Dane County rates No. 9 in U.S. in information technology job growth

Excerpted from JSOnline
By Kathleen Gallagher

When Great Oaks Venture Capital decided to expand its reach and build digital start-up companies in Wisconsin, it didn’t take long for the New York firm to figure out where to begin: Madison.

Andy Boszhardt Jr. and John Philosophos, two University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni, turned to their alma mater’s highly regarded computer science department to collaborate on a venture that invests in and supports technology companies launched by student entrepreneurs.

They’re among a growing number of players, including Google and Zendesk, that are expanding their presence in Madison to take advantage of the city’s digital talent.

Dane County is among the strongest counties in the U.S. in terms of increasing jobs in information technology and related sectors during the five years ending in 2012, according to a report published this month by the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank.

Dane County had nearly 25% job growth in tech/information sector jobs, resulting in a ninth place ranking among all U.S. counties for the five-year period, the report said. The report included digital and tech jobs in more traditional industries such as film, news, publishing and telecommunications.

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