Cape Cod is known for its beaches, quaint villages, seafood restaurants and the thousands of tourists that visit each summer.
There is now a group who wants to add software development, telecommunications, and other high tech businesses to that list.
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The Cape Cod Technology Council, Inc. was formed two years ago to work toward the industry’s collective needs, which includes promoting the technology community in what they have called “The Silicon Sandbar.”
“The largest industry down here — tourism — closes five months a year. The Cape has to move more aggressively toward a full-time economy. The high tech industry is the answer,” said Tom Moccia, the council’s executive director.
Moccia said the group has 200 member companies, which range from one-person operations to a corporation with 380 employees. Companies reliant on technology, like banks and insurance agencies, also belong to the organization.
For the very same reason tourists flock to the Cape each summer, high technology companies set up shop from Plymouth to Provincetown.
“The quality of life is very key for these companies. They love the beautiful environment and the stress-free atmosphere,” Moccia said. He added many of the smaller companies on the Cape were formed by people who summered there and thought it would be a good alternative to the hustle and bustle of the cities.
Moccia said residents and politicians on the Cape have been receptive to the industry, because they realize the economic benefits the companies will have on the Cape with little risk of environmental harm.
“The nature of the business doesn’t lead to environmental damage. Many of the companies moved here because of the environment so they appreciate the importance of protecting it,” he added. “This industry is a great fit for Cape Cod.”
Before Cape Cod can even dream of becoming a high tech hub like the Route 128 belt there are a number of areas the council must work toward.
Peggy DiMauro, of Novacom Technologies, Inc., a research and development firm for integrated circuit solutions, said companies on the Cape must understand their geographical limits. DiMauro, who runs the company’s North American office in Hyannis, said it is not vital to live near a major city to be a successful high tech firm. The key, she says, is adapting.
“It doesn’t matter where my home office is as long as I have a modem, laptop and a cell phone. So why not the Cape?” she explained.
Conceding that Logan airport is well over an hour and a half away, she said there are express buses to the airport and the Old Colony commuter train to Boston is in Plymouth.
“I think location is getting less important if your business is global. And most high tech companies are global,” she said.
Mary E. Makela, chairman of the council, said while you can’t change geography there are some issues that must be handled on the Cape.
“The biggest obstacle is the infrastructure on the Cape,” said Makela, chairperson of the council. “Telecommunication issues have to be addressed, which we are doing along with the Mass Technology Collaborative and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.”
The problem is that the Cape doesn’t have the most recent technology to improve upon its high speed access to the world via the telephone lines. The council is hoping that the problem will be corrected in the next few years, whether it is through private or public funds, or both.
Makela said the lack of that technology is an example of how many people don’t know that the high tech community exists there.
“By calling the Cape the Silicon Sandbar we are catching people’s attention, which is vital for getting the resources we need to grow,” said Makela.
She said the most important of those resources is workers. It’s hard enough for a high tech company on Route 128 or Providence to get qualified employees, but to attract them to a place not known for being on the cutting edge is a task.
“We have difficulty with the ability to find employees. It’s not only because of geography, it is an image problem,” said Moccia. “Across the state and region there has not been developed a continued impression that there is more than retirees and tourism down here.”
He said along with a beautiful place to live, Cape high tech companies offer salaries competitive with firms in other parts of the state. A concern many young workers would have about moving to the Cape is what will they do when the winter comes along. Moccia, a retiree, admits that he took the job heading the council because he was getting bored during the Cape winters.
“Young people, particularly single people, have concerns about what they will do here socially,” he said. “That’s something that should be addressed.”
The council has established an internship program available to its members to give young people a chance to experience work on the Cape. Moccia added that a spark for many might be the chance to be on the ground floor of a small, emerging company, which many of the Cape’s firms could be considered.
Moccia said the council has also been busy creating partnerships with Cape Cod Community College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The group realizes the need for continued education for employees in such a rapidly changing industry. Tracking potential investors is another function of the council that could benefit many of the smaller businesses.
“We are looking for venture capitalists willing to go into the smaller business market and investing between $50,000 to $75,000,” Moccia said.
“Our job is to convince people that, yes, you can invest on the Cape. We are not simply a place to go on vacation.”
