Ohio logistics company bringing 50 jobs to Tampa
For every one resume that Integrity Express Logistics was receiving at its Cincinnati headquarters, it got another 10 from Tampa.
That fact was a major reason why the asset-based third party freight brokerage company decided to announce this week that it will hire for 50 new jobs at its Eisenhower Blvd. South location.
Most of the initial jobs will be sales positions, Peter Ventura, co-owner of Integrity Express, said. The average annual wage for those 50 jobs will be at least $49,340 per year, or 115 percent higher than Florida’s average wage, according to the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. The project will also invest $115,000 in the local community.
In a release announcing the jobs, Gov. Rick Scott noted: “While Integrity Express Logistics could have kept expanding their business in Ohio, they recognized Florida as the best state to grow.”
Indeed, Integrity Express did look at other cities out of state before deciding on Tampa and moving here in March 2013. “We compared rental rates and Tampa is very competitive for office space,” Ventura said in a phone interview. “We were looking at Nashville but the rents there were 50 percent higher than Tampa.”
Tampa was appealing for a number of other reasons as well. It’s a large metropolitan area that combines a downtown feel with top-rated beaches nearby, popular sports teams, festivals and an up-and-coming reputation, Ventura said.
“A lot of people are moving down there from other parts of the country,” he said. He also pointed to the direct flights between Tampa and Cincinnati out of Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport that the company can rely on to potentially shuttle employees from Florida to training seminars in Ohio.
There was a personal connection, too. Ventura’s grandmother lived in the area for many years and his family often came to visit. Another company co-owner grew up in Clearwater, Ventura said.
The company’s niche is smaller truck loads. Its clients are in industries ranging from fresh produce and frozen foods to metals, lumber and plastics shipping. Together with its contracted carriers, Integrity Express, a veteran-owned company founded in 2007, services more than 5,000 customers nationwide.
The project was made possible through partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
Bill Johnson, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, said, “More and more logistics companies like Integrity Express Logistics are taking advantage of Florida’s low-tax, pro-business climate.”
Florida’s broader wholesale trade, transportation and logistics industry is home to more than 70,000 companies, employing 630,000 people. The state’s logistics and distribution industry is expected to grow further with the Panama Canal expansion. Florida has the third largest cluster of logistics and distribution establishments and the fifth highest number of logistics and distribution jobs in the country.
“We are not going to stop at 50,” Ventura said. “I could see 100 positions over the next five years.”
~Frances McMorris, Reporter, Tampa Bay Business Journal
Frances covers transportation and hospitality for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
