Siemens intends to expand its Flagler Center offices in Southside by June and add more than 30 jobs, boosting its workforce there to more than 100.
The site opened with fewer than 10 employees in 2007-08 and now has a staff of about 70, said Jil Shingledecker, communications manager with Siemens Infrastructure & Cities in Novato, Calif., near San Francisco.
Shingledecker said hiring is taking place. Positions include CAD drafters, engineers, software programmers and project managers. The salary is based on position and experience. Visit usa.siemens.com/careers.
Siemens occupies about 16,000 square feet at 12735 Gran Bay Parkway and wants to expand into what plans show as Phase 2, at 15,000 square feet. The total square footage will be slightly more than 31,000 square feet.
Plans show open office areas, IT, meeting, training, conference and think-tank areas.
C. Harrison Construction of Callahan is shown as the contractor for the $352,416 project.
The Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector of Siemens Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of the global Siemens AG, has more than 18,000 employees.
It comprises five divisions: Building Technologies, Low and Medium Voltage, Mobility and Logistics, Rail Systems and Smart Grid.
The Jacksonville operation is part of the Mobility and Logistics division and the business unit is referred to as Rail Automation.
Shingledecker said the Jacksonville expansion is driven by railroad signaling service and rail transit projects.
"The expansion is required due to brisk growth and headcount expansion," she said.
She said the growth is driven by infrastructure investment projects across the U.S., such as light rail transit projects as well as freight, railroad investments.
Siemens AG, formed 165 years ago, provides electronics and electrical engineering for industry, energy, health care, infrastructure and cities.
It has 370,000 employees in 190 countries and Siemens reported worldwide revenue of about $78.3 billion in fiscal 2012.
Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $16.7 billion and employs about 60,000 people throughout the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
BAE Systems announces 2 vessels, 120 jobs
BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards announced it will build two additional platform supply vessels at its Jacksonville shipyard for Jackson Offshore Operators LLC under a contract option the two companies signed in December.
BAE Systems said it currently employs about 400 people in Jacksonville and expects to hire an additional 120 workers by midyear.
BAE Systems said each vessel will measure 252 feet long and 60 feet wide.
The company said its Jacksonville shipyard recently began construction on the first of two platform supply vessels as part of the original contract. Those two will be completed in 2015.
"We are very pleased that Jackson Offshore Operators has the confidence in BAE Systems to move forward with their additional ships," said Richard McCreary, vice president of BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards, in a news release.
"These ships will allow our Jacksonville shipyard to continue to grow its backlog and its employment, which is important in these times of federal budget uncertainty," he said.
BAE Systems said the Jackson Offshore contract is part of an effort by BAE Systems to increase new ship construction projects at its facilities in Jacksonville and in Mobile, Ala.
The company currently employs about 850 people in Mobile and expects to reach a total of 1,500 workers there by year-end.
For job information, visit baesystems.jobs.
4 of 10 Jacksonville home mortgages underwater
The CoreLogic research firm reports that 40.1 percent, or 128,229, of all Jacksonville residential properties with a mortgage were in "negative equity" in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from 42.5 percent, or 136,228 properties, in the third quarter.
Another 5 percent, or 16,118 properties, were in near negative equity in the fourth quarter, down slightly from 5.1 percent, or 16,311, in the third quarter.
Negative equity, also called underwater, means that borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. CoreLogic said negative equity can occur because of a decline in value, an increase in mortgage debt or a combination.
Property sold for Learning Experience
Plans proceed toward a location for The Learning Experience in Mandarin.
RGK Mandarin LLC, whose manager is Richard Kerper, bought 1.27 acres in Cormorant Park for $640,000 and took out a $1.785 million mortgage from Branch Banking and Trust Co.
The deed and mortgage were recorded Tuesday.
The Daily Record reported last week that The Learning Experience, based in Boca Raton, intends to have up to eight child-education centers operating by the end of 2013 in Northeast Florida for children from infancy through kindergarten.
The company operates one center at 8411 Southside Blvd.
It has filed plans for two more, has another two in "pre-development" and intends to open at least three in addition to those.
A building permit is under review for the Cormorant Park property.
Plans show a 10,000-square-foot The Learning Experience at 11945 San Jose Blvd., No. 500. Plans for the $1.2 million center show it can accommodate 173 children, 18 teachers and two office staff members. The playground is 5,000 square feet.
SE Construction Services LLC is the contractor and the design firm is Lima Architecture LLC of Boca Raton. Plans show care for infants, starting at 6 weeks, up to kindergarten age. Kerper, of Clearwater, is shown as the owner.
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