09 June 2011
A Canadian security services company is opening a U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, creating 100 jobs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the move June 8 during his trade mission to Canada, though Garda World Security had been seeking incentives for the U.S. office before Scott was elected.
Garda said it will transfer the U.S. headquarters of its Garda Cash Logistics (GCL) unit from Pasadena, Calif. to Palm Beach County. It chose Boca Raton, partly because of lower taxes and an incentive package from the city, county and state worth more than $1 million. Plans call for creating 100 jobs at the office by 2013, each paying an average $65,000 a year, executives said in a news conference.
Garda Cash Logistics offers armored vehicles and other security services to transport cash. It has more than 140 locations and 7,500 employees in the United States, servicing more than 12,000 automated teller machines in 41 states.
Parent company Garda World Security, based in Montreal, offers a range of services from cash logistics to screening job candidates and business risk consulting. It employs more than 45,000 people and posted more than $1.1 billion in revenues last fiscal year, according to its Web site.
Gov. Scott is targeting international companies to expand operations in Florida and create jobs. He likes to call top executives to personally recruit their firms and visit them too.
At a recent World Trade Center-Miami event, Scott said he’s gotten top execs on the phone during cold winter months and asked them to please wait a minute. When he gets back on the line, he apologizes that in warm Florida, he just had to turn down the air-conditioning.
Palm Beach County has been seeking to expand business with Canada, already a top trade and investment partner and key source of tourists and winter residents for the area.
For more information on Garda Cash Logistics, visit www.gardacashlogistics.com
For more information on Garda World Security, visit www.gardaglobal.com