A rendering shows the north approach to the planned Tyler Technologies building in Orono. Courtesy/SMRT Architects
Wednesday’s groundbreaking for a new Tyler Technologies office in Orono came at an unusual time.
Each day, it seems, tech companies are laying off employees and shutting down brick-and-mortar operations. Already in 2023, more than 102,000 tech workers have lost their jobs, according to national outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s more than in all of 2022.
But the new Tyler office, on the site of the former University Inn next to the University of Maine campus, will have space for 30 employees who now work in Bangor – plus 45 additional staff.
Chris Webster, president of the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning and Civic Division, said the expansion in Orono is a sign Tyler expects to grow in the years ahead while forging stronger ties with Maine.
Tyler Technologies’ sole business is supplying software and technology to government agencies. In Maine, for example, the company has set up a system that allows state courts to operate online, with lawyers filing briefs and judges issuing orders electronically. Tyler also works with local governments, Webster said, providing technology that allows city and county officials to track projects and handle finances.
In a tough economy, Tyler has an advantage working in the public sector because government agencies “don’t go out of business,” Webster said.
The company’s roots in Maine date to 1962 when John Marr Sr. founded Process Inc. in Falmouth.
That business, renamed MUNIS in the 1980s, was sold to Plano, Texas-based Tyler in 1999. Today the parent company is led by John Marr Jr., executive chairman of the board.
Tyler has about 1,000 employees in Maine. Besides the Bangor office – expected to move to Orono next year – there are branches in Augusta, Falmouth, and Yarmouth.
Webster said Tyler Technologies has prospered recently because many government agencies received federal stimulus money during the pandemic and have invested it in information systems.
The company has been smart with its growth, said Brian Whitney, president of the Maine Technology Institute, which provides help with financing and services for tech companies in the state.
The Orono location gives the company exposure to UMaine students and a potential pool of new employees. Tyler already runs educational programs such as an app development competition in Maine middle and high schools, Whitney said.
“They’re establishing a feeder system and getting into the schools early and that’s a recipe for success” in finding employees years down the road, he said.
Collaborating with the university is also a boon, he said, “because they can potentially work with the university to get more employees, as well as amplify the great research and development that the university does.”
Tyler’s investment is also a good sign during a time when venture capital for technology companies is drying up because of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Whitney said.
“Tyler is definitely a shining star” among the state’s technology companies, he said.
That’s why the university welcomed the company’s decision to move into new quarters adjacent to the campus, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. The company and school expect to develop a strong relationship that may include internships, research, and eventually jobs, she said.
The app challenge already does that, Ferrini-Mundy noted. The middle and high school students are inspired by the experience to focus on careers in technology, and that leads them to Orono. Once on campus, the proximity of Tyler’s office should be a real plus.
To get there, she said, “I told them they could ride their bikes or their skateboards or their scooters.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
