NanoLumens recently sent a team up to Washington, DC to help advance the technology industry in the United States. During a three-day visit, NanoLumens leaders attended technology events, met with Members of Congress from Georgia, and took up the topics of cyber security and making sure Congress is on forefront of cyber security issues. In conjunction with TAG, the trip was part of the CompTIA DC Fly-In, which was organized by the Computer Technology Industry Association and the Technology Councils of North America. More than 180 technology executives and business owners from around the country attended the event.
The issue of cyber security is of particular importance to the industry and to the government. Recent scandals involving Lenovo and Huawei, Chinese companies who were found putting sniffer software into products being used by American government agencies, underscores the need to fight foreign entities looking to damage America, its government, and its industries. NanoLumens proudly designs and assembles our products in the USA, and they are used within the Department of Defense and within U.S. Strategic Command.
Another problem discussed by NanoLumens and other technology companies in Washington is the ongoing shortfall of qualified candidates to take technology jobs. In any given year, the United States has 80,000 jobs open in the tech sector, while U.S. schools only graduate approximately 10,000 students. NanoLumens believes the gap needs to be filled with qualified technology workers from around the world until STEM graduation rates increase sufficiently in America. The way to bring these qualified workers into America is through the H1B visa. But, current law only allows 50,000 such visas a year, and the big technology companies, like Google and Microsoft, tend to snap up most of these workers first, leaving the smaller and mid-sized tech firms with a talent shortage. NanoLumens’ representatives in Washington made the case to Georgia’s Congressional delegation to increase the number of H1B visas allowed every year.
The NanoLumens team also spoke to Georgia’s elected representatives about reforming the tax code in order to create more job growth in Georgia and to attract more technology companies into the state and the country. With incredibly low wages for workers in China, its very difficult for American companies to compete. By reforming the tax code, Congress could help level the playing field for American companies by making it more economically feasible to hire American workers and manufacture product in the USA. NanoLumens is proud to be an American technology company that designs and assembles our products here in Georgia. Buying American should always matter, especially with our government needing to American-built products that won’t be compromised by foreign governments that wish to do harm to our great nation. To find out more about our American pride, please click here.