May 9, 2024 – One of the four specialty bays in the Convergent Technology Alliance Center (CTAC) at Missouri Western State University will be named in honor of a leading national provider of technology-fueled customer experience solutions for business. The advanced AI, IT, and cyber science bay will be named in honor of Dallas-based Humach, a provider of AI technology-driven contact center solutions for hundreds of clients across a variety of industries and regions.
The bay will feature a Secure Operations Center or “SOC” where students learn how to detect potential attacks, a cybersecurity incident “war room” for studying how to combat them, and tools for conducting computer forensics in the aftermath of an incident to understand what happened and how to address the issue.
“The resources housed in this bay will enable our students to engage in hands-on, applied learning that will provide them with essential skills and experience as they enter careers driven in cybersecurity or that draw on AI or other information technologies,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, Missouri Western State University’s president. “We are excited to recognize Humach in this way.”
CTAC, currently under construction on Missouri Western’s campus, is a partnership with North Central Missouri College to serve workforce development needs in skilled manufacturing, construction and related industries, along with cybersecurity. The $12 million project is expected to open in Fall 2024. Funding has been provided by Missouri Western State University Foundation, NCMC, the State of Missouri, the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, and more than a dozen local business, industry, and non-profit partners.
“We are proud to partner with this transformational project,” said Tim Houlne, a 1986 graduate of Missouri Western and Humach’s CEO. “MWSU, NCMC and the other partners are investing in the development of a new and uniquely-capable workforce. These innovative technologies have the power to change the way the world works for the better.”
Humach simplifies and streamlines customized customer experiences for some of the world’s leading brands with a blend of live agents, digital agents and robust AI and automation technologies to allow businesses to focus on their core business operations. In 2023, Humach was number 29 out of 5,000 rated businesses on Inc. Magazine’s list of the Southwest region’s fastest growing private companies. That same year, Humach was named the best AI / business process outsourcing provider by Remend, an independent industry advisor group that identifies ways for business to manage technology costs.
“Just like the manufacturing and construction industries represented in CTAC that are evolving toward increasing productivity through the use of technology, our company’s heritage traces back to some of the earliest adopters of contact center operations more than three decades ago,” says Houlne, “And by leveraging technological innovations, we’ve been ahead of the curve ever since.”
Previously, Missouri Western announced that other parts of CTAC would respectively be named the Gray Manufacturing Workshop Bay and the Altec Manufacturing Technology Bay.
About Humach
Humach (humans + machines) is redefining customer engagement, sales, and support. By blending the expertise of human contact center agents with machine learning and digital agents, Humach provides businesses with unparalleled customer experiences and streamlined transactions. With a focus on Fortune 2000 companies and venture-backed start-ups, Humach aims to transform the way businesses engage, acquire, and support their customers. For more information, visit www.humach.com.
About Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.