MaSSSoftech

The agreements finalized six weeks ago to bring as many as 200 jobs to Eau Claire in the next few years didn't just boost the local economy.

They also could set the stage for the city to become an information technology hotbed.

Those agreements, with New York-based Genesis10 and RAI Stone Group, not only helped land the kind of white-collar, high-paying jobs city economic development officials have been looking to attract but also could chart a new direction for the city's economy.

The deals with Genesis10, which will bring as many as 150 technology consulting jobs, and RAI Stone Group, a financial services firm creating 50 positions, followed the previous moves of technology-software firms JAMF Software and Entropy Multimedia to the city.

Two weeks ago representatives from another information technology company considering coming here visited Eau Claire, the most recent sign that companies of that type are considering Eau Claire a hot spot, city Economic Development Administrator Mike Schatz said. The company's name was not available because its possible deal with the city is pending.

While it's too early to give Eau Claire the moniker "Silicon Valley II," city officials are tracking technology-software companies' interest in the city and plan to target them in an attempt to attract more of those jobs, Schatz said.

"Those kinds of businesses seem to be viewing our community as an attractive place to be," he said. "It certainly is something we are interested in, and we believe those jobs can form a vital part of our local economy."

That plan is part of city officials' ongoing discussions about the Eau Claire's economic development priorities for 2010-12. The city Economic Policy Advisory Committee is reviewing priorities of the past three years and making adjustments to address the future.

Among the city's strategies to attract jobs: targeting wage-boosting businesses thought to be a good fit for Eau Claire's labor force. Technology-software jobs fit that aim.

Genesis10 and RAI Stone Group company representatives said strong business and computer programs at UW-Eau Claire - and the quality graduates they produce - were a main attraction. The availability of turn-key buildings, which minimized startup costs, also was a factor, they said. So was the proliferation of community events that attract employees and boost Eau Claire residents' quality of life.

For those reasons Eau Claire may become a more viable option to businesses that once focused on expanding in larger cities. Genesis10 previously had 15 locations in metropolitan areas such as St. Louis, Toronto and Washington, D.C., but decided to expand in July in Eau Claire, in part because of cheaper costs.

In a sluggish economy, other information technology-related companies could follow that same trend, possibly bringing jobs to Eau Claire.

"You're starting to see the benefits of our community resources that can develop talent. Those are the kinds of things these companies seem to be looking for," said City Manager Mike Huggins.

Technology jobs are nothing new in the Chippewa Valley. For decades, dating to Cray Research in Chippewa Falls, tech-related jobs have been an important component of the local job sector.

But in recent years many of those jobs disappeared. Others focus more on manufacturing technological components and have been prone to job layoffs in what is a volatile industry.

City officials concede that attracting jobs, given continued rising unemployment here and elsewhere, could prove challenging, and fewer companies may be expanding during an economic downturn.

But the recent surge in technology-software jobs has made city officials hopeful that sector can make up a growing part of the city's economy.

"Getting those kinds of jobs provides a big boost to our local economy," City Council President Kerry Kincaid said. "For years, we've talked about attracting those professional, higher-pay jobs, and now we're starting to see that happen."