Google, Inc., officially opened its new office in Madison Wednesday and local politicians were in attendance to welcome the company to Wisconsin.
Gov. Jim Doyle, as well as U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin and James Laudon, who is to co-head the office, celebrated its opening.
Google also hosted an open house for its new lab, which will focus on designing hardware and software.
The search engine company from California announced in April its plans to build an engineering office in Madison at 301 South Blount St.
The Madison office will be the Internet giant's first office in Wisconsin.
Doyle said Google opened this office in Madison because of its location next to the UW-Madison campus and the state's talented workforce.
He also said continuing to invest in education will be important for the future of the state's economy.
[Its proximity to the university] demonstrates how important the university is to the long-term economic health of this state,"" Doyle said.
Google already has Madison and UW connections, such as its Google Book Project in collaboration with university libraries.
Doyle said Google's arrival in Madison is a boon to Wisconsin's economy, particularly in light of the current economic situation.
