Deluxe Corporation will soon announce Sandy Springs as the location of its new financial technology office, a move that will bring more than 700 jobs with an average salary of $91,500.
Cookerly Public Relations and a Sandy Springs official confirmed Thursday that Deluxe CEO Barry McCarthy and Georgia officials will make a formal announcement at a press event Sept. 9 at the Georgia State Capitol.
McCarthy will comment on how his company will benefit the local economy at the press conference, Cookerly said in an email.
Minnesota-based Deluxe is well known for making paper checks — the company says founder W.R. Hotchkiss invented the checkbook more than a century ago — but it also helps other businesses with financial services including solutions to operating more effectively in a digital world.
Deluxe already has about 200 employees in Georgia. In August, a company statement said their current location in Atlanta focuses on administrative, product development, engineering, and payments and remittance. The company also has a warehouse in Americus and a warehouse and custom printing operation in Lithia Springs.
In Sandy Springs, the company would spend $10 million on building construction and $2 million on furniture and fixtures, Economic Development Director Andrea Worthy said during an August City Council meeting. Employees would move into the 172,000 square foot office later this year or early 2021, she said.
Sandy Springs would not disclose which city the tech office is moving from, or where the new office would be located in Sandy Springs.
The city agreed to waive as much as $255,000 in permit and business license fees depending on the length of the company’s office lease.
Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson has not disclosed what incentives the state and Fulton County have offered to the corporation.
In apparent anticipation of post-pandemic times, Sandy Springs said the company would benefit the local economy by hosting clients weekly who would stay in local hotels and patronize area restaurants.
Economist Tom Smith of the Goizueta School at Emory University said the new Deluxe office is a win for Sandy Springs and the surrounding area considering the number of businesses closing nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Smith said time will reveal if Georgia benefits from any incentives that might’ve been offered to Deluxe.
“If this company has long-term plans to be a part of Georgia’s economy, those are generally good things,” he said. “Usually, its not a huge win right away ... But they could influence other companies to come to the area.”
The relocation to Sandy Springs was somewhat secret until early August. It was referred to as Project Painted Lady until Deluxe approved the release of the company name.
Sandy Springs spokesperson Sharon Kraun was hopeful, Thursday, that Deluxe employees would live as well as work in the city she described as being in an ideal location for business.
“We’re a hub,” Kraun said. “Access is great. We are thrilled that they are coming. It’s growth for the economy and good for the corporate and residential environment.”
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