Contemporary Business 14th Edition by Louis Boone, David Kurtz

تمرين 27

Turning Technologies Creates High-Tech Jobs Young companies that grow and add jobs to boost their local economies make a lot of people happy about their success. That's why so many people are smiling in Youngstown, Ohio, since a new technology company came to town. Helped along by a business organization that provides start-up tech firms with free rent and utilities, Turning Technologies was founded in Youngstown. Its breathtaking growth brought dozens of new jobs to a city with 18 percent unemployment that is haunted by the decline of its old steel mills. Turning pays corporate income taxes on more than $30 million annual revenue, and it has already been called the fastest growing privately held software company in the United States-ranked at 18th overall. The firm boasts more than 6,500 clients, and more than a million people use its audience-response products. Audience-response systems are the wireless keypads you've probably seen spectators using on TV game shows to register their opinions or answers to questions. Thanks to Turning's affordable hardware and the availability of both its free and licensed software programs, teachers from kindergarten through college are now enjoying the benefits of audience-response technology. Instructors can ask questions in class using other programs like PowerPoint, Blackboard, and WebCT; have students key in answers-anonymously or not-using their remotes; and instantly collate the responses to see how many students answered correctly.Government agencies and not-for-profit organizations also use the systems for their training programs. "Audience involvement boosts focus and comprehension levels," says Turning's CEO Mike Broderick, and instructors agree. "It gives you the opportunity to reteach if you need to and then move on if you don't," says one middle school teacher. Adds a school principal about applications of the Turning program, "We have some teachers that are working hard to find the many avenues they can go beyond. You're really only limited by your creativity."And it gets better. "Not only can we identify how each student is responding," says Turning's vice president for education sales, but "we can compile that data by classroom, by building, and by district and tag the data to specific standards." Among the impressive results already confirmed is "an increase of 15 points in test scores when our technology is used frequently and effectively." Most of Turning's 120 employees are young Ohioans who enjoy some of the same benefits as their Silicon Valley counterparts, such as in-house foosball and air hockey for work breaks. The firm takes pride in being the kind of success story people have long thought "doesn't happen here." It has had double- or triple-digit growth since its launch. "I would not be surprised to see Turning Technologies at 2,000 workers in three to four years," says the CEO of the organization that helped the company get its start.That's music to Youngstown's ears. The bottom line? Good products that are affordable, easy to use, and well marketed can help small companies become engines of growth and job creators.
-What should a company like Turning Technologies do if, as it grows, it needs to hire people with technical experience or skills that are hard to find in a depressed area?