IBM has chosen Columbia, Missouri to locate a new service center. Dubbed "Project Tiger" by the city of Columbia, Boone County and Regional Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), the investment will create 800 jobs in the Boone County city. The company will begin hiring employees this summer.
"We selected Columbia for our newest facility based on several criteria, including the strong public-private partnership with the state and city, a competitive business model, and the talent and skills that Missouri and the Midwest have to offer," said Tim Shaughnessy, senior vice president of service and delivery at IBM Global Technology Services.
As mentioned by Shaughnessy, the project was made possible by a public/private partnership between the city, county, state, private businesses, and the area's colleges and universities.
REDI Board Chair Dave Griggs said that the economic development organization first learned of the opportunity through the Missouri Partnership. “Our first contact with this project came in January of this year,” said Griggs. “There has been an incredible amount of work and extraordinary cooperation between the city, the county, the state, our educati onal partners, private businesses and IBM to make today’s announcement possible.”
When asked to comment, Mike Brooks, President of REDI, said, "This is an extremely exciting development not only for Columbia, Missouri but also the entire State. This project has further validated the importance of workforce, education, partnerships and quality of place for the Columbia community. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with IBM."
