Adecco Group North America’s headquarters move to Jacksonville might include a Downtown presence.
Two sources familiar with the potential deal said this week the company was interested in leasing two floors of office space in the Riverplace Tower on the Downtown Southbank.
The sources said the tower could house Adecco Group North America’s headquarters executives. Two floors would provide about 30,000-32,000 square feet of office space.
Adecco’s Jacksonville operations already occupy about 80,000 square feet in the suburban Deerwood South office park at 10151 Deerwood Park Blvd., No. 200. However, that isn’t enough space for the entire expansion upon the headquarters move.
Tyra Tutor, Adecco Group North America senior vice president of corporate development, confirmed Friday that Adecco was looking at Riverplace Tower but said it was one of several locations under review.
“We haven’t signed a lease for any space outside this building and we are still deciding on the spot,” she said.
Tutor said the company was using all the space currently available to it in Deerwood South, but needs to lease an additional location.
“We’ve looked at Riverplace and all around town,” she said.
Tutor declined to say how much additional space was needed and which employees and functions would be moved to the location. “The vast majority will be in this building,” she said.
She emphasized that Deerwood South remains the primary location and will be the address for the corporate headquarters.
Last week, legislation was filed with the Jacksonville City Council in support of almost $2 million in state and city incentives for Adecco to move its North American headquarters and 185 jobs to Jacksonville.
Adecco Group North America, a major global staffing company, would move its headquarters from Melville, N.Y.
The economic development agreement summary explains that Adecco proposes to expand the existing facility it leases in Deerwood South.
However, it also states that the company “will identify additional properties it will lease or own in Duval County and that such properties shall be deemed to be a part of the Project Parcel and jobs created on such properties shall be eligible to be New Jobs,” provided they comply with terms of the agreement.
According to the agreement, Adecco would lease and improve 50,000 square feet of space for the move at a cost of $2.465 million and buy additional machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures of $935,000. The total investment would be $3.4 million.
Parkway Properties Inc. owns the Deerwood South building where Adecco is the anchor tenant but shares the structure with other tenants. Parkway executives said they could not comment.
Gate Riverplace Co. owns the 28-story Riverplace Tower and is part of Gate Petroleum Co. Gate had no comment.
David DeCamp, a spokesman for Mayor Alvin Brown, did not directly address a question about Adecco considering Downtown space.
“We make Downtown a priority when companies seek to invest, locate and expand in Jacksonville. Adecco's expansion and the location of its North American headquarters here would represent a significant benefit for our entire city,” DeCamp said.
“We are focused on working with City Council members as they carry out their review of legislation supporting that economic growth,” he said.
The legislation is on a fast track and is scheduled for consideration by the full council Tuesday. The incentives are based on job creation.
The city would be responsible for $407,000 of the incentives and the state would pick up the remaining $1.59 million.
In return, Adecco Group would pay a salary and benefits package averaging $85,969 per new job.
Adecco Group also would retain 354 existing Adecco jobs in Jacksonville. Those jobs average $45,600 plus benefits.
Adecco is considered the world's leading provider of human resources and staffing solutions. It bought Jacksonville-based MPS Group in January 2010 and operates businesses in Jacksonville and the state that include Accounting Principals, Ajilon Professional, Beeline, Pontoon, Entegee, Lee Hecht Harrison, Modis, Parker and Lynch, Soliant Health and Special Counsel.
A lease at Riverplace Tower, at 1301 Riverplace Blvd., would return the company’s business presence Downtown.
MPS Group had been headquartered in what is now the Wells Fargo Center on the Northbank. When Adecco bought MPS, it moved the business to Deerwood South.
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