KANSAS CITY—Suitable Technologies, a Silicon Valley company, has just selected Kansas City to host its new international support center for the Beam remote presence technology. The choice may be significant since Kansas City, a town not yet known as a technology center, beat out Austin, TX, a city that has a much higher profile in the tech world.

"Suitable Technologies was initially attracted to the Kansas City market because of Google Fiber, and it was the impression the city made on company decision makers that sealed the deal," said Bob Marcusse, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council, a regional economic development agency. Google Fiber is a broadband internet network that uses fiber optics, and in 2011, Google chose Kansas City as the first city to receive the new network. "We are eager to see Suitable Technologies grow in KC, and are very proud to be the home of the company's first office outside of Silicon Valley," added Marcusse.

Suitable Technologies will occupy office space at City Center Square, 1100 Main St., and build an international support center for the Beam, which enables users to travel instantly to remote locations using video conferencing technology that they can drive over a Wi-Fi or cellular 4G LTE connection.

"We selected Kansas City because of its central location and access to technical talent from its 20 local universities," said Scott Hassan, CEO of Suitable Technologies. "As our business continues to grow, we look forward to the opportunity to bring local talent on-board."

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