Tuesday, March 13, 2007
New York, Boston and San Francisco were three of the cities Linux New Media, a European magazine publisher, considered for the location of its North American office before settling on a more suitable home: Lawrence.
Lawrence may not be as much of an international business hub as those coastal cities, but the University of Kansas and Lawrence connections shared by the people in charge of the company’s U.S. branch helped make Lawrence a logical choice.
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I think it says a lot about Lawrence that they could have picked anywhere for a U.S. location, and they picked Lawrence.
- Rikki Kite, managing editor, Linux New Media USA
“It raises a general awareness that we have some cool stuff going on in this area, in Lawrence,” said Joe Casad, editor-in-chief for Linux New Media USA.
Casad and Brian Osborn, CEO of the U.S. company, are University alumni, and Rikki Kite, managing editor, is a graduate student in the School of Journalism.
Linux New Media USA, 719 Massachusetts St., launched at the beginning of the month. Its Munich, Germany-based parent company, Linux New Media, publishes 11 magazines about the Linux computer-operating system in six different languages, making it the world’s largest publisher of Linux magazines.
The Lawrence office will gather content and manage the publication of Linux Magazine, the company’s international English-language publication, and Linux Pro Magazine, the North American publication.
Linux New Media’s connections with Lawrence and the University began after Osborn went to study in Germany shortly after graduating from the University in 1990.
Osborn’s involvement in extracurricular groups during his time at the University helped him make contacts with many local and national businesses, including a publishing business that hired him to study the European market while he was abroad.
“I can directly relate my entry into the publishing business and, therefore, this new business in Lawrence, to extracurricular activity while at KU,” Osborn said.
He said that studying abroad and other out-of-class activities were the most important part of his education at the University.
While working in Germany, Osborn became acquainted with Linux New Media and its publications. The company hired Osborn about five years ago to help with an effort to expand internationally.
Osborn said Lawrence made a logical location for the U.S. office because Casad and Kite lived there and costs were lower than in larger cities. He also said that he valued Lawrence’s “Midwest way of life” – which he said included integrity, loyalty and hard work.
Casad said the interest of many students in technology and the abundance of skilled University graduates also made Lawrence an attractive location.
“It’s a combination of the big supply of highly skilled people and also the cosmopolitan culture of a university town,” he said.
Osborn said the office would probably hire about five to 10 employees in the short term, and Kite said she hoped the office would add more jobs in the future. She said qualified people would be easy to find in Lawrence.
“I think it says a lot about Lawrence that they could have picked anywhere for a U.S. location, and they picked Lawrence,” Kite said.
Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@kansan.com.
— Edited by Darla Slipke
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