Job done, Technet plans to shut down

After 15 years of sponsoring events and honoring area innovators, Spokane’s Technet organization has decided to shut down.

Founder and President Jeannine Marx said Thursday the group, which promotes education and technology adoption, has fulfilled its purpose.

“I’m also no longer willing to volunteer as president after 15 years,” said Marx.

Technet has struggled to sustain its membership, she said, and efforts in the past few years to find a private sponsor or a government grant to inject money into its programs have not succeeded.

One of the group’s annual programs, the Catalyst awards, will likely be carried on by another organization, Marx said.

This week’s Catalyst awards presentation drew about 400 people, she said.

“If you look at the organizations in the room and consider we had 40 people at our first event, we’ve done what we tried to do, build a critical mass of technology in our community,” Marx said.

While Technet will shut down by the end of the year, Marx said its parent organization, the Inland Northwest Technology Alliance, isn’t sure what its next step will be.

“The group has not yet decided if the (parent organization) will remain as a shell, which could be maintained as a backup” in case another nonprofit opportunity is warranted, she said.

Marx said she will devote more time to her business, JM Recruiting, which focuses on finding workers for area companies.