Koch Business Solutions plans Reno office

Koch Business Solutions, a shared-services company for subsidiaries of Koch Industries Inc., will open a new satellite applications center in Reno.

The announcement was made Thursday at the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada investors luncheon at the Peppermill.

The company plans to hire about 20 people in the first year.

Koch is a privately held company headquartered in Wichita, Kan., with a presence in 60 countries and employs more than 100,000 people worldwide, which includes approximately 60,000 employees in the United States. Koch companies are involved in refining, chemicals, grain processing and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; electronic components; process and pollution control equipment and technologies; commodity trading; minerals; energy; ranching; glass; and investments and holds 9,500 patents.

“Reno has a deep base of very talented IT professionals,” Kevin Spiares, director, technology services for KBS, said in a statement. “As we look to provide support in the areas of applications development, cybersecurity, global network architecture and various cloud, virtual and converged platforms, we need employees who will continue to help us solve problems and prepare us for future needs. That’s why Reno is the perfect place for us.”

The Reno location will primarily serve as a satellite office focused on providing Koch Industries IT capabilities in applications (development, analytics, support, databases, etc.), cybersecurity, global networks (architecture, WAN, LAN, Voice, etc.), and computer platforms (cloud, virtual, converged).