Mobiquity, a leading professional services firm, has selected Gainesville as the site for its expansion, adding 260 jobs over the next three years and drawing from the engineering talent of University of Florida (UF) students and faculty.
In a statement Wednesday announcing the expansion, Gov. Rick Scott said, Mobiquitys decision to expand in Florida and create 260 jobs is great news for our families. Todays announcement shows that Floridas [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)] workforce continues to rapidly grow. Strong support for STEM fields is enhanced by Floridas top-notch higher education institutions -- like the University of Florida. Florida is the perfect place for businesses to succeed and grow, and for Florida families to be able to live their version of the American dream.
Since December 2012, the Council for Economic Outreach -- the designated economic development entity for all of Alachua County -- hasworked with local and state partners including representatives from the city of Gainesville, Enterprise Florida, FloridaWorks, Innovation Square, Santa Fe College, andUF to convince Mobiquity that Gainesville is a leading hub for innovation and technology.
The unique combination of highly educated students, graduates and professionals, and an ideal location, brought us to Gainesville, said Bill Seibel, founder and CEO of Mobiquity. The University of Florida provides a rich pool of engineers that will allow us to meet the demand of our clients to create quality, enterpriseclass mobile solutions, while generating more jobs right here in the U.S. It is a win-win."
In order to compete in todays global economy, employers like Mobiquity must be able to recruit employees that are not only technically proficient but also those who can also innovate and communicate. Gator engineering graduates not only have a longstanding legacy of professional excellence, they are also trained to think and act as leaders and creative problem solvers, saidCammy Abernathy, dean of UFs College of Engineering, welcoming Scott's announcement. We are very proud that the excellence of our students and faculty served as a key ingredient in recruiting Mobiquity to Gainesville. Together with the rest of the community, we extend our warmest welcome.
Mobiquity joins several companies that have either relocated or expanded to Gainesville in recent years, including Mindtree Ltd., Sears Holdings, Silver Airways, and SumTotal Systems.Mobiquity says it expects their new office to be located in Innovation Square, the live/work/play research community being developed on Southwest Second Avenue between the UF campus and downtown Gainesville.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
