Giving rural America a competitive edge

When 28-year-old Derek Gleim graduated as a computer programmer four years ago, he hardly expected he would craft a career as an IT professional in his hometown of Menasha, Wis. "I wanted to live with my parents in Menasha, where life is simple and inexpensive," he said. "But I was sure that to get that big break I had to move out to a city that's more urban; Menasha is a small, rural town."

He was pleasantly surprised when he landed a project manager job at Rural America Onshore Sourcing, a Louisville, Ky.-based IT company that provides business process outsourcing services using professionals who telecommute from rural areas...