As tech businesses shrink, Tyler Technologies says it will continue to grow in Maine.

Rob’s job came at an unusual time for Tyler Technologies’ new office in Orono.

It seems like every day tech companies are downsizing and closing brick and mortar operations. Already, more than 102,000 tech workers will lose their jobs by 2023, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a national migration organization. That’s more than all of 2022.

But Tyler’s new office, located next to the University of Maine at the former University Inn site, will have room for the 30 employees who now work in Bangor — plus 45 additional employees.

Chris Webster, president of the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning and Civic Division, said the expansion in Orono is a sign that Tyler will continue to develop strong ties to Maine and grow in the coming years.

Tyler Technologies’ sole business is providing software and technology to government agencies. In Maine, for example, the company has developed a system that allows state courts to operate online, with lawyers filing briefs and judges issuing orders electronically. Tyler works with local governments, Webster said, providing technology that allows city and county officials to track projects and monitor finances.

In a tough economy, Tyler has the advantage of working in the public sector because government agencies “don’t go out of business,” Webster said.

The company is based in Maine. In 1962, John Marr Process Inc. was founded in Falmouth.

In the year That business, named MUNIS in the 1980s, was sold in 1999 to Plano, Texas-based Tyler. Today, the parent company is headed by John Marr Jr., Executive Chairman of the Board.

Tyler has about 1,000 employees in Maine. In addition to the Bangor office — which is expected to move to Orono next year — there are branches in Augusta, Falmouth and Yarmouth.

Webster said Tyler Technologies has recently prospered because many government agencies received federal stimulus money during the pandemic and invested in information systems.

Brian Whitney, president of the Maine Institute of Technology, said the company is smart about its growth in providing financing and services to tech companies in the state.

The Orono location gives the company exposure to UMaine students and new employees. Tyler already runs educational programs in Maine middle and high schools, such as app development competitions, Whitney said.

“They’re setting up a feeder system and getting into schools early and that’s a recipe for success,” he said, looking to hire workers for years down the road.

“Cooperation with the university is also profitable,” he said, “because by cooperating with the university, they can produce more workers, which can enhance the university’s great research and development.”

Whitney said Tyler’s investment is a good sign at a time when venture capital for tech companies is drying up due to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

“Tyler is definitely a shining star” among the state’s tech companies, he said.

That’s why the university accepted the company’s decision to move to new quarters near campus, said UMaine President Joanne Ferrini-Mundi. She said they expect the company and the school to develop a strong relationship that could include internships, research and eventually jobs.

The app challenge already does that, Ferrini-Mundi said. The experience will lead middle and high school students to Orono to focus on technology careers. Once on campus, the proximity of Tyler’s office should be a real plus.

To get there, “I told them they could ride their bikes or skateboards or scooters,” she said.

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