“If this doesn’t come through, I’m going to be gone.”

 That’s what Union Pacific CIO Lynden Tennison told me a few years ago, describing a massive undertaking he was leading to overhaul the iconic railroad company’s transportation-management system. Based on initial estimates, the project, dubbed NetControl, would cost at least $200 million over the course of a decade or so.

The biggest trends in midmarket IT are captured at each Midsize Enterprise Summit through an extensive CIO survey. Attendees at MES Spring and Fall answer a comprehensive survey about their challenges and organizational opportunities when it comes to tech and the CIO’s role.

During a recent briefing with IT vendors and MES Board members, Gartner analyst Mike Cisek shed some light on the five trends reshaping the midmarket and the change in buying behaviors among IT leaders at midmarket companies.

CIO, Tammy Barr leads the IT strategy for Continental Mills, a privately held food manufacturer in the Seattle area which produces several well-known products including Krusteaz Baking mixes, Ghirardelli Brownies, Wild Roots Trail mix, Alpine Cider and Kretschmer Wheat germ.  During the 22 years Barr has been with Continental Mills, she has been responsible for the successful implementation of many major systems, including the company’s first ERP application and several large scale manufacturing automation systems.  She has also participated in growing the company from a regional manufacturer servicing the Pacific Northwest to a national company with an international presence and multiple manufacturing sites across the U.S. We caught up with Barr, a member of the Midsize Enterprise Strategies Advisory Board, to discuss the changing role of the CIO and some of the most pressing issues she is facing in her role as CIO.

The Midsize Enterprise Summit has announced that acclaimed storyteller and new age media executive Jason Allen Ashlock will deliver the opening keynote at this fall’s Midsize Enterprise Summit. Ashlock’s keynote scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18, will help CIOs become more effective communicators at this critical industry juncture.