ATG gears up for growth in Missoula following acquisition with new office, consultant training program
On September 18, 2018, ATG announced that it has been acquired by Cognizant, a US-based global IT provider with more than 260,000 employees. The company will soon have its own distinct presence in Missoula with their new office.
February 21, 2019
By Katy Spence
Framed artwork and photos line the floors in Tom Stergios’ new office. He hasn’t had time to hang them up. In the last month, Stergios and his team at ATG, a Cognizant company, have moved into their new Missoula office, launched a training program in partnership with Cognizant and Missoula College, and unveiled an upcoming visit from Governor Steve Bullock in March.
On September 18, ATG announced that it had been acquired by Cognizant, a US-based global IT provider with more than 260,000 employees. ATG will continue operations under ATG, a Cognizant company, and Cognizant will soon have its own distinct presence in Missoula.
To better illustrate how Cognizant’s arrival could impact Missoula, Stergios, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development, imagines how the two companies might sponsor local sports teams. “ATG, a Cognizant brand, is going to show up on the back of little league uniforms,” Stergios said. “Cognizant is also going to be established in Missoula, and you'll see it on the back of little league uniforms, too.”
ATG began moving into its new office in the Old Sawmill District on January 21, and nearly 100 employees have moved from the Studebaker and Garlington building to the new office on the third and fourth floors of Cambium Place. Stergios said the ultimate vision is a tech campus, where both Cognizant and ATG will have overlap but also work in separate spaces.
While the company is still settling in, there are already hints at the kind of culture that ATG is known for: a dog bowl by the water fountain and Milkbones in the kitchen on the designated dog-friendly floor; a brand-new tipi leaning in the corner outside Stergios’ office, ready to be set up; empty standing desks awaiting employees to fill them; and 360-degree views of the Missoula valley.
ATG’s new space is nearly three times larger than the downtown Garlington office, though the company will continue to use that space for the next couple of years. The new Cambium office has the capacity of 125 employees. It’s a good thing, too.
According to Stergios, one of the key selling points for Cognizant was the quality of ATG’s Missoula workforce and the potential to add more highly-skilled employees in partnership with the University of Montana and Missoula College. With the new training program designed to help prepare consultants for work at ATG and Cognizant, more and more high paying jobs will be coming to the Missoula area.
The first cohort in the training program started on February 4. Twenty-seven trainees are being paid to learn a new set of skills over 12 weeks that will jumpstart their career in technology. Stergios visited the cohort at Missoula College with Michael Eagan, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Operations, and Carey Davis, Director of Operations. Stergios and Eagan told the trainees they were excited by the potential they saw in the room.
“When Cognizant came and met people and saw the talent here, they said, ‘We gotta make this happen,’” Eagan said. “You’re all living up to that. We need talented people like you to help us continue to grow.”
Stergios said this will be the first of “many, many cohorts.” The second cohort is scheduled to begin April 1. “Leadership is going to come from this classroom,” Stergios added, looking around the room.
ATG will continue to train employees in the training area on the third floor of their new office, which can be split into two rooms for two simultaneous events. This will also be the venue for Governor Bullock’s March 13 visit.
“The governor is going to be welcoming Cognizant to Montana, and we're going to have a host of local dignitaries, customers, Cognizant and ATG executives,” Stergios said.
Stergios added that Cognizant may announce more complete hiring plans in March, as well as some information about Cognizant’s hopes for Montana at the March 13 event, which could include support for diversity and education initiatives. “The desire to invest in Montana is really incredible,” Stergios said of Cognizant’s leadership.
With everything happening all at once, Stergios said it can feel overwhelming, but the company is right on track and excited to have Cognizant at its back. Not only that, but Stergios’ new office includes a view of Montana Snowbowl, the closest ski resort to Missoula and the first view he’s had in eight years. It’s no wonder he isn’t rushing to hang up his artwork.
To learn more and apply for the consultant trainee program, visit the website.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of more than 350 high-tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
About the Author: Katy Spence is the former Communications Director for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She earned an MA in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism from the University of Montana in 2018.
