About 200 people attended the official announcement that a software development company is coming to Jefferson.

The Forge in Des Moines held a kick-off event Wednesday night for the launching of their location in Jefferson with Pillar Technology. The company is based out of Ohio and they have three other locations in the country, one of them being in Des Moines. This is the first time that the software developer is locating an office in a rural community. CEO Bob Myers explained why they chose Jefferson as their new home and what plans he has for Iowa overall.

“The willingness to try it. If we can pull this off and turn the idea into reality then there will be 26 of them. We’re all about ‘forging the future’ and the future is not limited to the large cities. We want to vitalize and revitalize the Midwest and make technology available to everybody.”

Among those who spoke to the eager crowd, with several local Greene County people in attendance, included Myers, Pillar Technology employee Linc Kroeger, US Senator Charles Grassley, US Representative David Young and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds told Raccoon Valley Radio that with The Forge coming to Jefferson, it is a perfect example of her Future Ready Iowa and Strengthening Rural Iowa Initiatives.

“We want to keep our young people in rural Iowa and this is a great way to do it. They (Pillar) really are such a great community partner (and) I think they helped with the bond issue. So already the partnerships between the community, Forge, the high school and the community college, all of the dynamics are there and it just aligns really, really well with what we’re trying to do as a state.”

Pillar is projecting about 25-30 full time jobs, along with having classes taught in the middle to high school grades. Iowa Central Community College will also help with higher education in the software technology field at the career academy. If someone graduates from that program, they will have the opportunity for an 8-18 month training program, which can lead to a full time job with Pillar with a starting salary between $55,000-$60,000.