Heuristics Open Office at Rockville Innovation Center
Jul 15, 2008

Leggett Welcomes Five Indian Companies to the Rockville Innovation Center; Companies Choose County for First East Coast Presence

County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined public and private sector guests to welcome five new Indian companies to the County’s Rockville Innovation Center during an event held this morning. The companies--Jiva Internet Solutions, Alliance Infotech, PT Puretesting Software, and Heuristics Informatics--are members of the Indian Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). County representatives first met with ESC executives during the November 2007 mission to India.

“We are certainly delighted to welcome these companies to our Rockville Innovation Center, and look forward to their growth and success in the months and years ahead,” said Leggett. Following initial meetings with ESC representatives last November in India, and then follow-up communication led by the County’s Department of Economic Development, the companies decided to visit Montgomery County earlier this year and at the conclusion of that visit, chose Montgomery as the ideal location to establish their east coast presence. ESC has a pilot program, funded through a grant from the Government of India, to assist select groups of small and medium Indian IT companies looking to launch their North American operations.

“While ESC Chairman, I started a pilot program to help identify members that could benefit from a local presence in the United States,” said Nalin Kohli, Immediate Past-Chairman, ESC and President, Association of Small and Medium Knowledge Industries (ASMKI). “On the East Coast we considered New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. It was a difficult choice, but we were very impressed with Montgomery County and by the County Executive’s decision to send a delegation to meet with our members in New Delhi last fall,” he added. “We are very happy with our decision, and now as President of ASMKI, I want to extend this same type of initiative to India’s Biotech and Defense Industries.”

The ESC initiative supports an initial group of five carefully chosen Indian IT services companies in their efforts to gain access to the U.S. market by providing them with physical office space in the U.S. and a dedicated, U.S.-based marketing executive to assist each company with sales and business development.

The company’s areas of focus are:

• Interra Information Technologies, Inc. – a global IT organization with more than 10 years experience providing software business solutions to Fortune 500 companies.

• Heuristics Informatics Pvt. Ltd. (HIPL) – provides a full range of IT consulting services including Business Process Study and Re-engineering, ERP implementations, Applications Development, Database Design, Legacy Upgrade and Migration, Data Conversion, and Systems Integration.

• Jiva Internet Solutions – An IT and ITES company providing call center services and web-enabled enterprise solutions of reliable quality to businesses worldwide.

• PT Puretesting Software – a global Software Test Consulting and Services Company. The company builds innovative end-to-end testing solutions and manages critical testing processes to reduce the total cost of producing quality software.

• Alliance Infotech – an ISO 9001:2000 certified company providing offshore software product development services globally to its customers.

"Heuristics Informatics is very excited to open our first U.S. office in Montgomery County at the Rockville Innovation Center,” said M. Murali Mohan, Executive Director, Heuristics Informatics Pvt. Ltd. “County officials have been very helpful, accommodating and encouraging, which is a very positive sign and we are confident that we will be able to generate at least eight to ten jobs within the next year or so.”

"InterraIT is excited to be part of the Export Promotion Council Program and we are equally excited to now have a presence in Montgomery County, Maryland,” said Asoke K. Laha, Managing Director, Interra. “InterraIT has focused our U.S. business development activities in the mid-west and west coast and due to limited resources, had not been able to extend this activity to the east coast, particularly the Washington, D.C. area,” he added. “But thanks to this ESC initiative, we now expect to make great inroads in this region in the coming years, and expect to establish an independent, strong presence in Montgomery County and Maryland resulting in job creation.”

The County’s Business Innovation Network has had a successful record of accomplishment. Since 2000, over 85 biotech, informatics, telecom, IT, and related advanced technology companies, as well as business services companies, have graduated and those companies have created more than 1,800 jobs and occupy more than 500,000 square feet of commercial space in the County.

“Montgomery County’s incubator system has a great track record of success, and that is why we look forward to the opening of our fifth facility this fall on the campus of Montgomery College in Germantown,” said Dr. Pradeep Ganguly, Director, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. “The addition of these five IT services companies from India will help add to this success, and we are so glad to have them here and look forward to welcoming many more companies from across the region, nation and world to Montgomery County.”