Washington, D.C.— As the President pro tem of the U.S. Senate and the Chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, Senator Hatch has worked hard to serve as both an advocate and a resource for Utah’s growing technology sector.

For more than a decade, Senator Hatch has brought some of the world’s top tech luminaries to Utah to address the Utah Technology Council’s Hall of Fame event, which provides opportunities for Utah’s growing companies to learn from and network with the most successful leaders in their industry. This year, Apple President and CEO Tim Cook has accepted Senator Hatch’s invitation to speak at the Utah Technology Council’s Hall of Fame event on September 30th.

“I’m excited to welcome Tim Cook to Utah this fall.  Perhaps more than anyone else, Tim and Apple are in the middle of the biggest tech issues of the day, including user privacy, encryption, and intellectual property rights protections. The talented individuals and innovative companies that make up Utah’s Silicon Slopes will have a unique opportunity to hear from one of the tech industry’s most admired leaders.”

Past UTC Keynotes

2006—Steve Ballmer, President and CEO, Microsoft

2007—Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel

2008—Jerry Yang, Co-Founder and CEO, Yahoo

2009—Eric Schmidt, President and CEO, Google

2010—John Chambers, CEO and Executive Chairman, Cisco

2011—Mark Hurd, President and CEO, Oracle

2012—Jeff Bezos, President and CEO, Amazon.com

2013—Shantanu Narayen, Chairman and CEO, Adobe Systems, Inc.

2014—Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce.com

2015—Jeff Weiner, Chairman and CEO, LinkedIn

2016—Tim Cook, Chairman and CEO, Apple

Statements of Support from Utah Businesses 

Richard R. Nelson, President and CEO, Utah Technology Council

“There’s no member of Congress who has done more for advancing innovation in this country and Utah than Senator Orrin Hatch. We are thrilled that Tim Cook has accepted his invitation to come to Utah.”

*To reach UTC for further comment, contact Jonathan Jackson at jjackson@utahtech.org.

Josh James, President and CEO, Domo

“In terms of an individual that’s looking out for us, and helping to increase the awareness and the global presence that we have, I’d point to one person and that’s Senator Hatch. He came and visited me at Omniture and walked through our offices. He’s a cell phone call away, and I’ve just been surprised to see how accessible he is when I do need him. It’s pretty awesome that here in our state we have someone that has that much weight, carries that much influence, and has those kind of relationships that he’s established over decades of service, to be able to get the business leaders in our country to come spend time with us here in Utah. It’s really raised awareness, raised the bar, and helped us be more on the world stage like we want to be.”

*To reach Domo for further comment, contact Julie Kehoe at Julie.Kehoe@domo.com

Brad Rencher, Executive Vice President, Adobe

“At Adobe we are proud to be a part of the technology ecosystem here in the state. Senator Hatch adds to that ecosystem by bringing industry luminaries here to engage with us, to further the conversation, help us figure out what’s coming next so we can continue to have the technology industry drive economic growth here in the state. No matter where in the world you see him whether it’s in an airport, in his office, here in our offices, he always comes up, pulls you close, looks you in the eye, and asks you how your business is doing, how he can help you continue to drive those things forward. It’s a personal relationship that he brings to these big issues that makes a difference for us.”

*To reach Adobe for further comment, contact Lisa Lindgren at llindgre@adobe.com.

Mark Newman, Founder and CEO, HireVue 

"The Utah tech community has always punched above its weight class and continues to be the source of incredible companies that get started and built year after year. Senator Hatch has been a long time champion for our industry, and helped create a unique environment that supports disruptive ideas and economic growth. Bringing in Tim Cook to share how Apple tackles some of our industry's most compelling issues, demonstrates his commitment to continued collaboration among tech leaders." 

*To reach HireVue for further comment, contact Kate Lukach at klukach@hirevue.com.

Vance Checketts, Vice President and General Manager - Utah, EMC

“Senator Hatch continues to be a great champion of the Information Technology industry. He understands the great opportunities for IT in Utah and nationwide. This is evidenced by the ever-increasing presence of technology companies within our state and the industry leaders that he brings here on a regular basis.”