A Germantown-based digital firm is moving to a larger building to support its continued growth.
Clear Function's shift from 2130 West St., where it occupies 2,000 square feet, involves relocating its operations into a 9,300-square-foot space at 2277 West St. by the end of the year.
Bill Ganus, a principal at Clear Function, told MBJ that the firm closed on Aug. 8 on a $1.6 million purchase of the building at 2277 West. The company plans to have two floors for office space and one for event space at its new headquarters.
“We will immediately occupy one floor, which is 50% bigger than where we are now,” he said. “We’re currently debating whether we’re going to hold the other floor for our own expansion, or if we’re going to lease it to a third-party tenant.”
Ganus and co. plan to use the event space as an assist in building up the local tech community.
“We know we’re going to use it to bring together software industry people and be able to do meetups, hackathons, and professional development,” he said. “It was the compelling reason why we bought the building, which was to be able to get the industry together. There are strong tech and fintech companies that are here, and we’re hoping having access to additional space will give us a place to help convene some of that industry.”
Clear Function was founded in 2015 by CEO Colin Neller. The firm's digital niche includes assisting companies in building and implementing fintech and custom payment processing software.
The firm has a staff of about 20 professionals who help build custom software for local clients such as Bite Ninja, while also serving a national clientele like VisitPay and Synapse Financial. Synapse, a fintech firm, was founded in Memphis before later relocating to the West Coast.
“We receive requests for support from businesses operating from the Silicon Valley to Florida that need payment processing expertise,” Ganus said.
Seeking software engineers
Neller said his firm is currently looking to hire additional employees, including business analysts and quality assurance engineers. Those positions are in addition to hires made in recent weeks, which included hiring a new engineering director and marketing coordinator. The company also recently filled a newly created recruiting position geared toward bringing in additional software engineers more quickly.
“The primary position that we look to hire — and that we think we will be filling up the new space with — is software engineers,” Neller said. “It’s what makes up the majority of our team, and it’s a position that is most in demand. We’re always looking to hire high-quality, gifted, and talented software engineers.”
Neller noted there is a challenge in finding software engineers locally, but the firm does make finding locals with that skillset a priority.
"We aren’t necessarily known for being a technology hub, so there aren't a lot [of software engineers] to draw from in Memphis,” Neller said. “There is talent here, but it can be harder to find, so we do sometimes have to go outside the city to fill positions. But we would love to be able to continue to grow with local software developers when possible.”
