Healthplan Services Announces Tampa Headquarters Expansion
September 18, 2013
Project will create over 1,000 new jobs and $34.4 million capital investment in Hillsborough County
TAMPA, Fla./Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that HealthPlan Services™ (HPS), a leading administrative services provider for the insurance and managed care markets, will create more than 1,000 new jobs by 2018. The Tampa-based company will invest an estimated $34.4 million in the development of a state-of-the-art, 95,689 square foot facility at 6700 Lakeview Center Drive in eastern Hillsborough County to accommodate the expansion.
“We are pleased that HealthPlan Services is expanding in the Tampa Bay community and thrilled that they are going to create more than 1,000 jobs for Florida families by 2018,” said Governor Scott. “Florida’s economic turnaround continues and today’s announcement is proof that our efforts to make Florida the top state in the nation for business and families are paying off. From the creation of nearly 370,000 private-sector jobs, to an unemployment rate below the national average and paying down more than $6 billion in debt since December 2010, IT’S WORKING in Florida.”
Founded in 1970, HPS currently employs 652 individuals in Hillsborough County, with an additional 119 employees throughout the state.
“This expansion strengthens our commitment to provide our clients with the innovative services and high-quality customer support they need to succeed,” said Jeff Bak, HPS president and CEO. “In our search to determine where HPS would expand, we evaluated several states that had strong attributes. A big part of our decision to expand in Florida was the talented workforce in the Tampa Bay area and the tremendous support we received from Governor Scott, the Governor’s team at Enterprise Florida, led by Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, and the Hillsborough County and City of Tampa economic development teams, including the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.”
Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa were among multiple locations, including Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio, working to attract the new jobs and investment.
“More and more, industry leaders like HealthPlan Services are seeing the value, resources and talent that Florida provides, and are establishing and expanding in our state,” said Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, who also serves as president & CEO of Enterprise Florida. “We are thrilled that HPS has found a home in Tampa and is continuing to add high-quality jobs in Florida.”
The project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Workforce Florida, Inc. and Department of Economic Opportunity.
“This exciting announcement is a perfect example of what can happen when companies and communities work together to remove obstacles to growth,” said the Hon. Ken Hagan, Chairman of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. “We congratulate HPS on its expansion and look forward to many years of continued partnership and success.”
“With new companies locating in Tampa and existing ones like HPS expanding, we are growing our economy, and leading the state out of the recession. After considering other locations across the country, this company, which got its roots in Tampa, chose to expand right here,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “A project of this magnitude is a significant win for our community, and a testament to the outstanding business climate in Tampa.”
“We fought hard to keep these jobs in our community,” said David Pizzo, Tampa Hillsborough EDC Chair and Market President, West Florida Region for Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield company. “This expansion sends a clear message that we are a premier destination for business, and a growing leader in the health and life sciences sector, with government partners that strongly support the creation of new, high-wage jobs in our target industries.”
“As companies like HealthPlan Services grow here, they create new economic opportunities that help Florida families and communities thrive and elevate Florida’s position as a leading state for talent,” said Workforce Florida President/CEO Chris Hart IV. “Workforce Florida is committed to ensuring our state’s job creators have access to the skilled workforce they need to compete and succeed, a top priority for our Governor.”
“It’s wonderful that HealthPlan Services sees strength in Tampa’s workforce and has chosen to expand its facility to accommodate the company’s rapid growth,” said Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio. “HPS’s expansion is further proof that Florida is the best place to build and cultivate a business.”
Jones Lang LaSalle represented HealthPlan Services in the expansion of its footprint in the state by 100,000 square feet in a new facility in East Tampa. Chad Rupp, Managing Director of JLL’s Central Florida business, completed the company’s office expansion with JLL’s Anne-Marie Woessner-Collins, who structured the tenant’s economic incentive package in collaboration with the local and state government. The property’s owner, Penn-Florida, was represented by Mercedes Angell and Jeff Lanning of Cushman & Wakefield. Financial terms of the lease were not disclosed.
“We have been working with HealthPlan Services since January to find an adequate space and to structure the incentive package that will bring its newest facility here to Tampa, furthering cementing Tampa’s position as a hub for the health care and insurance industries,” said JLL Managing Director Chad Rupp. “HealthPlan’s decision to expand its presence in Tampa will strengthen the local office market, as it represents the demand for additional office space and the creation of hundreds of more jobs.”
In August, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the Tampa City Council approved a combined local incentive package of $502,800, supporting a commitment of $2,011,200 from the State of Florida through the State’s Qualified Target Industry (QTI) program. The total QTI allocation of $2,514,000 will provide the company with $3,000 per job for up to 838 of the newly created, high-wage positions. The incentives, to be distributed over a period of nine years, are performance-based, meaning funds are only paid after the jobs are created at the wages promised. The incentivized jobs, which include IT, marketing, accounting, management, and insurance and pension fund administration, pay a minimum average wage of $47,581.
Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the HPS Careers page at www.HealthPlan.com for more information on available positions, and the experience and skills the company is seeking in prospective employees.
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About the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation:
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation (tampabayedc.com) is the lead economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC drives job creation and capital investment through the recruitment, expansion and retention of economic base businesses in Hillsborough County.
About HealthPlan Services™:
HealthPlan Services (HPS) is the largest independent provider of sales, service, retention and technology solutions to the insurance and managed care industry. Since 1970, HPS has offered customized administration and distribution services to insurers of individual, small group, voluntary and association plans, as well as valuable solutions to thousands of brokers and agents. HPS’ proprietary, scalable technology provides innovative consumer-facing solutions that are turnkey self-service tools for insurance carriers and distribution partners. HPS offers an ever-expanding array of services to a diverse and growing client base, and administers products that include medical (PPO, HMO, indemnity, consumer-driven), dental, vision, life, disability, cancer, critical illness, accident, long-term care, limited medical, as well as various other ancillary insurance. HPS is committed to providing extraordinary service to its customers. For more information about HPS, visit www.healthplan.com.
