TECH DISCUSSION — U.S. Rep. Invoice Johnson, R-Marietta, left, spoke with Scaffidi Eating place Team CEO Frankie DiCarlantonio, proper, and co-owner Nino Scaffidi concerning the eating place staff’s use of virtual generation, in addition to considerations about law that can have an effect on tech get admission to for small companies, all the way through a seek advice from Tuesday. — Christopher Dacanay
<!–
STEUBENVILLE — U.S. Rep. Invoice Johnson, R-Marietta, used part of his August congressional recess to seek advice from a neighborhood trade and a volunteer group Tuesday.
Johnson, who has represented Jefferson County and 10 different counties in Ohio’s sixth Congressional District since 2011, made stops at Scaffidi’s Eating place and Tavern and the weekly assembly of the Kiwanis Membership of Steubenville. The seek advice from got here because the 118th Congress’ first consultation nears the top of its August recess, with the Space of Representatives set to go back to paintings on Sept. 12.
“It’s some way to achieve out to my constituents and listen to their wishes and considerations,” Johnson mentioned of the primary of his two stops, on the Kiwanis assembly. “I constitute those folks. I’ve for greater than 13 years.”
Following lunch within the Sycamore Formative years Middle, Johnson addressed two Steubenville Prime Faculty Key Membership contributors provide on the assembly, pronouncing he was once satisfied to look adolescence there as a result of “You’re going to take the reins of management someday, whether or not you need them or no longer.”
“What’s happening in Washington,” was once Johnson’s number one center of attention, talking about two resources he believes are on the root of the present inflation factor: Power and executive spending.
Bearing in mind problems dealing with the country, Johnson mentioned, “There’s not anything fallacious with our nation that may’t be mounted if we’d merely fall again in love with our past love, and that’s the writer that ordained us to be within the first position.”
Johnson’s reflections have been blended with questions from membership contributors, with the subjects together with the nationwide deficit and the 2024 Republican presidential candidate nomination.
When requested, Johnson mentioned he would “completely” reinforce the Republican nominee, regardless of who it may well be, including, “I’ve already recommended Donald Trump. He’s going to win the principle, other people.”
Cookie West, president of the Kiwanis Membership, mentioned of the seek advice from, “It was once very informative, and I’m in one hundred pc settlement together with his remark … referring to our nation with the ability to be resuscitated once we glance again to God.
“I assumed he shed some gentle and was once ready to tell us what’s going on in Washington. There have been some issues I didn’t consider, however that’s the wonderful thing about being in a unfastened society — you’re ready to conform to disagree and nonetheless stay buddies.”
Tom Timmons, secretary and treasurer of the Kiwanis Membership, facilitated Johnson’s seek advice from. Timmons mentioned the seek advice from is “one thing just right for the Kiwanis Membership,” in an effort to pay attention Johnson’s viewpoint on Washington.
Bobbyjon Bauman, govt director of the Sycamore Formative years Middle, mentioned of Johnson, “He’s been supportive of the Sycamore Formative years Middle through the years. … We’re delighted to have him.”
Bauman recalled a drug prevention panel tournament hosted on the heart that Johnson took section in in 2019. Bauman mentioned additionally that Johnson has written letters in reinforce of the middle’s programming to the state prior to now.
Johnson’s subsequent prevent introduced him to Scaffidi’s, the place he spoke with Frankie DiCarlantonio, CEO of Scaffidi Eating place Team, and co-owners Nino and Daybreak Scaffidi. The dialog was once facilitated through the Hooked up Trade Council, a nonprofit staff with the purpose of furthering small companies’ get admission to to virtual generation.
DiCarlantonio described to Johnson the eating place staff’s use of generation, particularly for advertising and marketing on social media. He spoke concerning the steps the eating place staff has taken towards increasing into “direct-to-consumer transport of our pasta merchandise,” which has introduced their heat-and-serve foods into 37 states to this point, in addition to a wings supply carrier.
In flip, Johnson informed of his personal tech pedigree, talking about his undergraduate and grasp’s levels in knowledge generation and his enjoy preserving a patent for “what can, arguably, be known as the beginnings of the cloud computing cell software idea,” which he mentioned he got here up with in 1986 following graduate faculty.
Johnson co-founded the IT consulting corporate Johnson-Schley Control Team Inc. in 2000, later leaving to shape J2 Trade Answers Inc., with a focal point of IT reinforce as a protection contractor to the U.S. army.
DiCarlantonio mentioned with Johnson demanding situations the eating place staff faces, together with the specified prices for advertising and marketing in a “crowded” meals carrier business, understaffing and AI tendencies within the business.
Johnson defined the best way AI works, collecting huge quantities of information to accomplish gadget studying purposes, and he prompt DiCarlantonio, “Don’t be deceived about AI. There is not any such factor as synthetic intelligence. That laptop has were given an set of rules on the base of it that tells it what to do.”
Later, Johnson mentioned he’s “at the similar web page” with the Hooked up Trade Council referring to two expenses. In regards to the first, Johnson mentioned he helps law that may deliver a couple of nationwide knowledge privateness same old.
The eating place staff representatives showcased to Johnson their house-made, small-batch pasta merchandise. Johnson recommended that the eating place staff glance into partnering with a meal-kit corporate.
After the assembly, DiCarlantonio mentioned the eating place staff is a big proponent of the usage of generation for its trade. He mentioned the gang attached with the Hooked up Trade Council to present its testimony and be energetic in making legislators perceive the repercussions in their choices referring to tech for small companies.
“I feel we’ve got come to take into account that (Johnson) may be very in track with the technological wishes of companies,” DiCarlantonio mentioned. “I feel that we have been ready to understand his present stance on them as neatly, which is truly necessary to us. We all know, at minimal, that we as a trade within the sixth District have the reinforce of our congressman.”
Johnson mentioned his stops in Jefferson County can be adopted through stops in Belmont County.
