MANATEE -- Need to dim the kitchen lights, turn up the living room surround sound and keep on an eye on the surveillance cam -- all while playing Angry Birds?
There’s an app for that.
A startup tech company specializing in luxury home automation systems has launched in Manatee County, with plans to create 62 jobs over the next four years.
Clare Controls Inc. is developing technology that allows savvy homeowners to control all of their personalized home gadgets -- from energy use and security to multi-zone audio, video, even pool temperatures through iPhones and iPads.
The Apple systems are geared toward wealthy clients who want a customized way to keep tabs on their multimillion-dollar homes.
“It’s kind of a command control if you will,” said Brigitte McCarthy, marketing director for Clare Controls. “Your home now has eyes and ears, and you can control it all yourself.”
Clare Control was awarded a number of performance-based incentives to open in a renovated 20,000-square-foot leased building at 7519 Pennsylvania Ave. near the airport in south Manatee.
The company plans to add 62 jobs to its payroll over the next four years, with an annual salary of about $66,896 -- twice the county average.
Manatee County Commissioners in September approved a $248,000 match of state incentives, giving the company a total of $496,000 once the doors are fully opened and employees hired. Clare Controls also garnered a $93,000 state training grant and $7,797 in county impact fee credits, according to the Manatee Economic Development Corp.
Until Thursday, the project had remained confidential.
“These types of companies are high-skill, high-paying jobs,” EDC president Sharon Hillstrom said. “They’re definitely the kinds of companies we’re looking for in Manatee. Information technology is considered a high-priority sector in Florida.”
While there’s a plethora of other tech gurus across the country that sell home automation products, Clare Controls is one of the first to offer systems that are deployed from the “cloud” -- cutting down installation and maintenance costs. The idea was crafted about a year ago as part of a sister company research project.
The systems, which run from a Mac Mini hidden in the customer’s home, are entirely customizable to each user and room in the house. For example, a customer can hit one button on their Apple device that will automatically close the window shades, set the bedtime temperature and shut down all of the electronics for the night.
Depending on scale, the systems can cost upwards of $250,000, including installation.
Clare Controls is actively working with 30 dealers across the United States. The company also specializes in advanced surveillance video systems.
“Our approach was to start with the high-end luxury homes and work out all of the larger problems,” said Jim Hanna, vice president and chief technology officer. “Scaling it down will be very easy.”
Clare Controls President Brett Price also owns a business in Manatee called Tempus Inc., which now has more than 50 employees. Almost the entire executive team previously worked together at Cheetah Technologies, a local company specializing in telecommunications management that was sold in the 1990s for $65 million.
Clare Controls plans to hire its first 39 employees this year. The company is seeking candidates in program development, tech support and software test engineering.
“Clare Controls is the type of company Florida needs to spark further growth in its information technology sector, which is a target for economic development,” said Gray Swoope, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, the state economic development department. “It’s a validation of this state’s ability to meet the needs of both progressive businesses and high-growth industries.”
Josh Salman, Herald business writer, can be reached at 941-745-7095.
