A software development company based in the Netherlands has announced it will build its US headquarters in the Phoenix area.
The announcement came Tuesday from Gov. Jan Brewer and Gerard Warrens, CEO of Stealth Software. Warrens said that when they began looking for a location for their American headquarters, the first places that came to mind were the traditional high-tech havens such as Austin, Texas; Boston; the New York area; and Silicon Valley.
But he said one of the firms they hired to help them evaluate various metro areas was based in Tempe, and that company helped open Stealth's eyes to the advantages of Arizona. Warrens says one of the biggest advantages is the cost of doing business. He said both the cost of the physical building (including land and taxes) and the cost of the "talent pool" from which they would draw employees are much lower here.
"The same kind of skill set would have cost the company a lot more money" in those other locations, he said. He said the exact location of their US headquarters has yet to be determined, but that decision should come in the next two to four weeks. The company expects to hire an estimated 200 people, mostly software developers and sales people, over the next three years.
Download the full announcement here.
Additional links:
CBS 5: Brewer expected to announce new jobs coming to AZ
Phoenix Business Journal: STEALTH Software bringing 200 jobs to Phoenix area
Azcentral.com/Arizona Republic: Dutch firm to open headquarters in metro Phoenix, bring 200 jobs
CBS 5: Brewer: new jobs coming to Arizona
ABC 15: 7 stories to watch in Arizona
ABC 15: Phoenix jobs: Software firm Stealth to open US office in metro Phoenix
KFYI: AZ Getting New High-Tech Company
Arizona Capitol Times: Software company chooses Arizona for headquarters; 200 jobs planned
KTAR: Software firm to open US office in metro Phoenix
Cronkite News: Software company chooses Arizona for headquarters; 200 jobs planned
The Republic: Software firm based in Luxembourg announces it will open its US headquarters in metro Phoenix
Yahoo Business and Finance: Software firm to open US office in metro Phoenix
San Diego 6: Software firm to open US office in metro Phoenix
Area Development: Stealth Software To Invest $2 Million To Establish Its US Headquarters In Phoenix, Arizona
Bloomberb Businessweek: Software firm to open US office in metro Phoenix
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2013/02/19/stealth-software-bringing-200-jobs-to.html
http://bigstory.ap.org/photo/jan-brewer-gerard-warrens
http://aznow.biz/tag/gerard-warrens
http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021913_software_phx/stealth-software-bringing-200-tech-jobs-phx/