonic Group a software development organization that services start-ups and the Fortune 1000, and has called Boulder home since 2008. In 2014 sensing an opportunity to do more, CEO and co-Founder Heather Terenzio launched Techtonic Academy. Techtonic Academy is a Department of Labor (DOL) approved paid Apprenticeship program that recruits people who have the desire, ambition and skill set to be a great software developer – regardless of their background or academic training. Techtonic Academy is currently the only IT Apprenticeship in the State of Colorado approved and registered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Techtonic Group has the first and only IT Apprenticeship Program in the State of Colorado approved and registered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Applicants accepted into Techtonic Group paid 6-month Apprenticeship program begin their paid Apprenticeship with 10 weeks of instructor lead classroom training. Apprentices continue to receive technical and soft skills training throughout their Apprenticeship and learn using pair programming techniques working with senior developers. Apprentices then work on project tasks writing commercial software for Techtonic Group clients acquiring real-world experience. The Techtonic Group Apprenticeship program has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes and Popular Mechanics. Links to things we talk about: Techtonic Group Chris Magyar on LinkedIn The 2017 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards featuring Techtonic Group IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR, PLEASE: Subscribe to our list Connect with us on twitter Email us and tell us what you think! Colorado TechCast brings you interviews with entrepreneurs, thought leaders and technology pioneers from around the state. We provide a behind the scenes look at who’s doing what, why, and how you can get involved. Join us each episode to hear the exciting stories of technology happenings in our state. I want this show to be relevant to you, so please send me your thoughts and suggestions. My email address is Trapper@ColoradoTechCast.com. You can also hit me up on twitter @CoTechCast. I read and respond to all messages so drop me a line and tell me what you think. I am always on the lookout for future guests, so if you know anyone with an interesting story to tell, or you yourself would like to come on and talk about what you’re building, then send me an email. Thanks for tuning in, and join us next time when we bring you the story of another digital pioneer from Colorado!
“20 years ago my life revolved around billable hours… now it’s around changing the course of people’s lives. Heather Terenzio used her generous spirit to solve her biggest problem: getting enough skilled technical talent. Techtonic Group created internal apprenticeships to develop coders for the projects it takes on for clients. Amazingly, Techtonic then allows the talent it has developed to be hired by its clients. Extending that mission, Heather founded the Techtonic Academy to help those with coding ambition learn the skills needed to change their lives… the story about a guy working in a pizza joint becoming a successful software coder is just one of many!