There’s one cyber executive out there that sees the writing on the wall for Augusta, Ga., and it involves robust growth in the tech industry. In fact, he sees it as a place for startups to take flight as the tech industry as a whole continues to stretch, adapt, and grow.
BAE Systems, an international company, opened its office in Georgia last week, as it gets ready to continue expanding its presence as a company in the Augusta region. Currently, the company has roughly 400 people working in support and intelligence analysis, and with its manufacturing operation in Aiken consisting of 200 employees, it’s making quite an impression on the area in general.
With 600 current employees in the region, the company is projecting this to almost double by 2021. A lot of this new employment could be sourced from the Augusta area. It’s in the company’s best interests right now to source local talent, whether they are bringing their skills from a college background or a government background.
The employees that they take on locally will be responsible for serving customers both remotely and locally, through the management of the cloud system. However, having local employees brings a new purpose to keep the offices open in Augusta.
A Local Workforce
General manager and vice president Peder Jungck says that the employees they take on from Augusta can be interacting with people from around the world, but when they leave for the day, they don’t have to sit in traffic for an hour and a half. This is why they’re passionate about investing in the local workforce.
Another thing that has attracted this company to the region is the affordability of property, especially when you compare it to other locations that are much more expensive. Take, for example, Jungck’s son, who is currently paying $2100 every month for an apartment in New York City.
Jungck says that it’s about more than just livability, though. He truly believes that there is room for success in Augusta for the tech industry, having watched surprising growth develop in similar areas, like Austin, Texas, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
Making the Most of Tech
With the tech industry growing so quickly, it makes sense to take advantage of this. As a business with employees who are working at all different skill levels, it can often be difficult to keep track of it all.
For as long as anyone can remember, the job of a CEO or general manager was to manage the employees and make sure that they stayed on task. However, doing so now, with such big teams of employees results in a lot of time lost throughout the day. Luckily, the tech industry has fostered a better way to manage employees.
Using the right tools will not only help BAE systems, but also the Augusta economy to thrive as they are faced with new opportunities and challenges.
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