Swiss-owned SpecPage moves North American office to West Bradenton
BRADENTON -- SpecPage Inc., a Switzerland-based technology company, has relocated its North American branch office from Rhode Island to West Bradenton.
The company moved the operation in August, bringing four employees to leased offices at 3645 Cortez Road W., Suite 100. It has committed to adding 15 more jobs over the next five years.
Kiran Gange, the location's operations manager, said the move puts the company's North American office closer to clients in Florida.
The relocation is something Manatee County and the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation has been pursuing. The county board of commissioners voted to pay incentive money to SpecPage for its proposed hiring. Those incentives will be paid after the company hits its target hiring.
Sharon Hillstrom, the EDC's CEO, said Tuesday that SpecPage is the type of company her organization wants to attract. The information technology sector provides what she terms "high impact" jobs and has growth potential. SpecPage could also lend its international profile to the area.
"The company's international scope has the potential to open doors to other relationships for recruiting desirable businesses to our community," Hillstrom said.
New jobs at the local SpecPage office will be mainly in sales and support, according to the company.
SpecPage develops and sells information and facilities management software to the food manufacturing industry. The company's clients include Kellogg's, Mondelz, Nestlé Wagner and Campbell Soup Co. In addition to its headquarters in Switzerland, SpecPage has branch offices in Chicago, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Slovakia.
"The Bradenton area is a good fit for our North American operations," said Paul Meunier, SpecPage vice president for North America. "We wanted to locate in a growing, yet affordable, area with ample candidates for future hiring."
He also said the area is a good home base for international travel with its proximity to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and Tampa.
SpecPage moved into 1,100 square feet at the Wildwood Office Park. It has options to expand into more space.
The company's move into the Wildewood center is a boost to the property's new owner. In September, SugarOak Holdings of Herndon, Va., bought the 11-building complex for $3.35 million. At the time, only 50 percent of the offices in those buildings were leased.
For more information about job openings with SpecPage, visit the company's website at specpage.com.
Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027 or on Twitter@MattAtBradenton.
This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Swiss-owned SpecPage moves North American office to West Bradenton ."