Vonage unit to move from Midtown to Cobb
Internet phone company Vonage plans to move its business services division from Midtown Atlanta to an office tower in Cobb County.
Vonage Business Solutions, which has about 450 employees in Atlanta, will help fill a void left in the Cumberland Mall area after Coca-Cola recently relocated about 2,000 information technology workers to downtown Atlanta.
Wain Kellum, president of the business division, said in a statement Vonage sought better amenities to help retain and attract employees, and to accommodate future growth. The division’s current home is 1375 Peachtree Street.
Vonage could grow to 800 jobs in the county, said Brooks Mathis, the head of economic development for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. He helped recruit the firm.
Vonage spokeswoman Jo Ann Vizzano said the firm “does not speculate on job growth numbers,” and she declined to provide compensation information.
New Jersey-based Vonage is best known for its consumer digital Voice-over-Internet Protocol or VoIP service and its quirky television ads.
Vonage acquired Atlanta-based Vocalocity last year and rebranded it as its business solutions division. Vonage has said it sees business services as a path to growth.
Mathis said Vonage’s IT and software development jobs are in two of Cobb’s targeted industries. Vonage will also relocate or create new sales and support jobs.
No incentives were involved in the move, Mathis said.
Vonage Business Solutions’ new home in the Towers at Wildwood Plaza off of Windy Hill Road near Powers Ferry Road, is about two miles northeast of the future Braves stadium. Mathis said companies in the Cumberland area are starting to use the planned ballpark as a recruiting pitch to workers.
“A lot of our companies’ young workforce — the millenials — start demanding more of those community based things: walkability, green space, restaurants, mixed-use (development),” Mathis said.
About the Author
J. Scott Trubey is the senior editor over business, climate and environment coverage at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He previously served as a business reporter for the AJC covering banking, real estate and economic development. He joined the AJC in 2010.
