There’s no arguing that Idaho’s tech industry needs to gain a few more yards in the Idaho Legislature.

But I’m still left wondering who is going to lead the team. Tech needs a quarterback who can convince our state leaders that the era of tech playing second fiddle to agriculture is over and it’s time to give the tech industry the respect and support it deserves.

Now I’m not talking Micron or the big tech players, they already have a pretty solid seat at the table. But I suspect even Micron has lost some of its legislative clout given the company’s recent losses, layoffs and CEO Steve Appleton’s’ lucrative stock bonus.

Over the last six or so years that I’ve followed the tech industry, it’s painfully obvious that the small players in the tech industry don’t get much respect with our state leaders. Yet these are the companies that will provide future jobs and economic success to the state.

We hate to admit it, but Micron’s positive impact on the economy has run its course. If anything, we have to accept the realization that the Micron job cuts are only going to continue.

I’ve met dozens of devoted people in the tech industry who all want it to thrive. But I truly believe that ‘s not going to happen unless we can find someone to lead the charge. Someone who will not just ask for a seat at the legislative table, but rather take a seat at that table.

It has to be someone who can quickly gain the confidence and respect of our state leaders. Someone who can pull all the disjointed efforts to promote technology together and most importantly change the “us against them attitude” that pervades so much of what happens with tech’s limited interaction with the Legislature.

This week, the effort to boost tech’s clout got off to a good start with a nearly daylong event in Boise hosted by IdahoTech Connect. What came out of the so-called Idaho Innovation Summit was a commitment to take a chance and see if Idaho’s small tech companies can band together to form a trade association.

Granted there were only a little more than 80 people who attended the meeting and about 30 who actually lasted the whole day, but it’s a start.

The challenge now is to find the quarterback to lead this effort.

Of the people who attended the meeting, one name on the list stuck out — Mark Falconer. Falconer is the former Northwest governor affairs manager for Hewlett-Packard. Now I haven’t spoken to Mark to see if he would be interested. But I think Mark would be an excellent candidate.

He’s respected in the tech community and he’s already made some of the key connections with Idaho’s state leaders that this group would need if they have any hope of success.

I’m sure there are others as well who would make a great quarterback, but with only about two months to go before the beginning of the big game — the new legislative session — the group needs to draft a leader as soon as possible.