GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two members of the cast of the TV show "Shark Tank," Daymond John and Robert Herjavec, are coming to Grand Rapids next Monday as Tech Week kicks off its fifth year.
The annual event brings a focus on technology and major investment by industry leaders — and at least one local company says it has seen massive growth since the initiative launched.
Atomic Object, a custom software product development consultancy in Grand Rapids, has been in the community for 25 years.
"Atomic Object is a custom software product development consultancy. We create new software products for our customers across a wide range of industries," Atomic Object CEO Shawn Crowley said.
Crowley said the tech community in Grand Rapids looked very different before Tech Week launched five years ago.
"The tech community in Grand Rapids used to feel way more fractured prior to the tech strategy, and you'd see pockets of people doing good work," Crowley said.
The Tech Week initiative — launched by the local tech community and The Right Place — brought those groups together.
"It continues to bring people together, and that drives the visibility," Crowley said.
Crowley said that visibility has directly contributed to growth at Atomic Object, including expansion into new markets.
"We also had launched our offices in new markets. Our Chicago and Raleigh offices were all born out of Grand Rapids," Crowley said.
This year's Tech Week has a significant focus on artificial intelligence, with 85 AI-related events planned — up from 50 last year. Crowley said his clients are already asking for AI integration.
"Our customers are asking us to put AI technology into their product, and we've done a significant amount of that," Crowley said.
Even as AI increases productivity, Crowley said he remains focused on the people on his team and the strength of the regional talent pool.
"We have great engineering and design talent in this region. A lot of people talk about the coasts, but we have excellent talent, and I think the value is really high for working with Midwest companies," Crowley said.
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