When Atlanta-based Rural Sourcing was looking to open two new development centers, it initially considered 50 mid-tier U.S. cities.
Buffalo and Baton Rouge were ultimately chosen.
The fast-growing tech firm now plans to create at least 150 technology jobs in Western New York, with an average salary of $80,000.
“We looked around the country and Buffalo really spoke to us,” President Ingrid Curtis said. “It’s a diverse place and a town where you can really have an impact on the tech community.”
Rural Sourcing has a unique model by “onshoring” custom software development work that might otherwise be sent overseas, and bringing that work to American regions that aren’t yet major tech hubs. The plans in Buffalo and Baton Rouge follow a model that is currently working in Mobile, Alabama; Augusta, Georgia; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico: Fort Wayne, Indiana; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Oklahoma City.
What’s next:
• Rural Sourcing will operate temporarily in downtown Buffalo co-working space while it searches for more permanent offices locally, with an eye on buying or leasing 15,000 square feet of space.
• The company typically has an onsite director who serves as the face of Rural Sourcing in a given region. Usually that’s a new hire, but Buffalo will be unique in that a company manager has expressed interest in relocating here and taking on the role.
• Rural Sourcing is hiring 50 to 75 employees per month across the company and has more than 100 open positions. Buffalo will effectively be another hiring funnel for its developers, who will work on a variety of cloud-based projects for clients. The company will seek to forge deep connections in the Western New York workforce and university communities, hosting boot camps and an internship program.
Curtis said the company actively seeks to support junior associates as they move up the ranks.
“For us, this is about identifying talent to join the firm,” she said. “There is a great talent base in Buffalo and a great upcoming talent base through the university systems. When we visited Buffalo, we really enjoyed seeing the quality of life, the investment and all that’s going on here.”
Rural Sourcing contacted Invest Buffalo Niagara when it was considering the region, and used an internal artificial intelligence tool that analyzed metro regions in all 50 states according to cost-of-living, quality of life and available talent.
When Buffalo made the final four, Invest Buffalo Niagara hosted Rural Sourcing executives on a two-day local visit that included meetings with a large range of Buffalo-based community leaders. Empire State Development Corp. contributed an Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Award to incentivize the project.
“This is an innovative, world-class tech company that has chosen to invest in Buffalo,” said Matthew Hubacher, Invest Buffalo Niagara research director. “They will help us recruit and retain top tech talent, and they will be a catalyst going forward for our business attraction and expansion efforts.”
