SCRANTON -- A success story for one business in Scranton shows you don't have to be in Silicon Valley to have a growing tech company.
The company Net Driven was just bought by a billion-dollar conglomerate that promises to keep the 70 workers here.
Net Driven has come a long way since starting with just one employee in a small room eight years ago.
At Net Driven in Scranton, workers design web pages and marketing strategies for 5,000 auto parts stores, tire stores, and auto dealers all over North America.
Founder Patrick Sandone showed us around the colorful facility downtown that came from his dream seven years ago.
"You don't have to be in Silicon Valley to make that happen. You can build a world class technology company right here in Scranton," Sandone said.
That message brought business and political leaders to celebrate the success and sale of this company to Internet Brands Inc., a big player in the web business.
A condition of the deal is that Net Driven and its 70 workers stay in Scranton.
Sandone started all this in 2007 in one room of the Scranton Enterprise Center, a small business incubator, leaving an investment job to take a risk.
"That's really one of my dreams to demonstrate to people in this community that I think can be a little bit more risk-averse than other places, you know, the risk is worth it."
One thing Pat Sandone is proud of is how this company has gotten young college graduates to stay in the Scranton area or move here from elsewhere.
"There's not a lot of companies like this in the area as I understand, so it's really great to be part of it, especially the size of it," said software developer manager Scott Hall.
"I have absolutely fallen in love with Net Driven. Everyone is so fantastic to work with and the company has such a youthful and creative energy. It's absolutely fantastic," said director of internet marketing Mandy Boyle.
Boyle is from Scranton and stayed here. Kathryn Bondi moved here from the Lehigh Valley for this job.
"I thought maybe I was going to use this as a starter job, go to a metro like Philly or Pittsburgh. Honestly, I've just loved so much what I do here," Bondi said. "You know, why would you go somewhere else?"
Pat Sandone wouldn't say how much Internet Brands Inc. is paying for Net Driven but part of deal includes him staying on as president of the company in Scranton.
