An Orono hotel that announced its final closure less than two weeks ago has sold to a Texas-based software company that will convert the property into office space.
Tyler Technologies, which provides software to the public sector, will convert the 57-year-old University Inn and Suites into offices for up to 75 employees, 36 of whom will move out of the company’s current offices in Bangor. Tyler currently employs more than 1,200 people in Maine at its offices in Bangor, Falmouth and Yarmouth.
“Tyler is delighted to expand our presence in Maine with the purchase of the Orono facility,”
Chris Hepburn, president of Tyler’s Enterprise Group, said Wednesday. “We have strong ties to the region and having this new space will allow us to strengthen our commitment to hire in Maine. “
The company plans to begin renovations sometime in 2022, and once the work is complete, it will also provide space for members of the Orono community to host events during the company’s off hours.
The University Inn announced its closure earlier this month. The hotel, located on College Avenue in Orono, opened in 1964. For 21 years, it has been owned by Tracey Whitten, who also owns the Black Bear Inn and Conference Center, also in Orono.
Hepburn said the company’s expansion to Orono represents its commitment to the growth of Maine’s tech industry.
For the past eight years, the company has funded a scholarship competition in Maine high schools called the Maine App Challenge, in which students create their own mobile apps and enter them into the competition. The competition is organized in partnership with the Foster Center for Student Innovation at the neighboring University of Maine.
The company’s move to the Orono offices “will help us create employment opportunities for full-time employees and internship applicants, as well as strengthen our relationships with community partners,” said Hepburn.
Tyler Technologies has acquired several Maine technology companies over the years, including Computer Center Software in Falmouth in 1999, GBF Information Systems in Portland in 2003, Advanced Data Systems in Bangor in 2007, and Sage Data Security in Portland in 2018.
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