by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
In a time when phrases such as downsizing, layoffs, going-out-of-business and scaling back have become commonplace, the concept of a business expanding is the epitome of bucking the trend.
That’s exactly what Meridian Technologies is doing and Wednesday, with Mayor John Peyton and many others involved in economic development in the area on hand, the company officially opened its new software development center.
“We develop software for larger banks and insurance companies,” explained company President Chris Pillay, who added the software allows those businesses to analyze data, do marketing and risk analysis and determine customer profitability.
The 12-year-old company’s development center is near the JTB/I-95 interchange. However, its location is strategically near several area colleges and universities and that includes Florida, Florida State and schools in Southeast Georgia. Those graduates, said Pillay, are whom Meridian is targeting as the basis for the Jacksonville development center — the first in the country, but certainly not the last. With a starting class of six already on staff, Pillay said the objective is to have 25 employees working their way through the development center by the end of the year and 100 by the end of 2010.
“This is a way to say things are not as bad as they seem,” said Pillay. “We can work our way out of this. The message is: we are a company that is expanding and it starts today.
“We have worked really hard over the last 12 years to become a great company, not a good company, but a great company.”
Jerry Mallot, executive director of Cornerstone Regional Development — the economic development arm of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce — said the expansion of Meridian is the kind of economic growth needed in Jacksonville.
“It fits into one of our key targeted industries, which is information technology,” said Mallot. “We need more developments of this type. This helps connect the universities and gives graduates opportunities to stay here and grow here. This helps build a very important part of our overall economy. We are pleased they decided to build their first development center here. This will serve not just Jacksonville, but the entire Southeast.”
Mayor John Peyton said having a homegrown company — Pillay and his wife Monteen were at one time with Barnett Bank, which was acquired by Bank of America, before they started Meridian — expand is a complement to the other type of growth occurring in Jacksonville.
“There is something different going on in Jacksonville and Meridian is an example of that,” said Peyton, bringing up such companies as Pilot Pen, Rail America, Deutsche Bank and Hanjin and Mitsui as examples of companies that have either expanded into Jacksonville or moved their corporate headquarters here. “Florida is not the growth state it used to be, but Jacksonville is a growth city.”
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