Silicon Valley Firm Buys Into Central Oregon, Plans Move Across Town

BEND, OR-The Silicon Valley firm that recently bought two software companies based here is now planning to move them into class A office space on the west side of the city. When the acquisition occurred, Migration Software consolidated Z-Net Solutions and First Choice Computer Services into First Choice’s space on the east side of town. But expected growth and modern communications will have them moving before that lease runs out toward the end of next year, says Mark Knowles, president of First Choice before the merger, and now a Migration vice president. “Our plan is to get into class A space on the west side,” Knowles tells GlobeSt. “There’s a fiber ring that’s been built over there and we want to be on it.”

Knowles says most of the detail about where they will move, how much space they will need and whether they will own or lease their space has yet to be determined. Currently, First Choice and Z-Net are in 8,600-sf. Knowles says they may need to bump that up by one third or more depending on how aggressive Migration’s growth plan turns out to be in Bend as opposed to San Jose. Bend could be where most of the company’s growth occurs, though, since Migration’s acquisition in part had to do with the high costs of living and doing business in Silicon Valley. “We will know a lot more later this month,” says Knowles.