Buckhead Plan for 250 Jobs Advances

A Nashville, Tenn. company's plan to bring up to 250 jobs to Buckhead gained traction Friday morning with the preliminary approval of $500,000 from the city's Economic Development Fund.

The board of Invest Atlanta, formerly the Atlanta Development Authority, Friday mornng unanimously approved a motion for the grant to Asurion Insurance Services Inc., which

The Atlanta City Council must approve the grant, and Invest Atlanta Economic Development Vice President Bill Cronin, in introducing the measure, said District 7 Councilman Howard Shook of Buckhead is "very supportive" of the company's plans. The company is not seeking a tax abatement, Cronin said.

The high-tech company is on course to receive more than $2 million in local and state incentives to bring the software development center to Buckhead, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.

Thomas J. Nagle Jr., vice president of government relations for Asurion, told the Invest Atlanta board that the decision to come to Buckhead was "talent-driven." He said the company recruits a lot of employees from Georgia Tech. He added that Atlanta's closeness to Nashville was another factor in Asurion choosing Georgia over Texas and North Carolina.

"It boiled down to people, education and geography," Nagle said, before dashing off from Invest Atlanta's downtown headquarters to meet with state officials. "Atlanta is a great recruiting ground for us."

In response to a question from board member Joe Brown, Nagle said the company will recruit candidates for the high-paying jobs from two-year as well as four-year schools.

Asurion, the world’s largest provider of technology protection products, plans to hire 100 associates in the Atlanta area in the first year and up to 250 associates over the coming years, according to an announcement released after the board's action. Cronin joked to the board that Asurion covers such things as a teen losing his cellphone at the swimming pool.

 “As the business capital of the Southeast, Atlanta and Georgia are uniquely positioned to provide companies such as Asurion with the competitive assets and business resources to help support future growth,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in a statement. “In addition to our progressive business environment, Asurion will also benefit from the pipeline of talent for high-tech jobs in metro Atlanta. I am proud Georgia will play a significant role in Asurion’s strategic expansion.”