DETROIT ? The wave of West Michigan technology companies opening offices in Detroit continued this week when Open Systems Technologies, an $80 million IT infrastructure company based in Grand Rapids, but with field offices in Ann Arbor, Minneapolis and London, England, opened its latest branch in the Grand Park Centre Building in downtown Detroit. OST immediately put out the help wanted sign, saying it is looking to hire seven more employees to match the seven already working in Detroit.

The 1000 square foot plus office at the corner of the 17th floor of 28 West Adams Ave. is just a block and a half from Comerica Park, Ford Field and the Fox theater district.

Short term, OST wants to hire application developers, technical consultants, project managers and sales pros to serve existing Detroit metro clients that include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Cummins, University of Michigan, Roush industries, and Cooper Tire. Long term the company wants to add more metro Detroit clients.

OST follows other Grand Rapids tech companies into downtown Detroit. Just last year, Atomic Object, Mindscape at Hanon McKendry and tech-focused public relations agency Lambert Edwards established outposts in Motown to tap the rich tech talent pool in what many folks are now calling Detroit 2.0.

OST President and CEO Dan Behm said this week that OST has experimented with field offices in a lot of locations around the Midwest and nation only to find that they weren?t a good fit for the company he founded in 1997. His most successful field offices is in Minneapolis where he said the culture is similar to Grand Rapids. What attracted him to Detroit is the up-and-coming tech culture developing downtown.

?The energy in downtown Detroit is amazing,? Behm said. ?There is a lot of talent there, especially in the tech industry. OST wants to be part of that community and the excitement in order to help in Detroit?s comeback.

?We see Detroit as the engine that moves the state,? he said. ?In addition, no matter where you go business leaders like to do business with people they know, whether it is from the same schools or softball teams. Our company and employees put a lot of effort into giving back to the community. The relationship value is extremely important.?

If you?d like to apply for the jobs available at OST, click on OSTUSA.Com