February 9, 2010

 

Contact: Eric Basinger, Executive Director, Economic Development Council, (941) 748-4842, ext. 128

Tom Noble, Chief Operating Officer, Oliphant Financial LLC, (941) 556-1444

Bonnie Seitzinger, Vice President Finance, Star2Star Communications LLC, (941) 234-0001, ext. 175

                                                     

Relocation and expansion of two companies in Manatee County could trigger more than 200 new jobs in 2010

 

Bradenton, FL – Two companies that received incentive grants from Manatee County Government today plan to add up to 210 employees in 2010, according to Eric Basinger, executive director of the Economic Development Council (EDC), a division of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. Oliphant Financial LLC, a debt buyer and software provider to that industry, plans to add 100 to 150 jobs in 2010 at the company’s new financial services headquarters location in Manatee County. Star2Star Communications LLC, which develops and provides business grade communications solutions via the Internet, plans to add up to 60 new employees to support the company’s sales growth.

 

“The incentive grants provided by Manatee County Government, which the companies only receive if they hire and retain employees at wages that exceed the county average, were vital in helping these growing businesses locate, expand and hire in our community,” Basinger said.

 

“Expediting Oliphant Financial’s relocation and Star2Star’s expansion in cooperation with the EDC exemplifies the ‘business friendly’ climate we want to promote in Manatee County,” said Ed Hunzeker, Manatee County administrator. “Retaining and growing good jobs now is a high priority in Manatee County.”

 

The grant for Oliphant is $133,000 that will be paid out over five years as the company adds and retains employees. According to the grant agreement, the company will add 133 new employees over five years for a total of 160 employees. The county also approved an $80,000 incentive grant for Star2Star Communications, which plans to create 80 communications technology jobs over the next five years. To qualify for the grants, the companies must provide an average annual wage higher than the county average wage of $33,582.

 

Oliphant Financial moved 30 employees into a 20,000-sq.-ft. building in Lakewood Ranch in December 2009. Economic development organizations in Manatee and Sarasota counties worked together to keep the company in the region when Oliphant outgrew its downtown Sarasota location. The company needed more space and wanted to be close to I-75 for access to the Tampa Bay region’s labor pool, said Tom Noble, Oliphant’s Chief Operating Officer. The company buys debt from various lenders and then seeks to collect from the borrowers. Oliphant also has developed a debt buying and collection software application that the company sells to other firms.

 

“The Manatee Economic Development Council worked closely with our counterparts in Sarasota County and with Manatee County Government to make sure that Oliphant and its new jobs remain in the region,” Basinger said. “Oliphant is in a growth industry and provides higher wage jobs our community desperately needs.”

 

“Our new location will allow us to accommodate our growth plans,” Noble said. “We expect to add 100 to 150 employees in the next year as we bring more of the previously out-sourced debt-collection functions in house.” Employment candidates should visit the company’s web site at www.oliphantfinancial.com for information.

 

Star2Star moved to Manatee County in 2008 from a smaller location in downtown Sarasota. A garage-based startup in 2004, the company developed its own software and technology to provide high quality telephone solutions to businesses using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). With its product and service proven, the company in 2009 set up a national dealer organization to serve clients nationwide, said Norm Worthington, Star2Star CEO.

 

“Our South Manatee County location allows us to draw employees from Port Charlotte to Tampa Bay,” Worthington said. The company added 25 employees in the past two years and has a total of 36 employees in Manatee County. Information about the company is available at www.star2star.com.

 

About the EDC

The Economic Development Council, a division of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, is the sole organization responsible for developing and implementing programs designed to attract new high-impact businesses and to assist in the retention and growth of targeted existing businesses in Manatee County.  Information: www.ManateeEDC.com.

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