Governor Rick Scott today announced that Sixt North America, a global auto rental company, has selected Fort Lauderdale as the location for their new, expanded North American headquarters. The expansion will create 300 new jobs and invest $10.4 million in the local community. The company chose Fort Lauderdale over other potential sites in Georgia, Texas and California. Sixt Rent-a-Car has more than 2,000 locations in over 100 countries.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Sixt North America has selected Florida over Georgia, Texas and California for their new and expanded North American headquarters. This expansion will create 300 new jobs for families in South Florida and is a major win for our state. Over the past six and a half years, we have worked to cut taxes and make our state more business friendly so Florida can outcompete other locations for new opportunities. By using the newly establish Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, we will continue to encourage businesses to grow and create jobs in our state.”
Sebastian Birkel, Sixt North America Co-President, said, “We looked at a number of locations in carefully selecting our new U.S. headquarters, and, at the end of our search Florida clearly came out on top. The state went out of its way to work with us, encouraging Sixt to plant even deeper roots here. We were extremely pleased with the process, and are proud to be opening our national headquarters here in the near future. Back in 2011, Florida warmly welcomed our first U.S. location at Miami airport—now our flagship location in the U.S.—and we have been impressed with the resources available here. We are able to attract first-class talent, and enjoy the state’s competitive business environment. That’s why Florida is Sixt country.”
Daniel Florence, Sixt North America Co-President, said, “We want to thank Governor Scott for his leadership in this process, he deserves great credit for the numerous jobs that will be brought to this state as a result of our being here, and growing here. Sixt is expanding rapidly all over the U.S. in major markets as fast as we can to meet surging customer demand, and as we do so, what we are doing here in Florida will remain the foundation of how we approach our business around the country.”
Sixt cited the strength of Fort Lauderdale’s diverse, educated and multicultural workforce, vibrant tourism market, proximity to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport (Sixt’s largest rental locations), and a competitive business environment as strategic reasons for headquarters location.
Alan Becker, Enterprise Florida board member, said, “The expansion of Sixt North America in Fort Lauderdale highlights the strong and diverse workforce that Florida can offer thanks to the hard work of Governor Scott to make Florida the most business friendly state. We look forward to continuing to show companies looking to expand or relocate that Florida is able to meet and exceed their expectations as the best place to work and raise a family.”
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Sixt North America chose Florida to expand its North American operations over several other states. Sixt recognizes our business-friendly environment and the talented workforce we have in the Fort Lauderdale area, and we are proud that it is bringing hundreds of jobs here to the Sunshine State.”
Mayor Jack Seiler of the City of Fort Lauderdale said, “We are proud that Sixt is dramatically expanding and investing in its North America headquarters. Fort Lauderdale’s strategic location, robust business climate, and outstanding quality of life all make our city the perfect place for Sixt to grow and prosper. We wish the company continued growth and success.”
Bob Swindell, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance said, “Congratulations to Sixt North America, and thank you for choosing to expand in Greater Fort Lauderdale. We appreciate the significant investment the company is making in our community and the addition of 300 new high-wage jobs.”
Sixt has its registered international headquarters in Pullach, Germany, near Munich, and is a leading international provider of high-quality mobility services for business and corporate customers as well as private travelers. With representation in over 100 countries worldwide, Sixt is continually expanding its presence. The company’s strengths lie in the high proportion of premium cars in the vehicle fleet, its employees’ consistent service orientation and a good price-performance ratio. Taken together, these strengths have given Sixt an excellent market position. Sixt was founded in 1912 and maintains alliances with renowned brands in the hotel industry, well known airlines and numerous prominent service providers in the tourism sector. The Sixt Group generates revenues of EUR 2.4 billion/US 2.8 billion (2016).
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched “Florida – The Future is Here” to promote the state as the nation’s premier business destination.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance is Broward County’s official public/private partnership for economic development. Its mission is to lead Broward County in building a stronger and more diverse economy by stimulating the creation of new jobs and capital investment while facilitating the growth and retention of businesses in Broward County. Services offered by the Alliance include assistance with business relocation or expansion and site selection; incentive programs and information; market research; and serving as a liaison for workforce development between CareerSource Broward, educational institutions and the business community.
Headquarters
Gov. Scott Announces BlueLine Associates to Relocate to Tampa
Relocation From North Carolina Will Create 150 New Jobs
Governor Rick Scott announced BlueLine Associates (BLA), a professional services firm, will relocate its global headquarters from Cary, North Carolina to Tampa. The relocation will create 150 new jobs and invest more than $2 million in the local community. BlueLine Associates, which currently has offices in Tampa, will move their headquarters including its financial, legal, and human resources groups.
Governor Scott said, “It is great news that BlueLine Associates chose to move their international headquarters to Florida from North Carolina, which will create more than 150 new jobs for Tampa families. We were competing with North Carolina and Louisiana, but ultimately BlueLine Associates chose Florida for their new headquarters. I look forward to BlueLine Associates continued success in our state.”
BlueLine Associates provides consulting, managed services, and staffing solutions to small, mid and large companies in a variety of industries. In 2015 and 2016, BlueLine was recognized on the “Best Places to Work” lists of both Consulting Magazine and the Triangle Business Journal. New jobs are expected to pay an average annual wage of $71,909.
Rocky Silvestri, President of BlueLine, said, “This move gives us access to Florida’s strong talent pool and allows us to continue the strategic expansion of our business. Our company culture is at the core of our business success, our client’s satisfaction, and the happiness of our people. We are excited to bring those guiding principles to Tampa.”
BlueLine Associates joins a growing list of companies that have chosen Hillsborough County for their new corporate and regional headquarters, including North American Roofing Services, Inc., Velocity Resource Group, Fay Servicing, Ashley Furniture Industries’ Ashcomm, Johnson & Johnson, and Cohesion. Florida is already home to nearly 3,000 headquarters offices, and is the 4th largest economy in the U.S. and the 19th largest economy in the world.
The project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Chris Hart IV, President and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc., said, “Blueline Associates has chosen Florida because it is the best place to do business. The talent and the strong, business-friendly climate in Florida continue to attract growing businesses. Hard-working Floridians are getting jobs that could have gone to other states, but they ended up right here in Florida.”
Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “BlueLine Associates’ relocation to the Tampa area is yet another example of a business recognizing the unique opportunities for growth in Florida. Our state boasts a strong and talented workforce, a business-friendly, low tax environment and fewer regulations that enable companies to grow and succeed.”
Stacy White, chairman of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, said, “Hillsborough County offers BlueLine Associates a deep bench of information technology consulting, staffing, and management consulting talent, as well as the amenities that will make it easy for them to recruit exceptional candidates to the area. We thank BlueLine for their investment in our community and look forward to supporting them as they thrive in Hillsborough County.”
Mayor Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa, said, “Tampa’s star continues to rise as more companies like BlueLine Associates discover the advantages our city offers as a corporate headquarters home. As millennial talent flocks here and our downtown undergoes an historic and exciting transformation, Tampa is gaining a national reputation as the place to be for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations. We wish BlueLine Associates a prosperous future here.”
Ken Atwater, PhD, chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and president of Hillsborough Community College, said, “Other cities fought hard to have BlueLine Associates relocate to their communities. But those competing metros couldn’t touch Tampa’s pro-business climate, incredible quality of life, and the convenient air access Tampa International Airport affords to BlueLine’s customers across America and in Europe. We’re excited to welcome Rocky and his team and wish them great success in Tampa.”
Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the Careers page of BlueLine Associates’ web site, http://www.blueline-associates.com/services/staffing/job-seekers/,for more information on available positions.
About BlueLine Associates
BlueLine Associates is a process-driven Professional Services firm that transforms business challenges into growth, operational agility, and competitive advantage. Our foundation in process gives us the vision to develop holistic forward thinking strategies across our consulting, managed services, and staffing service lines. We leverage our experience, agility, and partnership model to seamlessly implement and execute solutions to elevate customer experience, increase profits, and propel organizations toward new opportunities.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched “Florida – The Future is Here” to promote the state as the nation’s premier business destination.
About the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation is the lead designated economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. A partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high-wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors, including Corporate Headquarters, Financial and Shared Services, Life Sciences, Defense and Security, and Manufacturing.
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation exists because of the generous support of over 100 corporations, Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. For more information, visit www.tampaedc.com.
About Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County is the commercial and industrial heart of Tampa Bay. The fourth largest county in the state of Florida, Hillsborough is home to nearly 1.3 million residents, with thousands more arriving each year. Its strength is drawn from being one of the most advanced economies and having one of the most educated workforces in the state. Hillsborough County and its three municipalities –Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace — offer a competitive business environment and an abundance of regional assets including Port Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport, and MacDill Air Force Base. County government is focused on creating economic prosperity for residents and businesses throughout the area. To learn more, visit hillsboroughcounty.org.
