SPOKANE, Wash—Bill Kalivas, a Google Cloud Sales Executive and Spokane native, said the tech scene in Spokane is growing.
“Tech is here, and I think as an economy, we need to embrace it,” Kalivas said.
He added that he moved back to the Lilac City because he not only loves what the region offers but saw an opportunity.
“I see a growing tech hub in Spokane and in the Inland Northwest,” Kalivas said.
In 2022, Kalivas founded LaunchPad Inland Northwest, a nonprofit that aims to connect and expand the region’s innovation community.
He said they have built a newtork of 2,500 people of various entrepreneurial backgrounds looking to grow and invest in the tech space, “it’s really not about us being elevated, it’s more about the region being elevated.”
Recently, Spokane received a Tech Hub designation which is awarded by the U.S Department of Commerce. Out of 400 applications nationwide, 31 were designated.
Tami Palmquist the Development Service Director for the City of Spokane told NonStopLocal that Spokane received a special designation.
“We are the only tech hub that is focused on aeronautical manufacturing. so that really puts our community at the forefront for investing in these types of technologies,” Palmquist said.
Palmquist added that it’s people like Kalivas who will bring the city to the next level.
“I think it’s exciting to see people reinvesting in their hometown and the community that they grew up in. They’ve been able to be successful in their endeavors, and then bring that back to our community,” Kalivas said.
He said he has big aspirations for his hometown.
“Our goal is to just continually grow and really become a competitive tech hub throughout the country,” Kalivas said.
