A tech company that's already actively at work in Columbia's BullStreet District has announced it's bringing hundreds of jobs to Columbia.
Global tech company Capgemini focuses on consulting, technology, and digital transformation, according to its website, and has been in business for 50 years. Their headquarters is in Paris with offices worldwide.
The South Carolina Department of Commerce says this is the largest announcement of tech jobs in Columbia in the last 10 years and will pay nearly double the average manufacturing wage in the state, paying 50 percent more than the average hourly wage in Columbia.
“We’re excited to lead the growth of emerging and digital technologies in Columbia and the region. This investment will be a place where our clients and employees will be exposed to a new way of approaching strategy and growth, using emerging technologies that will radically change the way we do business," says Capgemini Executive Vice President Paul Naquin.
As for the hundreds of new jobs, 50 already have been hired, and the remainder of this wave of at least 200 new jobs should be on board within the next six to nine months.
The 200 new roles will be on the 2nd floor of the First Base Building at BullStreet, where interior construction on the new space has begun and which should be move-in ready in November 2018. Until then, new hires are working in Capgemini's stunning, contemporary 3rd-floor offices in the First Base Building at BullStreet, overlooking the Columbia Fireflies' baseball field.
“BullStreet continues to thrive. We’re thrilled to welcome the Capgemini expansion to The BullStreet District," Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said. "Their creation of 200 new jobs in application and cloud development in the quickly-developing First Base Building confirms that the Spirit Communications Park complex isn’t just a ballpark but a true ‘live, work, play’ destination for a new generation of talented and educated IT leaders.”
Capgemini is a $14 billion global tech giant with 200,000 employees in 40 countries worldwide. A list of Capgemini clients includes GE, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes Benz, Honeywell, NBCUniversal, Meijer, Fiat Chrysler, Rockwell Automation, Louisiana-Pacific, and Bayou Steel Group.
The company's new jobs provide the next generation of talent the opportunity to work in industry 4.0, digital strategy, cloud, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, customer experience innovation and other emerging areas
“Capgemini is a perfect example of the type of innovative companies that are revolutionizing South Carolina’s economy, and we’re proud to welcome these 200 new jobs to Richland County. This announcement is a milestone for the community, and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for Capgemini," Gov. Henry McMaster said.
Capgemini opened its first South Carolina office in the First Base Building in the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia in December 2017 with 125 jobs in South Carolina's first-gigabit community.
"While the first wave of jobs was focused on the insurance industry, this new wave of jobs expands the focus to the entire range of Capgemini's client base, which includes major international leaders in entertainment, travel, retail, automotive, energy, construction, business and more," a press release said.
Sourced from KFVS12 - written by Tanita Gaither