Countless prominent companies have chosen to make Gainesville their center of operations. More importantly, the fact that some of their particular business activities are not dependent on the local community says much about the pleasant little city in North Central Florida and what advantages it has to offer the business community—from startups to established companies
ToneRite, Inc.
Riding a wave of success behind its premier play-in device for acoustic instruments, like the guitar and violin, ToneRite now delivers its convenient portable device to customers worldwide, attracting musicians ready to bring out the best in their instrument with a preferred vintage tone.
ToneRite has been operating in Gainesville since 2007 when Augi Lye, a violinist and engineer who invented the device, founded it.
Valerie Sheehan, ToneRite’s president and CEO, is pleased with the evolving innovation collaboration she encounters throughout the Gainesville business community, something Sheehan is familiar with having previously worked with the Florida Innovation Hub.
“Having the company based here has everything to do with the innovative ecosystem in the Gainesville community,” Sheehan said. “The information intelligence of the workforce in Gainesville is outstanding.”
352 Media
Prolific web design and digital marketing agency 352 Media features offices in Atlanta, Seattle and Los Angeles, but it’s Gainesville, Fla. where the award-winning media company has based its headquarters since its inception in 1997.
“In our early years, I saw some disadvantage to being headquartered in Gainesville—namely, the lack of other local large companies who could use our services,” said Geoff Wilson, 352 Media’s president and CEO. “But as the years have gone on, I learned to appreciate Gainesville for its greatest ‘natural resource’—the abundance of driven, dedicated students who are enthusiastic about our industry.”
352 Media recently ramped up its internship program, fortified relationships with the local colleges, and now takes on about 15 interns each school semester—many who segue right into full-time positions with the company.
SumTotal
It was only 2010 when SumTotal Systems, Inc. moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Gainesville, but the company’s extraordinary growth since then has already made a noticeable impact on the local community.
“We were able to ratchet up from roughly 30 employees here, to now almost 200,” said John Borgerding, CEO of SumTotal.
With plans of hiring up to another 100 employees, Borgerding said they have been doing well hiring locally, along with capitalizing on their access to new talent from the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. SumTotal is also finding great success in attracting top-level executives from all over the world.
A global leader in strategic human capital management solutions, with more than 3,500 customers and 45 million users in 156 different countries, SumTotal’s road to North Central Florida actually began in 2006 with the acquisition of Gainesville-based MindSolve Technologies. It wouldn’t be long before the company found its new headquarters.
“When we did our search, and we looked at where we already had offices, places we may go to, places we may want to grow—Gainesville kept coming to the top of the list,” Borgerding said.
Barr Systems
From its desirable headquarters situated on 25 wooded acres just two miles from the University of Florida, Barr Systems continues to build upon its legacy as a leader in the output management industry. The company has more than 55,000 product installations worldwide, and 100-plus employees.
Tony Barr, the company president and CEO, emphasizes the terrific sense of community he has enjoyed during his many years living and working in Gainesville.
“It has a great quality of life, very family oriented,” Barr said.
A prominent software engineer and programming designer for 40+ years, Barr originally formed Barr Systems in 1978. In 1984 he moved what was then a three-person company from Raleigh, N.C. to Gainesville.
“It’s a comfortable city, no commute problems,” Barr said, “and the University of Florida attracts a lot of talent in engineering and computer sciences.”
As a hub of operations, Gainesville might not be for everyone, but city attributes like cost of living, high quality of life and prime access to available talent from the local colleges makes the town a tempting option for both startups and time-tested businesses.
For those local companies – that would indeed find the same success were they based anywhere else – to call Gainesville home is a big vote of confidence for the city, and a reminder of its wonderful traits. Not only for the businesses already in town—but also for those on the way.