Skookum Digital Works, a tech consulting firm focused on Fortune 500 companies, recently opened its first satellite office in Denver. The company, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., specializes in making things work -- even if they weren't supposed to.
"We specialize in custom technology, hardware hacking the Internet of things, skunkworks type of stuff and big data integrations," says Chief Strategy Officer Josh Oakhurst. The company brought out seven people from Charlotte, he says, and will grow to around 25 employees in the LoDo office.
For instance, Skookum hacked hardware on some expensive suspension systems for race cars, according to Oakhurst. Using a low-energy Bluetooth chip, the company created a mobile app that acted as a remote control. "We made an app for the system and now you can control the dampening and rebound with an iPhone."
One of the reasons the company located its second office in Denver was because of the workforce. "We know that Denver has a great talent base of both technology consultants and developers and designers and and project managers. We came here to add to our growing pool of really talented individuals," Oakhurst explains.
The company also sees potential clients in oil and gas as well as the mining industries. "We make sure the money that companies spend on technology actually matches the business plan and, more often than not, it’s not the case," Oakhurst says. Having an office in Colorado, close to potential new clients will also allow the company to have a more personal approach with clients in the region, which is sometimes necessary when bringing two disparate things together.
As for hiring, the company is looking for software and hardware engineers, full-stack developers and technology leads, or as Oakhurst puts it: "People who can lead consulting on different projects, people who can marry different systems together and business consultants who can help people decide when to make good investments."
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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