Newly merged IT firm moves corporate headquarters to Tampa
February 12, 2016
Hillsborough County gained another fast-growing corporate headquarters earlier this month with arrival of Cohesion. The information technology firm, which is relocating from Cincinnati following a merger with Baltimore-based CPSI Consulting, will add 100 jobs averaging $76,000 a year in Tampa. Governor Rick Scott joined Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist to welcome the Cohesion team at a press conference held at the EDC offices on February 8.
Cohesion, which has 250 employees in seven locations across the country, serves clients in the communication, finance, government, health care, insurance, publishing and retail industries. The company ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America in 2012.
The Tampa area continues to lead the state in job creation, while also boasting the lowest cost of living. Florida led the nation in job demand last month, according to Governor Scott. There were 287,651 job openings across Florida in January, with job demand increasing by 0.7 percent for the state versus 0.2 percent for the United States as a whole.
Cohesion co-chief executive John Owens remarked that Tampa is “the perfect place for us to build Cohesion’s future. The state and local government and the business community have been extremely supportive and made us feel welcome. The rich pool of IT consulting talent in this market will certainly help fuel our growth. Tampa International Airport’s close proximity and convenience is another big plus, and makes it very easy for us to travel to our clients all over the eastern United States.”
The IT company, which provides risk advisory, accounting, staffing, and business consulting services, will be hiring information technology, finance, accounting, and legal positions at its new headquarters. Cohesion will also invest at least $350,000 in construction, office equipment and furnishings, as well as research and development at its 511 W. Bay Street offices.
“Tampa offers Cohesion many key advantages as the headquarters site for its newly merged organization,” said Colleen Chappell, chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and CEO of ChappellRoberts. “Our pro-business climate, convenient access to customers in the Southeast, and low cost of living make it easier to establish here than in other competing states. From a recruiting standpoint, Cohesion will also have a strong pipeline of talent graduating from our universities to rely on, as well as our enviable quality of life to attract critical new hires from across the country.”
