Ann Arbor's ProQuest has announced plans to expand its Ann Arbor facility, and to hire roughly 303 employees over the next five years. The expansion will center around a $6.5 million data center, says Elliot Forsyth, senior vice-president of human resources and operations.
ProQuest is an almost 80 year old company specializing in research and information. It's one of the largest information technology companies serving the library industry, Forsyth says - "We provide information that enables researchers to conduct the research."
The company was purchased by Maryland-based Cambridge Information Group earlier this year, Forsyth says, and relocation out-of-state was an option. But the tech nucleus of Ann Arbor coupled with a 10-year, $10 million state tax credit was enough to keep ProQuest local.
"(Ann Arbor's tech emphasis) gives us a great tool to attract people," he says.
The company has about 1,200 employees worldwide, Forsyth says, and about 480 are based in Ann Arbor.
"We see as a very bright and rosy future," he says. "Cambridge Information Group management and ownership has really turned this business around positively, and we have aggressive growth plan over the typical five-year strategic plan."
Construction of the data center will begin next year, Forsyth says, and be completed before year's end.
"Then we anticipate really doing some aggresive hiring," he says.
Most of the ProQuest's new positions will be tech jobs, Forsyth says, and the main hiring push will begin in 2009.
Source: Elliot Forsyth, ProQuest
Writer: Nancy Kaffer
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