A Bay Area company helping clients acquire new customers plans scores of jobs in Downtown Albuquerque.
The company, LQ Digital, uses various digital tactics to help clients attract more business, including search engine optimization and marketing, social media and contact center services. By the end of the year, LQ plans to have built a workforce of 100 in Albuquerque, adding to its nationwide workforce of about 300, according to CEO Katy Keim.
LQ Digital will employ "service agents," who Keim said respond to inquiries. Full- and part-time positions will be available. The company scoured the country looking for the ideal metro to expand to, and Albuquerque took the top spot. Out of hundreds of locales that were initially included in the search, she said, four made the final cut: Albuquerque, San Antonio, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho.
Albuquerque was selected, Keim said, because it was the best fit in terms of workforce and culture. Other considerations included the fact that there is a direct flight from Oakland, California, where Keim lives, she said.
The company hopes to secure an office space this month, with plans to be up and running here by the end of September. It has already hired a couple of people in Albuquerque, Keim said.
In January, New Mexico’s Job Training Incentive Program announced LQ Digital had been awarded $417,164 in job training funds. LQ Digital, the NM Economic Development Department said at the time, would open its Albuquerque facility by the end of January. The funds awarded were targeted for 101 trainees with an average hourly wage off $15.70.
LQ Digital has a presence in Oakland; Austin, Texas; and Shelton, Connecticut, with about one-third of its workforce in the Bay Area, according to Keim.
Over the past year, several tech-focused companies have announced plans to leave the Bay Area, which has a lively tech scene and high cost of living. Such companies include computer technology firm Oracle Corp. and data center company Digital Realty Trust Inc. Both moved their headquarters to Austin.
Keim declined to disclose LQ Digital's revenue. The firm was founded about 15 years ago.
LQ Digital acknowledged its intent to expand to Albuquerque during an Albuquerque Economic Development event Thursday focused on the city’s strengths for companies looking for places to expand or relocate.
