Augusta, GA, September 30, 2015 – Rural Sourcing, a leading domestic IT outsourcing company, will host its fourth annual Hackathon at theClubhou.se, located at 540 Telfair St. in Augusta on Friday, October 2, 2015. Rural Sourcing has partnered with theClubhou.se to create a college hackathon as a technology component of the Westobou Festival. Kick-off is set for Friday at noon and will bring together college students from the surrounding area, eager to tackle real world problems with software solutions.
Unlike traditional hackathons where solutions to hypothetical situations are presented and solved, this event will involve working on a specific project for a local organization. This year’s hackathon is inspired by a superhero theme and participants are invited to dress the part. The competition will feature at least twenty teams of local college students. Each team will be given four hours to create a project that has yet to be revealed. Following a presentation to a panel of judges at 4:00 p.m., the first place team will receive a paid internship at Rural Sourcing.
The event has been extremely successful in helping participants find employment. Currently 17% of Rural Sourcing colleagues in the Augusta Development Center participated in one of the past hackathons. “Participating in the hackathon was really fun. It was a great way to actually practice the things I was learning in my classes and apply them in a real world situation,” said Eva Stiver who participated in the 2013 hackathon and is now a programmer analyst at Rural Sourcing. “It helped me get a job I love, doing what I love to do – technology.”
“We are excited to offer an event that positively impacts the community while providing an opportunity for young technology professionals to come together, tackle a challenge, and gain hands-on, resume worthy experience in their field.” says Margaux Kaynard, vice president of human resources. “We pay a great deal of attention to creating a fun, collaborative environment where like-minded students can exercise their technology and team building skills to develop a creative solution to a problem. Over the past four years, it has also become something the area students look forward to and a great opportunity to display their talent for high profile potential employers.”
The panel of judges includes Robbie Bennett, CEcD, executive director at the Development Authority of Columbia County, Mindy Mets, program manager for the SRSCRO’s Nuclear Workforce Initiative®, Heather Miner-Maxfield, vice president, Government Affairs and Statewide Economic Development for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), and Monty Hamilton, CEO at Rural Sourcing Inc.
About theClubhou.se
theClubhou.se is an innovative development organization. Its mission is to inspire ideas, create companies, and build community. We do this by connecting learners and leaders in technology, design and business. For more information about our endeavors, please contact Grace Belangia, Executive Director, at 706-877-8707, or grace@HACKAugusta.org.
About Sparq
Sparq is the leading provider of outsourced digital engineering to develop great digital products and experiences, purpose-built for the Cloud and powered by data and AI. With an emphasis on high-quality results, speed, flexibility and integrity, Sparq’s unique blended onshore/nearshore delivery model maximizes cost effectiveness, clear communication and the ability to quickly scale. The company offers world-class solutions to technology-driven and Fortune 1000 clients in various industries, including Logistics and Transportation, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Insurance. For more information, please visit www.teamsparq.com.
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