A California company that specializes in information technology for the health care sector plans to relocate its headquarters to Cobb County and create or relocate 500 jobs.
Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said Thursday BioIQ will invest $5 million in its expansion in Cobb. The company currently has an office along Windy Ridge Parkway in the Cumberland area, though it’s unclear if that’s where it will establish its new headquarters.
“BioIQ has significant reach across the nation and has proven itself to be a leader in health care innovation,” Deal said in a news release.
Georgia is a hub for health IT companies, many of them clustered in the northern Atlanta suburbs and in Midtown.
The new jobs will include positions in operations, sales and technology, and will pay $85,000 to $87,000 on average, said Dana Johnson, executive vice president of economic development for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
“The health IT sector is such a huge strength in metropolitan Atlanta,” Johnson said, and the expansion adds to Cobb’s wealth of health care and technology businesses. Johnson said the project was competitive with other cities, which he declined to name.
Securing BioIQ’s headquarters is a testament to regional and state partnerships, he said.
BioIQ works with more than 35 major health plans, and specializes in medical testing, according to the news release. In 2018, the company raised more than $26 million in investor capital to aid in its expansion.
BioIQ founder and CEO Justin Bellante praised the state’s workforce as a deciding factor in the move.
“We selected Atlanta as BioIQ’s headquarters because of the city’s exceptional talent pool, forward-thinking business community and convenient access to our growing client base,” Bellante said in the release.
Information about potential incentives to woo the company was not immediately released, but BioIQ is likely eligible for state tax credits for new job creation and local tax breaks.
The state of Georgia and economic development agencies in metro Atlanta have emphasized technology jobs and key regional clusters, including health IT.
“Their presence in metro Atlanta creates a significant addition to an already robust digital health ecosystem,” Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Hala Moddelmog said. “With our thriving climate of innovation and business-friendly environment, we look forward to watching BioIQ succeed here.”
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