Nov. 4, 2009 (Business Wire) -- The Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc. (MassTLC), and the Massachusetts Network Communications Council, Inc., (MassNetComms), announced today they would combine forces to create the state’s leading business association for driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and company growth across the Commonwealth’s technology sector.

“We’re creating a single, ‘go-to council’ for the technology industry,” said Steve O’Leary, chairman of the Mass Technology Leadership Council. “This newly combined organization will have the scope and scale to help spur growth in such traditional areas as communications, computing, networking and software, and in emerging growth segments like mobile, cloud computing, digital games, robotics, video and social media.”

The combined organization, which will be known as the Mass Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), will bring some of the world’s top global technology brands – including AT&T, Cisco, Comcast, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Verizon – under one tent with some of the region’s fastest growing mid-sized companies and high impact, growth oriented entrepreneurs. Together, the membership represents the entire technology landscape from infrastructure to application and is responsible some of the most remarkable innovations taking place in the Commonwealth.

“These companies are a major part of the Massachusetts economy today,” said Steve Krom, chairman of MassNetComms and vice president and general manager of AT&T for the New England region. “Working together we can help Massachusetts seize a disproportionate share of the new tech investment and spending that will come as the global economy enters recovery.”

The combination of MassTLC and MassNetComms will yield the largest and most diverse technology business association in New England, supporting more than 500 member organizations, including not only technology companies but technology divisions of major corporations, venture capitalists, educational institutions and a breadth of service providers. Its expertise will be multidimensional, ranging from deep infrastructure to end-user applications and from the technologist to the consumer.

“This partnership is exactly what we need to see more of,” said Governor Patrick. “Collaboration and focus in the tech sector and elsewhere is the way to meet today's economic challenges.”

“As a major technology buyer in the region, I am excited about the combination of the two Councils,” said Mary Finlay, Deputy CIO of Partners HealthCare.