Government contractor looks to add high-wage jobs in Tampa

December 13, 2016

Janelle Irwin | Tampa Bay Business Journal

Lukos, a local veteran-owned company that provides support services for federal government acquisition programs, is adding 10 new high-paying jobs and expanding its Hillsborough County headquarters.

“Tampa has the access we need to the military and technology communities,” said Garth Arevalo, Lukos CEO. “We started our business in Tampa and thanks to connections to MacDill Air Force Base and the growing technology ecosystem, we have even more opportunities to expand here.”

Lukos will add new project managers and financial analysts, paying an average annual wage of at least $72,000, a release said. The company provides support in engineering, health care, training and operations and logistics planning and efficiency.

The company is expanding to support a new project that will provide a mobile application for combat trauma care training for defense health agencies and the military. Lukos was awarded a $3.8 million two-year contract for that project, according to the release.

The expansion includes a $10,000 investment in Lukos’ new headquarters on Brush Street in Tampa.

The project was a collaboration between the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the city of Tampa, Hillsborough County, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. and Enterprise Florida.

“Florida is home to more than 3,000 headquarters offices and Lukos is a fantastic addition to that strong foundation of business leaders,” said Mike Grissom, executive vice president of Enterprise Florida.

The jobs will be available to both military and civilian professionals.

“Lukos could have made the decision to locate these jobs elsewhere, but they chose to create them in Tampa,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “That speaks volumes about Tampa’s attractiveness to innovative, high-growth local companies, who are finding the support they need to successfully expand here.”