Alpharetta a hotbed for high-tech companies

A great article from Patrick Fox at the AJC regarding Alpharetta--- a great place to live and work.  To see the entire article go to: http://www.ajc.com/business/alpharetta-a-hotbed-for-922371.html

When Bob Trotter toured Alpharetta as a possible site for his company’s IT operation, he was struck by the miles of underground fiber-optic cable and a world-class broadband network.

But what really blew him away was what was above ground.

“If it was just technology, we’d have located to Chicago or Dallas,” said Trotter, North American president of ThyssenKrupp Corp.

Despite a dot-com drubbing and the worst recession in a generation, Alpharetta continues to lure high-tech companies during a time Georgia’s unemployment rate remains in double digits. One reason is Alpharetta’s commitment to developing its technology infrastructure like its nexus of fiber optic data lines.

But what distinguishes Alpharetta from other tech-wired cities, Trotter said, is its proximity to all the elements that contribute to an inviting lifestyle — good schools, good roads, access to university systems, quality housing, the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

ThyssenKrupp, a German-based industrial conglomerate, invested a year researching 138 cities for its North American IT Shared Services operation. Its selection of Alpharetta in January will bring $30 million and 110 employees to the local economy.

“The board of directors — when I flew them in from Germany — they were extremely impressed,” Trotter said. “They actually said ‘Maybe this should be our world headquarters.’ They were that impressed.”

They’re not alone.

Seven of metro Atlanta’s top 25 technology employers call Alpharetta home. Close to 900 technology or tech-enabled companies are here, according to Technology Association of Georgia, a trade group that tracks the industry.

This year alone, tech companies have committed more than $125 million to expand or relocate businesses to the city, bringing nearly 300 jobs with them.

Alpharetta’s top employers

Attracted by bucolic settings, Alpharetta has been attracting both corporate headquarters and technology and health care firms. These are the city’s top employers.

Company Operation Employment

1. AT&T Inc. regional headquarters 5,000

2. Verizon Wireless regional headquarters 3,000

3. ADP Inc./
National Account Services regional headquarters 2,100

4. McKesson Provider 
Technologies headquarters 1,800

5. LexisNexis RIAG headquarters 1,100

Source: Georgia Power and the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

Business activity 
in Alpharetta

One sign of a city’s commercial health is the number of business licenses it issues. Here is a look at business licenses issued in Alpharetta over the past 10 years.

Year Licenses Fees

issued

2001 2,988 $634,598

2002 3,314 $653,296

2003 3,551 $648,579

2004 3,443 $678,887

2005 3,595 $754,394

2006 3,820 $800,687

2007 4,878 $855,692

2008 3,977 $904,375

2009 3,836 $872,391

2010 4,183 $936,927

Source: Alpharetta Department of Community Development

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution