FORMER ND RESIDENTS BRING NEW BUSINESSES TO STATE
5/4/04 - Two companies headed by former North Dakotans have recently announced plans to open offices in rural North Dakota communities. Earlier this month AWM Staffing announced plans to locate an office in Hazen. Datatic Technologies announced its intention to locate in Langdon in February.
AWM Staffing provides medical staffing services to clients across the United States. The company identifies vacancies in medical facilities and then skillfully matches quality medical professionals to fill those vacancies.
Founded in 2002, AWM Staffing is based in Thornton, Colo., a suburb of Denver. The Hazen location will be the focal point of AWM Staffing's sales, recruitment and financial operations.
Company president Tim Auen grew up in Regent/Mott area of North Dakota, and Elaine Auen, vice president of operations, grew up in Dickinson, N.D. The couple attended a North Dakota Business Gathering in Denver last May and learned about North Dakota's positive business climate.
"We went home from that event asking ourselves, "why not in North Dakota?'" said Tim Auen. "We know of no other state that will offer the service our medical professional employees and medical facility customers deserve. Our mantra is that AWM Staffing provides the highest level of service and professionalism. Having our operations in North Dakota ensures we will deliver on that promise."
"We chose Hazen because of their progressive thinking and ability to recognize the match between the needs of the staffing industry and the core competency of North Dakota - North Dakotans know quality," Auen said.
The company expects to hire up to seven, technically skilled people in the next months with an average salary of $30,000 annually. "To date, we have hired three clinical staffing specialists and one business development specialist," Auen said. "We expect to hire three additional specialists in our first year in Hazen."
Founded in 2000, Datatic Technologies is based in Palo Alto, Calif., and also has a software development team in Pune, India. CEO Rock Clapper, Ph.D., is a North Dakota native from Carrington and began considering North Dakota locations for his company last fall.
"I was reading the business section of the San Jose Mercury News and discovered a front-page article about Gov. Hoeven's interest in bringing Silicon Valley, high-tech companies to North Dakota," Clapper said. "The Department of Commerce staff invited me to a North Dakota business reception in San Jose in early November, and by December, I was visiting communities in North Dakota."
The company has developed software that allows businesses to make intelligent decisions based on patterns or trends in their data. Applications of the software range from allowing buyers and sellers of lettuce and other commodities to track real time price and volume, to allowing Homeland Security First Responders to track incidents as they occur.
The company expects to hire up to 12, technically skilled people in the next several months with a salary range of $40,000 - $65,000 annually. "Most of the positions are in computer programming and computer networking," Clapper said. "We also are seeking individuals with expertise in general business development and others with administrative backgrounds."
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