From now until Jan. 21, state officials are accepting comments for Gov. Tom Wolf’s federally mandated four-year workforce development plan, which seeks to coordinate the efforts of the state's educational institutions, economic development programs and employers of the region’s major industries to create a pathway to optimal employment.

Several local companies earned funding from Ben Franklin Technology Partners, including Phoenix Hockey USA of Tatamy, which will receive a loan of $25,000 to increase sales through improvements in distribution, direct promotion, and e-marketing.

The pervasive use of voice technology for identity recognition, personal or business orders, paying for goods, accessing financial accounts or collaborating with colleagues near and far, creates the same security minefield as any other personal or business information.

FaceApp's terms of use give far-reaching rights to Wireless Lab over the use of the photos that users provide to and create with the app, which could affect those employees who use their own mobile devices for work-related tasks.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania said it has invested $488,400 in a number of early-stage firms and established manufacturers.

Michael Hawkins, 37, is CEO of Netizen Corp. in Allentown. He founded the company in 2013.

As any marketer will tell you, advances in digital technology are rapidly changing (and enhancing) the way marketing tactics are delivered, the insights at our disposal and the way consumers are exposed to a brand. But in today’s digitally evolving world, our marketing focus must shift from the traditional model, revert to a “back to basics” approach, and become more people-centric.

Different generations working together was the theme of the keynote speech at Tuesday night’s annual iXchange event at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.