Contact: Phil Hearn
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Texas-based company specializing in software solutions technology is tapping into a talented pool of Mississippi State computer science and engineering graduates in the operation of a new Starkville-based development center.
ClearOrbit established the facility in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park to supplement the Austin firm's research-and-development capacity in the areas of software development and quality assurance.
"Operating the center in Starkville provides ClearOrbit with a competitive cost structure, gives us access to top-quality computer science and engineering talent from the university, and creates a positive economic initiative for the region," MSU alumnus John Reece, ClearOrbit's president and chief executive officer, said Tuesday [Sept. 12].
Operating in space leased in an annex of the university's High Performance Computing Collaboratory, the company already has hired six CSE graduates as full-time employees.
ClearOrbit is a leading provider of real-time supply chain execution and collaboration software solutions. The MSU department, a part of the Bagley College of Engineering, includes students majoring in computer science, software engineering and computer engineering.
"The new center will provide our students with the opportunity to remain in Mississippi and pursue challenging work in software development," said MSU professor and department head Julia Hodges. "Some of our graduates already working there report being very pleased with the company."
Officials of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership also lauded the new development center's employment opportunities.
"Their commitment in establishing the center shows once again that our area can provide a competitive work force for high-tech companies," said Kim Richardson, GSDP vice president of research and property development.
Before assuming roles at the development center, prospective employees must complete an intensive eight-week training course at ClearOrbit's Austin headquarters. There, they are exposed to the firm's technology, development approach and corporate culture.
According to a recent study by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, there is an increasing level of interest among high-tech companies in "rural sourcing" (utilizing technological expertise available in non-metropolitan areas) as an alternative to "offshore outsourcing" (sending jobs overseas).
Colin Scanes, MSU vice president for research and economic development, noted that most economic development is based on new technology.
"Mississippi State is successfully combining the technological and human dimensions required for economic leadership," he said. "The institution is committed to capitalizing the development of private technology as part of Mississippi's strategy for economic development."
ClearOrbit recently was named by START-IT magazine to a list of the world's 125 Most Advanced Technology Companies.
"This partnership with ClearOrbit provides employment opportunities for our graduates and an opportunity for MSU to demonstrate the high caliber of its computer science and engineering programs," said CSE associate professor David Dampier.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Dr. Scanes at 662-325-3570 or scanes@research.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.