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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

SquareTrade Expands Orlando, Florida, Operations

03/28/2016
SquareTrade, a highly rated protection plan trusted by millions of customers, is expanding and opening its second U.S. location in Orlando, Florida. The office already has 120 full-time employees and will reach a total of 180 employees by the end of the year. SquareTrade has also made a $546,000 capital investment to the region.

Since 1999, SquareTrade has protected mobile devices, laptops, tablets and other consumer electronics and applications from drops, spills and the mishaps of its customers’ everyday lives. Employees in the Orlando office represent SquareTrade’s Customer Experience team, which is devoted to delivering top-notch customer service. SquareTrade is actively hiring call center specialists and managers, and technical support representatives to join the Customer Experience team in Orlando.

“After an extensive six-month search, we chose Orlando for our next office location because of the city’s growing tech community, its business-friendly environment and the quality of the workforce,” said Ahmed Khaishgi, CEO of SquareTrade. “As a Silicon Valley company, it was important for us to find a location that had a similar caliber of tech talent. We’re committed to growing our presence in Orlando over the next several years.”

The expansion was made possible through partnerships between the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Orange County, the Orlando Economic Development Commission, CareerSource Florida, Valencia College and Enterprise Florida.

Bill Johnson, President/CEO of Enterprise Florida, said, “SquareTrade’s creation of a total of 180 new jobs for Orlando families is great news. By choosing Florida over other competitor states, SquareTrade recognized that Florida was the best place to do business. I look forward to their continued success as we create more opportunities for Floridians.”

Governor Rick Scott said, “Florida is growing. In just five years, we’ve added over one million jobs and cut over $1 billion in taxes in the last two years. SquareTrade’s decision to expand and grow in Orlando is tremendous news for all Floridians. This growth demonstrates that cutting taxes and eliminating regulations is helping Florida become the number one place in the world for jobs. I look forward to finding more ways to return money to Floridians and create opportunities in our state.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “I am excited that SquareTrade is the latest tech company to announce its expansion in the Orlando area. Central Florida continues to be a hot spot for tech job creation because of the highly trained workforce and competitive business environment.”

“Business services firms come to our region for our deep, rich and diverse talent pool and low cost business environment and we’re very happy to welcome SquareTrade to Orlando,” said Holly Wiedman, Executive Vice President of Orlando EDC.

CareerSource Florida offers performance-based grants for employee training to new or expanding businesses through the FloridaFlex program, formerly known as Quick Response Training.

“CareerSource Florida welcomes SquareTrade to Florida, where our talented workforce and ideal business climate promote growth and prosperity,” said CareerSource Florida President and CEO Chris Hart IV. “We are pleased to help support SquareTrade’s expansion through training opportunities that will boost employees’ skills and enhance the company’s competitiveness.”

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