Active, energetic, vibrant’ downtown is a recruiting fit for this new business

Sterling-based Josh Gilmore says there are a lot of great IT companies in Wichita, but he’s bringing his managed IT services here because he says there’s so much work to be done.

“The market is changing and growing so much with . . . especially the security focus right now,” he says. “There’s room for everybody to benefit and do good work for their clients.”

The company used to be Gilmore Solutions but has recently rebranded to simply Gilmore with the help of future neighbors Howerton & White.

Gilmore is opening downtown in almost 3,000 square feet at Eaton Place.

“We really wanted to be downtown in an active, energetic, vibrant area,” Gilmore says. “It aligns with our goal of being able to recruit the kind of people we want.”

He says a lot of IT professionals tend to be younger. Gilmore says recruiting is a huge issue in the IT world, and that’s a big part of the reason he decided to open a Wichita office.

Gilmore started the business in his hometown of Sterling in 2003 and then opened a Garden City office two years ago.

Of his 30 employees, six will move to the Wichita office when it opens by late August. Gilmore says he expects to hire another four people in the next year.

For a lot of Gilmore’s customers, the company handles IT functions from start to finish. For others, such as large companies with an IT director, it fills in for special expertise.

Agriculture clients have been a mainstay for the business.

“We’ve branched out a lot into other markets across the board,” Gilmore says. “We’ve grown a lot in county government and municipal government in the last two years or so.”

Gilmore says he sees a lot of opportunity in Wichita.

“There’s a lot of businesses that fit into our target market.”

Craig Simon of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal for the Eaton Place space, and Gilmore says it’s going to be a boon to his business.

“That area’s got so much going on.”

BY CARRIE RENGERS