Mappers move makes economic sense

This is a repost from the Cumberland Times-News


Mappers move makes economic sense
Vargis celebrates first month at Frostburg State incubator

By Michael A. Sawyers, Times-News Staff Writer
Monday, May 9, 2005 10:24 AM EDT
FROSTBURG - Vargis, LLC, a Sterling, Va., digital mapping company, celebrated its first month of operation in the Frostburg State University Technology-based Incubator with a luncheon and ribbon cutting Friday.

The company, pronounced var-jus, uses aerial photographs to provide digital maps that are sold to government agencies and utility companies.

"We have had five employees working during the first month," said Alan Sneyd, chief operating officer. "We will have eight additional employees here by May 23 and will likely peak at 24 employees."

Sneyd said the company realized it would make economic sense to move some work away from its Sterling setting.

"We contacted a number of rural locations in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland and Allegany County was the most consistent responder," he said.
Following visits to the PACE reception in Annapolis and then to a technology showcase on campus in October, Vargis chose FSU.

Greg Tilley, president, said government clients most often use the digital systems created by Vargis to plan infrastructure management for things such as water, sewer and roads. The systems also are used for 911 emergency addressing.

Utility companies find that the systems help to track and pinpoint power distribution and outages.

The FSU office, officially called the Vargis Geospatial Production Facility, is a milestone in the continual transformation of the Mountain Maryland economy, according to Aris Melissaratos, secretary of Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development who attended Friday.

Melissaratos, called Vargis a part of the knowledge-based economy that is to replace the lost smokestack-industry jobs of Western Maryland.
"This is a good example of domestic outsourcing, where jobs leave high-labor areas of the country or state and are taken to areas such as Western Maryland," he said.

FSU President Catherine Gira said that Vargis representatives simply showed up at the technology showcase last fall.

"Little did we think that we would go from that meeting to them being a tenant in the incubator in those few months," she said.

Vargis is housed in 156 Tawes Hall. Sneyd may be contacted at (703) 397-9503. The company's Web page is at http://www.vargis.com.