Irma Olguin Jr. oversees the screening and interviewing of all employment candidates and apprentices for Bitwise Industries, including that of Bitwise Workforce Training and Bitwise Technology Services. Her goal is to ensure Bitwise always remains faithful to its mission of strengthening Fresno’s tech industry and turning it into a driver of real economic progress. The idea of Bitwise was hatched in 2012 over a Red Bull (hers) and a gin and tonic (his) with her then IP attorney, Jake Soberal. Fueled by a series of aha moments, they decided they were in a unique position to build such a mechanism for progress. Previously, Irma created 59DaysOfCode, a competition highlighting and encouraging the Valleyʼs tech industry. She co-founded Hashtag, an open co-workspace for designers and developers alike. She also co-founded Edit LLC to solve efficiency and data issues in the ag industry. Irma holds a degree in computer science and engineering from University of Toledo, Ohio and has been a contributing advisor on several community boards, including 59DaysOfCode, President’s Advisory Board for California State University – Fresno, the American Red Cross (Central Valley Chapter), Kingsview Behavioral Health, and Youth Leadership Institute. Her dog, Bruce, is the king of her world and is widely recognized as the mascot for Bitwise Industries.