BOISE, ID — October 16, 2008 — It's the latest in a series of high tech layoffs - 1,500 Micron employees will get pink slips over the next several months.
But when employees are let go from businesses such as Micron and Hewlett Packard, can they still find success afterward?
"This is a general purpose remote monitoring and control," said Steve Hodges, president and founder of M2M Communications.
Hodges, a former HP employee who left in 1984, admits the remote control boxes his company makes may seem a little boring.
"The farmer can log onto our website to start and stop it," he said.
Hodges found a niche in the high tech industry and it doesn't involve either of the big dogs: Micron or Hewlett Packard.
"Small companies are where it's at," he said.
Hodges moved to Boise to work for HP. He spent more than five years as an engineer before heading out on his own. Since then, he's started up six companies his latest: M2M Communications.
"I don't think there's any shortage of ideas and products that need to be done especially with the
Internet, electronics and software," Hodges said.
Hodges understands it can be scary to be laid off especially right now, but he also says this can be the best time to start a start up.
So how many former Micron and HP employees have gone on to start their own businesses?
The Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, the Boise Chamber of Commerce, and Idaho's chief economist didn't have an exact figure. They do say, however, that lay offs at Micron and HP can actually help draw new businesses to Boise due to the available, highly skilled employee pool.
Even with the recent economic conditions Hodges still feels confident about his choice to go out on his own and he says he would do it again.
"It really is the place to be, we could do it again tomorrow if we needed to," Hodges said.
The small business owner started M2M with no outside investment, but with a little money, he says he boot strapped it up from the beginning and it's still 100-percent employee owned.
By Kiersten Throndsen