“We need to attract talented people to southern Norway. That is how we expand our knowledge base and become more competitive as a company and as a region. If everyone only recruits the most talented people from their neighbor and local competitor, no-one really benefits,” says Jøran Bøch, CEO at Egde Consulting.
He manages a group of developers, testers, project managers, business architects and advisors. The IT company with more than 60 employees, located in Grimstad and Kristiansand, has enjoyed strong growth over the last two years. On average, Egde has employed one new person every month. The majority of them stems from other places in Norway and are relatively young. The average age of Egde employees has dropped every year.
MOVED TO AGDER
Originally from neighboring county Telemark, Bøch himself moved to Agder many years ago, together with his Swedish wife, tempted by an attractive job at Ericsson.
“No regrets! Southern Norway is a combination of exciting job opportunities and a good place for adults and children to live. Thus, we are actively promoting the region to new, talented people,” says Bøch.
DIGITALIZATION
Egde Consulting is heavily involved in a number of digitalization projects.
“It is a slightly worn buzzword, but digitalization has implications for all industries. We believe more and more companies need to assess how the digital shift affects them and review their business strategy accordingly. We are happy to assist,” says Bøch.
Egde specializes in applied technology, that is how technology can help develop, grow or make businesses more efficient and competitive. Some of the major clients are Skatteetaten, Agder Energi, NorgesEnergi and Gard.
Back in 20014, oil and gas accounted for approximately 40 percent of Egde’s revenue. Today, oil and gas is an improving business area, but not by far the largest.
COOPERATION
“We believe strongly in cooperation. We are looking to develop the Agder region together with our clients and partners, but also together with our competitors. This is not something anyone or any company can accomplish alone,” says Bøch.
Following that train of thought, it is no wonder that Egde Consulting is a long-time participant of clusters, such as Digin (ICT industry) and GCE NODE. And it should also come as no surprise that Bøch is on the GCE NODE Board of Directors.
“NODE has contributed to the development of our business. Some of the strategic decisions we have made, are very much affected by input from NODE and its participating companies,” says Bøch.
The idea of clusters is in line with the thinking at Egde.
“It is important to make money. But it is imperative to cooperate to build the region. We believe in sharing. Sharing is caring – and also great for business!” says Bøch.
