A Canada-based company focused on growing high-tech jobs is ready to move its headquarters to the Tampa Bay region.
Marc-Olivier Groleau, CodeBoxx Technology business development coordinator, said the company plans to move to either Tampa or St. Petersburg in 2021, with its CEO set to move to the area this November. CodeBoxx provides a 16-week, full-time coding course, with the promise that any participant who completes the course will be guaranteed a job.
The move would bring roughly 25 to 30 new jobs to the area, according to Groleau, with its minimum wage being $25/hour.
The company has been in talks with J.P. DuBuque, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp. CodeBoxx had roughly a dozen potential cities it was considering, including Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City. The cities were reviewed under a set of criteria including the city's population, the nature of the city's tech industry, the demand for qualified technologists and the quality of life for those in the tech industry.
"Tampa is really the Austin, Texas of the East," Groleau said. "There are a lot of businesses moving to Tampa — a lot of tech companies moving to Tampa. The demand for technologists is very high; the number of people who can pay them is also very high."
Technology companies began to take notice — and action — in the Tampa Bay region in July 2019, with the relocation of New York City-based JustProtect. In the last year, 10 companies have decided to either relocate or expand to the Tampa Bay region.
Groleau is hopeful that with the arrival of CodeBoxx the talent pool can further deepen, specifically for technology-enabled companies.
"The majority of tech jobs are not going to be with tech companies," Groleau said, referencing Raymond James Financial as a prime example of needing tech talent. "Technology is everywhere. We have a tech focus with tech companies, but we have business from everywhere."
Registration for the coding bootcamp, slated for May, is now open. Groleau said it is typical for CodeBoxx to open registration for a bootcamp before choosing a final physical location in the region. Registration opened last week and has a dozen slots filled out of 50, which Groleau said is the fastest he has seen yet.
"CodeBoxx was built for times like these," he said. "The tech industry is growing and the demand for qualified technologists will explode even more than the last year."
These companies have recently expanded or relocated to Tampa Bay
- October 2019 - NIX United, a Ukraine-based software company, relocates its headquarters to St. Petersburg
- November 2019 - Kin Insurance, a Chicago-based insurance technology company, announced it would open an office in St. Petersburg
- December 2019 - Drift, a Boston-based company, chose Tampa as its fourth U.S. office
- January - The Inc Lab, a D.C.-based company announced it would be bringing an AI lab to Tampa
- February - Avalon Healthcare Solutions a Healthcare IT company, expands expansion project
- May - Pole Star, a London-based maritime technology company, announced the opening of a St. Petersburg office
- May - After getting acquired from St. Pete-based Sunny-Z Inc., New Jersey-based American Fibertek relocated to St. Petersburg
- June - Fisher Investments a Washington-based financial services company, announced a new office opening in Tampa
- July - Baltimore-based Madison Cloud relocates to the Feather Sound area in Pinellas County
- July - ioAssociates, a U.K.-based digital technology firm, announced it would open its first U.S. office in Tampa
