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Three new businesses – AZ-Conn – Core Technology Group – Morton Consulting – call Billings home

The Big Sky Economic Development Authority has been working with three new businesses to bring them to Billings.

by Leanne H. Frost Western Business News http://www.westernbusinessnews.com/

AZ-Conn http://azconn.com/ a manufacturer of automotive wiring products, moved from Phoenix and should be up and running by mid-November.

Core Technology Group http://www.coretechgrp.com/ is an Atlanta-based computerized testing service which has been operating in Montana since 2000. The company is now moving its headquarters to Billings.

The third company, Morton Consulting http://www.mortonint.com/ is actually moving its headquarters from Newnan, Ga., to Helena and opening a satellite office in Billings. Morton Consulting writes custom software applications that use web browsers.

"All are pretty high-tech companies with a past history of success," said Linda Beck, director of business outreach and recruitment for Big Sky EDA. She said all have the potential to increase wealth in the community and upgrade the kinds of jobs available in Billings.

All three also have a Montana connection, she added, an important factor in attracting new businesses to the state.

AZ-Conn
AZ-Conn’s founder and owner Casey Murphy’s mother works at St. Vincent Healthcare. Over the years, he has come to visit and was impressed with Billings.

"When I was in Phoenix, I felt like we had no identity; we were just a number. In Billings, you can have an identity and are able to make a true impact on the community," he said.

In June he began moving his company to Billings. He is currently setting up his manufacturing facility at 547 S. 20th St. W.

Said Murphy, "I called Linda Beck and explained my situation. She told me that Billings ‘would be happy to have you’ and immediately set up a meeting where I was introduced to the Big Sky EDA staff."

For almost four years AZ-Conn has been making replacement wiring pigtails for General Motors and fuel injection wiring harnesses for street rods and power boats. The company also sells a full line of wiring products to automotive stores and dealerships.

Murphy is keeping two employees in Phoenix and currently has himself and one other in Billings. However, he said he would like to have 10 employees within the next year or two, depending on sales.

Murphy said he was attracted to Montana because of the people’s strong work ethic.

Big Sky EDA was very helpful connecting him to the resources he needed to decide to move his business here, he added.

Core Technology Group
Core Technology Group is currently running its business out of a renovated cabin at 7249 Pryor Rd. President Frank Core said he and his wife were "done with big city life in Atlanta" and wanted to move back to Billings. His wife grew up in Crow Agency.

The Atlanta office will become a satellite location to retain service to East Coast companies.

Core Technology Group primarily serves federal and state governments, converting paper-and-pencil testing to computerized systems.

The company currently employs two full-time workers and one contractor. However, Core said he plans to hire more people in the future, particularly Native Americans. How many will depend on the amount of business generated by clients on the West Coast and in the West.

Core said he also looking at a downtown location for his business in the future.

Morton Consulting
Paul Morton is president and CEO of Morton Consulting. His wife, Mary, is vice president and CFO. The Mortons grew up in Broadview and are returning to the state after launching their business six years ago in Georgia.

The Helena office will open the middle of this month with two employees.

The Billings office opened the first of October with two employees and a lot of subcontractors, bringing the total to 37 employees. Paul said he hopes to hire five to seven employees in the next year. The company will be mainly looking for application developers and support staff.

Morton Consulting is located at 1650 Ave. D, suite 7, in Billings.

Paul said he and his wife have always wanted to come back to Montana. He said he hopes to hire professionals who left the state after college, like himself, and who want to return, as well as hire from the local personnel pool.

The company has clients throughout the world, including Tokyo, Jamaica and South America. Because of the nature of the business, Paul said the company needed to locate in a city with high connectivity.

"Billings has a huge abundance of connectivity," he said. "There is lots of technology and a number of Internet service suppliers, such as AT&T, Qwest and OneEighty Communications. The technology hub here and in Helena are very well developed."

The Mortons did not take the move lightly. They traveled to the state to meet with people one week a month for a year.

Paul said the company originally looked at moving to Bozeman, but he said they received a warmer reception from Billings and Helena.

Paul said he was also attracted to Billings because of the inexpensive, available office space.

"Big Sky EDA was a huge factor in us moving here," he added. "Linda Beck at Big Sky EDA helped us with many things, including identifying contacts, helping us find office space, potential leads and employees. I also took advantage of their Business Information Center when I was visiting Billings to check my e-mail and do market research."

He was impressed with the willingness of existing business people, even potential competitors, to share information and meet with him.The Mortons did not take the move lightly. They traveled to the state to meet with people one week a month for a year.

"We need partners because of our specific market niche," Paul explained. So, he wanted to make sure the resources were here.

He said the only really negative factor of moving his business to Montana was the amount of employee regulation required.

He said he spent two hours with Job Service Workforce Center just going over the regulations.

Paul said the company has plans to open a future office in Chattanooga, Tenn., and a sales office in Charlotte, N.C.

AZ-Conn can be reached at 656-8222. Core Technology Group at (770) 923-8174 and Morton Consulting at (406) 459-5634.

Copyright © Western Business, a division of Lee Enterprises.

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