Cognizant to Expand Operations in Tampa and Add More Than 400 New Jobs Over the Next Four Years
On December 10, 2014, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced that Cognizant will expand its operations in Tampa, Florida, adding more than 400 new jobs and investing approximately $5.7 million over the next four years.
Governor Scott said, “Our mission is clear—to be the number one destination for jobs in the world, and Cognizant’s expansion is another step toward accomplishing our goal. As a veteran myself, I applaud companies like Cognizant that are hiring our military heroes. Since December 2010, 679,000 private-sector jobs have been created and our unemployment rate is down to 6.0 percent, the lowest since 2008. Today’s announcement means 400 more Floridians will be able to get a great job and provide for their families, which is a big win for Florida.”
The newly created positions will be for highly skilled technology and business professionals who will provide business process services as well as application development and maintenance for U.S. corporations across the financial services, insurance and healthcare industries.
“Tampa and surrounding Hillsborough County are home to several Fortune 500 and other innovative companies, many of which are current and potential Cognizant clients. We are pleased to be expanding in the region,” said Steven Schwartz, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer at Cognizant. “Thanks in part to the work of Governor Scott, Florida and the Tampa area are an attractive place to do business, given the robust infrastructure that has been created for technology companies, and the rich talent pool fed by the state’s 13 universities and concentration of highly skilled military veterans and their spouses. We have been privileged to employ a growing number of veterans as they transition from serving our country into the private sector. We’ve found the discipline, rigor and team spirit they bring help drive excellent service to our clients.”
“The expansion of Cognizant in Tampa will add value to Florida’s extensive IT industry,” said Secretary of Commerce and President and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Gray Swoope. “Because of the state’s top workforce, infrastructure and quality of life, companies like Cognizant are choosing Florida for their business growth. This expansion is a great fit for Tampa’s growing IT cluster and I look forward to Cognizant’s continued success.”
“We are excited that Cognizant will be expanding its Tampa locations,” said Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “The addition of more than 400 new, private-sector jobs over the next four years is representative of Florida’s growing opportunity economy. We continue to see growth in the STEM field in Florida’s High Tech Corridor as Florida further solidifies its high ranking as a hub for tech job growth.”
“Hillsborough County has become a premier destination for information technology consulting businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 ranked global organizations,” said the Hon. Sandy Murman, Chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. “We’re committed to help fuel the expansion of this industry sector in Hillsborough County, and supporting companies like Cognizant who are helping to do that.”
“Cognizant explored multiple options for this expansion but chose Hillsborough County over all of them,” said Dr. Ronald Vaughn, Chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and President of the University of Tampa. “Thanks to the support of our state and local partners, Hillsborough County’s reputation continues to grow as a community that is pro-business and that attracts world-class technology companies with top IT talent.”