From the Reporters
Carole Matthews

Outsourcing Stateside

 

While many businesses and workers lament the movement of IT jobs offshore, one company is bucking the trend. Rural Sourcing, a Durham, N.C. based IT company, outsources technology work to rural America. In a recent article in Wired this month, the company's founder, Kathy Brittain White, claims the company can outsource to "untapped talent" in the country's Heartland at 30 to 50% below most U.S. consulting firms. Rural Sourcing's rate for an IT professional is $35 to $50 per hour. In New York, the article notes, the rate might be $100.

Of course, heading to India would likely reap companies cheaper rates, but White's company offers more than just lower cost U.S. IT help. It's leveraging untapped tech professionals in parts of this country that need jobs. In the bigger picture, Rural Outsourcing is one example of how small business is helping drive the American economy.