International accounting firm KPMG looked at cities all over the United States and landed on St. Louis for its information tech expansion.
The company already has an office in downtown St. Louis with 270 employees. Over the next three years, it plans to add 175 IT positions, the company announced at a press conference today.
Karen Vangyia, the managing partner of the local office, said St. Louis is one of the fastest growing markets for technology jobs. She pointed to computer science programs at several local universities and the availability of professionals.
"We feel the talent pool is broad and deep and that we’ll find the right mix of both entry level and experienced level resources in this market," she said.
Harry Moseley, the chief information officer, said with offices in 90 U.S. cities already, it wasn’t an easy choice.
"There are lots of great cities in the U.S. with great education and great economies, but St. Louis just rose to the top," he said.
The new IT positions will help make KPMG’s St. Louis office among its biggest in the country. Moseley said the job postings will begin going up this week, with hiring expected to begin in November.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said St. Louis is beginning to be recognized as a technology center.
"This is an indication that a lot of organizations and people are seeing what’s happening here and want to take advantage of it," he said.
KPMG’s news came on the heels of Square’s announcement in September that it would expand into St. Louis with 200 positions. Shortly after, Pandora, a music streaming company, and Uber, a digital taxi service, each announced they would open small offices within the innovation district Cortex.
The Missouri Department of Economic Development is offering KPMG $7.4 million in tax incentives through its Missouri Works program.
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