After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC
April 20, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City.
The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services.
Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech team.
“I believe the values we hold match Online Tech’s very well, and I think this will be a great partnership moving forward,” Severn said in a release. “Online Tech has been a leader in compliance for many years,I’m pleased we can now offer HIPAA- or PCI-compliant data hosting to our existing customers here in Kansas City.”
Allowing for easier service management, Severn added that the companies will combine their existing services into Online Tech’s client platform. Wanting to tap the Kansas City market, Online Tech was interested in Echo Cloud for its ability to grow in the Midwest.
With offices in Michigan and Indiana, CEO of Online Tech CEO Yan Ness is excited to expand the firm’s product line.
“I’m very pleased with this deal,” Ness said in a release. “We really like the Kansas City market. There’s lots of demand that we think is underserved, and this is a great opportunity to provide companies in the area with our secure, compliant hybrid IT services.”
Severn, who declined to disclose the amount of the acquisition, will no longer serve as CEO for Echo Cloud, but will stay on the board of directors for Online Tech. The firm will maintain its offices in St. Joseph, Mo.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
This Wichita program is helping KC startups connect the dots to corporate partners
WICHITA — An eight-week program targeting knowledge and access gaps between emerging startups and enterprise companies helped boost a trio of Kansas City ventures whose founders are now eying new customers and partners as they scale. The 2023 NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series — an initiative of Wichita-based NXTUS — wrapped its latest cohort during Wichita Startup…
Shop Small: 5 gifts for people who are always cold
Editor’s note: This feature is the third in Startland News’ five-part holiday gift guide — presented in 2023 by nbkc bank — showcasing Kansas City makers and their products. Check out the featured maker below, then keep reading for five gift ideas to get started. Donnell Jamison’s colorful streetwear brand shares a similar retro vibe…
Let’s be blunt: MO cannabis culture is a great niche, founder says a year after legalization vote
A year after Missouri voters approved recreational marijuana at the ballot box, demand for high-quality cannabis products has exceeded expectations, said Michael Wilson, whose Kansas City-based operation quickly became a best-selling Show-Me State brand. “The past year has been a wild ride as anyone can suspect from an early emerging market like cannabis,” said Wilson,…
Urban farmer’s composting operation gets in ‘deep trouble’ with city; why she’s thankful for the opportunity to cultivate change
Being pioneers on the Kansas City urban farming scene can be a tough row to hoe, admitted Brooke Salvaggio noting the challenges she’s faced with Urbavore Farm and Compost Collective KC are just the latest season on an evolving agricultural landscape. “More or less, we’re rebels,” explained Salvaggio, who along with her husband, Dan Heryer,…