Tech talent draws Total to California

National acquirer Total Merchant Services Inc. is closing its operations in Basalt, Colo., and moving its headquarters to Woodland Hills, Calif., the company said March 27, 2013. Joe Kaplan, Total Chief Executive Officer, said, "Our Basalt location has enabled us to build Total into who we are today, and we are extremely grateful to all of our employees. Although a very difficult decision, we feel it's the right move for Total in the long term."

Innovation driving move

Kaplan said the company is moving to a 50,000 square-foot-facility that will include collaboration rooms, state-of-the-art training facilities for employees and sales partners, and a gym.

Jeff Broudy, Total Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said because the Colorado headquarters was small and remote, the move was required for the company to reach the levels of growth to which it aspires.

"We are becoming a technology driven company focusing not just on payment solutions but also business solutions," Broudy said. "No matter how you look at it Basalt was not the right place to attract and keep the employees we need to build the technology. Woodland Hills has always been a kind of hub of credit card processing. A number of our leaders, including Joe Kaplan, come from the area."

California's tech advantages

Total's emphasis on building and developing technology internally means it will be recruiting different kinds of talent than it required when it started in Colorado. The professionals the company seeks now include programmers and project managers.

"California is a little more expensive place to live than Colorado, but we feel there is an upside long-term," Broudy said. "New skill sets are needed to grow our opportunities. We are becoming a technology driven company. So even though we are in Southern California, away from the Silicon Valley, we are still attracting technology people from Northern California to work with us."

California has earned a reputation for attracting technology talent from around the world. Broudy confirmed that more than 100 people will transition from Colorado to the new facility in Southern California.

Editorial Note:

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