The city of Atlanta on Monday added 1.5 million reasons for Sandy Springs-based Worldpay US to move its operations intown, where the company plans to grow to 1,266 employees.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Sandy Springs warned of the potential for more corporate departures if the area doesn’t become more transit oriented.
A vote by Atlanta’s city council made official what had been anticipated: approval for $1.5 million in local incentives for Worldpay’s shift and expansion in Atlanta. The vote follows similar action by the board of Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development agency.
Worldpay, a payment processor, currently has about 600 employees in Sandy Springs. But its offices are not near any of the Sandy Springs area’s four MARTA rail stations.
Chief executive Tony Catalfano hopes his intown move will help the company recruit young software programmers and engineers who prefer urban living and like to avoid driving to work. Worldpay hasn’t yet announced a specific site.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that developers around the booming Perimeter Mall area of his city need to develop aggressive transit plans, such as showers for bicycle-riding commuters and shuttle buses to connect with rail stations.
“If we don’t make the Perimeter market more transit oriented, we are going to lose more employers,” Paul said.
While area roads are overburdened, he said, the transit system is underutilized.
Paul said he doesn’t begrudge Worldpay or Atlanta for recruiting the company.
“We are disappointed they are leaving Sandy Springs, but the good news is they are staying in the metro Atlanta area.”
The company earlier had considered locating crucial operations elsewhere in the nation. In addition to receiving incentives from Atlanta, Worldpay is likely to get state tax credits for new job creation.
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