Telecommuter expands career in Flathead

As Northwest Montana continues to grow as a hub for the high-tech sector, with both companies and individuals relocating here to run their operations worldwide, Bjorn Beer is a prime example of what that growing population of telecommuters looks like.

Beer is the director of strategic account development at Global Software, Inc., an analytic and reporting software company that operates internationally. Beer and his family moved to the Flathead in July, following his wife’s hiring in the health care industry. His home is now his office and his lifestyle immersed in the unrelenting call to the outdoors.

Beer said the Flathead provides an environment that has the potential to draw a lot of interest from the high-tech industry: Glacier Park International Airport connects the valley to a lot of major cities, the business community is enthusiastic about growth, and the emphasis on outdoor access and lifestyles provides a place to work and play.

“When we decided to move here, I was surprised with how many high-tech jobs were around here,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent here, and I think growth in the Flathead is going to come from growth in that industry.”

In the burgeoning high-tech industry, a software company that might be lacking a facet of their product might benefit from adding Global Software’s service, so Beer looks to partner with companies and bring the two software companies together. Beer said it appears to be a growing trend that young entrepreneurs and software companies reach out to use each other’s services, rather than isolate themselves in competition.

Beer, 34, has worked for the company for the last decade and telecommuted for the last seven years. He was the first at Global Software to suggest telecommuting, initially to allow his wife to pursue a career in the medical field without geographically splitting the family.

Beer said breaking away from the office actually initiated a culture shift at Global Software, as a successful example for the company to allow its employees to work in their chosen environment while still being highly productive in their work. That was seven years ago, and today Beer said most Global Software employees now telecommute as well.

Global Software started in 1973, and at that time its primary product was a spreadsheet server to help accounting firms. Today the company runs a multitude of products, while Beer looks to make partnerships with other software firms with services that Global Software can supplement. Some deals are with smaller startups around the globe, but a lot of the time Beer is working on long-term partnerships, or what he called “hunting whales.”

“It’s a complex sale — It’s fun to negotiate big deals. I like working in an important area with the company,” Beer said. “That’s part of the excitement with it.”

Beer works from a home office, where he believes he’s more productive and focused than in a traditional office space. He said oftentimes the office life includes distractions; people want to talk, socialize and check in, while he’s much more focused on putting in a solid day of hard work so he can get into the outdoors with his family.

“It’s not for everyone,” he said. “Your boss has to trust you, but the results of that hard work create that trust and the freedom to work from home.”

Working remotely and living in the Montana mountains, nearly 2,500 miles from Global Software’s headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, means the Beer family has access to a variety of outdoor recreation. Beer is particularly interested in hiking and skiing. He said he has skied in Tahoe and Colorado, but learned to ski in the Swiss Alps. He added that he spent a lot of time skiing in the Midwest, so he’s eager to try out Whitefish Mountain Resort. This year, he’s looking forward to trying out the backcountry for the first time, and plans to soon be equipped with a full alpine-touring setup to explore his new environment year round.

“This was the best job for my wife, but because the outdoor opportunities and being the best place to raise our daughter, it felt like home right away,” he said.

Beer remembers the ‘aha’ moment of seeing Grinnell Glacier for the first time, and knowing they had landed in the right place.

“We live in the most beautiful place in the country,” he said. By heading west from the East Coast, “There’s a feeling like we’re following Lewis and Clark. It just feels like there is still that sense of adventure. You feel like you’re on the frontier, and maybe high-tech can expand that frontier.”

Beer said the Flathead Valley’s biggest challenge in high-tech is specialized education in the valley. He would love to see more high-tech programs in high schools and at Flathead Valley Community College, so he decided to get involved. He recently joined with the Montana High Tech Alliance to be an advocate for the industry and hopes he can soon make an impact by improving the already growing tech market in northwest Montana.

“It’s a great way to diversify our economy rapidly,” he said. “It adds depth and vitality and the reason why the valley is growing the way it is.”

For what it is now, Beer said he enjoys Montana’s frontier and its trusting, community-minded population. He said it’s illustrated by people not always locking their doors, children playing around town without the need of supervision and the inspiration induced by the untamed wildlife and terrain.

“When it’s not just a fun thing to do, but a way of life,” he said. “Community trust is alive and well. It’s a virtuous circle.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.