When I mention to people back home that Tivix has an office in Poland I usually get a confused look. “Poland? Seriously? Why?"

I understand that reaction. I'm here this week, and I’m constantly shaking my head at how the Poland of today bears almost no resemblance to the Poland I learned about as an American growing up during the cold war. Poland today is a vibrant, modern, thriving economy – one of the shining stars of the European Union. And I'm more convinced than ever that our decision to make an investment here is one of the best decisions Tivix has made.

At a time when some of the southern European countries have had sluggish economies, Poland is becoming an absolute economic powerhouse – the World Bank’s most recent report notes that Poland has become the fastest growing economy in the entire European Union and now has the largest economy in Central Europe.

The Tivix office is in the town of Wroclaw, often called the “Venice of Central Europe” because of its system of rivers, canals, and bridges. Wroclaw has been a leading university city for a long time – twelve of their faculty members have been awarded Nobel Prizes, in fact.

All of which brings me to the principal reason we have an office in Poland – the quality of the intellectual capital here. Most of our team members have Master’s Degrees in Computer Science from the Wrocław University of Technology (the #1-ranked engineering school in the country), and the intellect that they bring to the Tivix team is enormous. These guys are ridiculously smart.

Secondly, having an office within the European Union makes it more efficient for us to manage engagements such as the new platform we’re developing for the European Commission, and for the project we are doing for the UN's World Food Program.

So, there’s the answer. That’s why Tivix has invested in making Wroclaw our European Headquarters. And I'm glad we have. It's a great place.