MAVERICK SOFTWARE CONSULTING NAMED FINALIST IN 12TH ANNUAL TEKNE AWARDS
MINNEAPOLIS (September 15, 2011) – The Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) has named Maverick Software Consulting as a finalist in the Innovative Collaboration of the Year category for the 2011 Tekne Awards, which will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 3. The Tekne Awards recognize Minnesota companies and individuals who have shown superior technology innovation and leadership.
Minneapolis-based Maverick Software Consulting was selected for developing a first-of-its-kind academia-meets-corporate America partnership, bringing together top computer-science students from campuses across Minnesota with major corporations seeking local software development and software testing. In partnership with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), Advance IT Minnesota, Thomson Reuters and Digital River, Maverick provides corporate partners with top student talent as a successful, proven option for cost-effective software development and testing services and an experienced workforce after graduation. It also provides students real-world experience working in the field with cutting-edge technology – and typically a job offer prior to graduation.
Maverick president Martin Hebig founded the program in 2006, starting out with one corporate partner, Thomson Reuters, and one office with a staff of 10 student employees. Since then, the company has rapidly grown to an army of 91 across six college campuses and three states – and 147 students have graduated from the program. 2011 has been a record-setting year of growth, with three new corporate partners joining the program and MnSCU participating as an official academic partner. In August and September, Maverick added 27 new jobs for student employees, and opened two new offices in Minnesota. All six offices are located on or close to college campuses, including Minnesota State University, Mankato; the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; the University of Wisconsin – Madison; Iowa State University in Ames; and the two newly opened offices near Metropolitan State University and the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn.
“Thanks to the support of our academic and corporate partners, and the outstanding work of our student employees, the Maverick program has become a successful model creating technology jobs and hands-on learning opportunities for students across the Midwest,” said Hebig. “We look forward to opening offices across the nation in the future, as it’s a win-win-win for corporations, universities, students and the entire community.”
The Tekne Awards annually recognize Minnesota’s best and brightest technology users and developers in innovation, development, education, commercialization and management. More information on the Teknes is available online at Tekne's website.
“I want to congratulate all of the finalists vying for a Tekne Award,” said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, President and CEO of MHTA. “Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating. We also know it takes a lot of patience and determination. Minnesota’s has always been known as a place for cutting-edge technologies and the long hours put forth by our finalists is more evidence of that ongoing spirit of innovation.”
About Maverick Software Consulting
Minneapolis-based Maverick Software Consulting provides low-cost labor to large companies through its unique business model: employing Midwestern computer-science students to develop and test software. The company, which has offices close to or on six university campuses -- Minnesota State University, Mankato; the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Metropolitan State University and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.; St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., the University of Wisconsin – Madison; and Iowa State University -- has provided an innovative domestic alternative to overseas software-development outsourcing since 2006. For more information, visit www.MaverickSoftware.com.
About Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA)
The Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) promotes the growth, sustainability and global competitiveness of Minnesota's technology-based economy through public policy advocacy, member collaboration and education, and community outreach. MHTA is the only membership organization that represents Minnesota’s entire technology-based economy. MHTA members include organizations of every size − involved in virtually every aspect of technology creation, production, application and education in Minnesota. MHTA works in partnership with TechAmerica, which represents Minnesota's technology organizations nationally. Find out more online at www.mhta.org or follow MHTA on Twitter.
