App development happening in the U.P.

Maybe the Upper Peninsula isn't the first locale people consider when thinking of a place to develop a mobile web-based app, but all it takes is a little exploration of the area and you'd find all the technology you need, right here at home.
 
That's not to say one local company, 906 Technologies in Marquette, has a client base that consists solely of local individuals and companies. Far from it. When it comes to hardware and IP services, the clients are mostly made up of locals, but clients in need of software help — including mobile apps — literally come from around the globe.
 
"That's one of the main reasons I founded the company, to keep the local talent we had in the U.P. from leaving and that's one of the things I'm most proud of," says founder Lee Francisco, who studied at Northern Michigan University. "We started doing side jobs in December 2005 and we've doubled our employees every year since we became a full-time business in 2009."
 
The company currently employs 18 full-timers and five part-timers. Francisco doesn't want to disclose exact revenue figures but he does say it's increased along with the employee expansion each year.
 
He counts no less than five global Fortune 500 companies that he's worked for as a subcontractor on phone-based applications.

906 Technologies also has 15 Web based mobile developments currently worldwide. Francisco does, however, work for local clients, too. He counts the Huron Mountain Bakery as a client, and a couple of apps to be used by 906 Technologies itself will be rolling out soon.
 
"It's an exciting field, and so far we've been able to avoid the economic difficulties plaguing much of the business world," Francisco says. "We do our best to start with satisfying our customers and hope that word of mouth will spread the news that we are a good company to do business with."
 
If one client of 906 Technologies is any indication, then the word-of-mouth system is working just fine.
 
"906 Technologies has always dealt with me in a knowledgeable, fair and honest manner … and they do the extra work to get things accomplished," says Mike Koskiniemi, owner of Motions Personal Training, a 906 Technologies client. "Even in a situation where it looked like I would have to settle for "good enough," 906 Technologies went to work and got the issue resolved quickly and thoroughly. I couldn't have asked for more."
 
906 Technologies takes on projects of all sizes and scopes. Many of their applications are behind-the-scenes in their approaches, but there are those that fall in the attention-getting category. For instance, 906 has set up sporting event text platforms in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Madison Square Garden in New York, and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
 
Francisco said he would take on even more small scale projects, but he says potential customers sometimes have a misunderstanding of what it takes to develop an app.
 
"They'll come with an idea--a pretty good one sometimes--and think we can develop it for $1,000 or so," he says. "But there's a lot more to it than that. Depending on what they're looking for and what is necessary, you're looking at a minimum of $5,000 most of the time. I don't want to discourage anyone, but that's the reality."
 
 Like 906 Technologies, Lasalle Tech in Hancock is an Upper Peninsula company that employs U.P. talent to service clients around the globe.
 
Lasalle Tech is fully equipped to develop mobile applications, but its expertise lies in designing, training and consulting in the protocol of FIX, FIXML and FAST since their inception.

The company's client list is global and quite impressive, and is not held back in the least by the fact that it is housed in a small market such as the Houghton-Hancock area.
 
Lasalle Tech integrates market data feeds and proprietary exchange interfaces into many trading situations, like stocks, commodities or financial markets. It designs tools to fit clients' needs, including hardware, networks, operating systems, virtual machines, runtime environments and applications.
 
The U.P. might not be your first guess when looking for a company to create high-tech applications, but guess again.
 
Jeff Barr is a freelance writer who has lived in Michigan for 46 years. You can reach Jeff at barrj88@aol.com.