During a news conference at the State Theatre today, JAMF Software announced a $500,000 commitment to support a regional arts center in downtown Eau Claire. The pledge will help fund the construction of the community arts center's 250-seat black box theater.

The arts center is the centerpiece of the public-private partnership known as the Confluence Project, which also intends to construct a commercial/retail complex and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student housing at the downtown site.

JAMF Software, which develops and sells enterprise management software for the Apple platform, has been located downtown for five years and has grown from 4 to 94 employees in Eau Claire.

Commitment to quality

“We've very proud to support a community arts center in Eau Claire,” said Zach Halmstad, Co-Founder of JAMF Software. “Because the benefits of the arts are difficult to quantify, many communities are supporting them less and less. I'm excited to see our city embrace this project, and I think it speaks volumes about the character and quality of our community. We have a bright and exciting future, and the Confluence Project is a huge step forward for us.”

Founded in Eau Claire in 2002 and now headquartered in Minneapolis, the company currently has a total of 178 employees at its locations worldwide (including New York City, Cupertino, Amsterdam and Hong Kong). Thirty-five percent of employees are UW-Eau Claire graduates, and the company also maintains a strong internship program with UW-Eau Claire.

Thriving downtown community

“Many of us grew up here, went to school at UW-Eau Claire, and are raising our families in this community,” said Jason Wudi, Chief Cultural Officer of JAMF Software. “We are excited to see and be part of the continued growth of the thriving downtown community. We see the downtown as the best place to help develop the rich experiences the Confluence Project will bring - all while maintaining a wonderful proximity to the services, businesses, housing, and outdoor activities within walking distance of our workplace.”

The JAMF Software commitment to the community arts center is conditional upon the successful acquisition of state, city of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County funding, as well as the approvals needed for the construction of the Confluence Project.

About JAMF Software

JAMF Software, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, is the creator of the Casper Suite, the only suite of Mac OS X and iOS management software developed exclusively for the Apple platform. As the best-of-breed management solution, the Casper Suite provides a great breadth and depth of functionality for IT administrators including software distribution, imaging, inventory, package building, image management, remote updates, mobile device management, and a powerful framework for automated support.