Everyone’s heard of Silicon Valley, but these days, a phrase that’s tossed around more and more in tech circles is the “Silicon Prairie.” That’s because places like Kansas City are changing the perception of the Midwest from a bunch of “flyover states” to a major hub of technological industries.
Some of the most successful startups in Kansas City in the last few years have been tech-based, and it seems that the tech industry here is still booming, long after Google’s announcement that Kansas City would be the first city in the country to receive Google Fiber.
Tech entrepreneurs in Kansas City are offered an environment that sparks creativity and fosters a strong foundation, often launching them into future growth. One Information Technology company in Atlanta, Georgia, recognized this opportunity and took steps to ensure his company could be a part of it.
The Talmadge Group opened a Kansas City, Missouri office in 2010, right across the street from the new Burns and McDonnell headquarters. Talmadge Group’s President, Marc Morris, said the expansion into Kansas City has had a huge impact on their growth.
“The workforce in Kansas City is one of the best-kept secrets in the country, and the central location is ideal for our nationwide recruitment,” said Morris.
The Talmadge Group is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business focused on helping the Federal Government and companies with IT needs identify, attract, and retain top talent for contract project work, or long-term staffing needs. Morris founded the company in 1998 and says they’ve found a way to provide employers a unique approach to hiring IT workers, even if it’s just for a short amount of time.
In 2007, the company won a contract with the USDA in Kansas City, MO and as a result of networking and client referrals, they started to win more Kansas City and midwest contracts.
“One day, we realized we had a strong presence in Kansas City and it was time to get serious about this market so we opened a location here.”
Morris says one of his proudest accomplishments is being included on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for three consecutive years since being in Kansas City.
“One of our goals is to stay on the list, which means we have to continue to grow our business year after year,” said Morris. “Many businesses get caught up in the day-to-day operations and forget about their goals. The Inc. 5000 list gives us a target to hit every year.”
With the technology community in Kansas City as vibrant as it is, the Talmadge Group has a lot to look forward to. Both new, and existing technology companies are thriving in Kansas City and because of their strong desire for growth, we will continue to grow in our efforts to support them.
Growing companies don’t just need office space. Their owners and employees need places to live, shop, eat, bank, work-out and find entertainment. Their company growth brings community growth around them in the form of new jobs, and more new businesses to serve them.
Perks like the Kauffman Foundation, support from corporate partners who provide funding for local accelerators and technology events, Universities and colleges who provide condensed business programs, partnerships with national events like Techweek, the Digital Sandbox, Big Data summits, a variety of hackathons, one of the most innovative Mayors in the country, a new streetcar line, a thriving creative district, and so much more, are all part of the big picture in attracting and retaining high opportunity companies, who then turn around and hire more of our local talent.
The Talmadge Group is hiring in both its Kansas City and Atlanta offices and has a goal of opening a third location in 2018. Morris attributes the company’s success today to the lessons he learned in his first job search almost 30 years ago.
“We practice what we preach when hiring our own employees, and we do our best to provide an environment where they never want to leave,” said Morris. “Putting them in a centralized location with a rich cultural landscape, a low cost of living and a welcoming attitude toward new technologies all combine to make Kansas City a logical place to have a location.”
We know Kansas City has been a lot of things over the years—from a cow town to the flyover states—and we also know watching our “cowtown” turn into a “Smart City” has brought us a lot of pride and makes us work harder. It’s important we keep doing all we can to stay on the radars of growing technology companies like the Talmadge Group!
To learn more about The Talmadge Group, please visit their website.