Courtesy / Rapid Insight
Portland's reputation as a hub for technology companies is what attracted Rapid Insight to open an office on Exchange Street.
December 10, 2018
Software company expands into Maine with Portland office
Courtesy / Rapid Insight
Rapid Insight CEO Brett Austin, formerly president of Kepware Technologies, announced the New Hampshire company's expansion into Maine with a new office that's opened at 120 Exchange St. in Portland.
By Staff
Rapid Insight, an analytics software solutions company based in Conway, N.H., has expanded into Maine with a new office at 120 Exchange St. in Portland.
The company stated in a news release that it will maintain its headquarters in New Hampshire and is now actively recruiting to fill new positions in marketing, sales, data analysis, quality assurance and software development for both offices.
CEO Brett Austin said he selected Portland for its track record of supporting competitive software companies as they scale up their workforce and operations.
“Portland has a special mix of creativity, ingenuity, authenticity, and quality of life that creates the perfect environment to build a growing, sustainable, and socially-responsible technology company,” said Austin, who previously was president of the Portland-based software development company Kepware Technologies. “Portland also offers access to top-notch technical and business-oriented talent."
Austin is a native to Maine, has lived and worked in major tech hubs from Seattle to Boston, and currently resides with his family in the greater Portland area. He navigated Kepware through the company’s 2016 acquisition by PTC, a global industrial “internet of things” software company and maintained a leadership role in the new organization until Nov. 2017.
He became CEO of Rapid Insight in October.
The company is working with organizations like Live and Work in Maine to efficiently fill the new positions.
“It is gratifying to have Rapid Insight and a proven Maine leader, Brett Austin, choose Portland as the company continues to grow the team,” Ed McKersie, founder and president of Live and Work in Maine, said in a news release.“Southern Maine has the local talent needed to fuel this growth — as well as the ability to recruit talent to this area because of the great quality of life Maine offers. This is a big win for our employment community, and I look forward to watching Brett build Rapid Insight into a major employer.”
Expansion plans
Mike Laracy, founder and previous CEO of Rapid Insight, said Austin was hired on the strength of his “demonstrated success in growing B2B technology companies.”
“He has the skills and experience to take us to the next stage in our growth,” Laracy said. “Brett is a seasoned executive with a long track record of improving go-to-market strategy and execution, and helping companies recognize their full potential.”
Laracy is maintaining a leadership role at the company, serving as its president and board chairman. He will focus his time on mapping out product development, R&D and user experience.
Austin said said the company plans to expand its “vertical market focus beyond higher education into other industries where our analytics software portfolio has the potential to bring value to new customers.”
As CEO he plans to focus primarily on “go-to-market functions” such as marketing, sales, business development and customer success.
“We will invest in our employees, our tools and our infrastructure in order to scale globally and to perform at the highest level,” Austin said. “We have a great team of people who are excited to learn.”
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