Adecco could reap $2M with staffing move to Florida

Global staffing company Adecco stands to reap economic concessions worth about $2 million, or more than $10,000 per job, by moving 185 positions from Melville to its new North American headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., according to government officials and documents.

Two weeks ago, the company acknowledged it plans to sell its 130,000-square-foot building at 175 Broadhollow Rd. as part of a plan to consolidate operations by year's end in the northern Florida city.

An ordinance that was to be introduced to the Jacksonville City Council last night at the request of Mayor Alvin Brown calls on Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity to designate Adecco as a "qualified target industry" in a "high impact sector," clearing the way for the state and local financial package.

The average annual salary of the 185 jobs is $63,669 not counting benefits, 50 percent higher than the mean for Florida's private sector, according to the legislation.

Under the financial package, Adecco would get $1,591,000 from Florida and $407,000 from local authorities:

$1.11 million from the Florida Qualified Targeted Industry Tax Refund program. Eighty percent of that would be paid by the state with a 20 percent match from Jacksonville.

$370,000 from Florida Gov. Rick Scott's Quick Action Closing Fund and a match of up to $185,000 from the Countywide Economic Development Fund.

$333,000 from Florida's Quick Response Training Fund.

Jeffrey Clements, chief of the Jacksonville City Council Research Division, said in an email that the ordinance is expected to reach the finance committee next Tuesday and return to the city council for final approval a week later.

When the company disclosed its plan to move operations to Jacksonville, where Adecco North America chief executive Robert Crouch maintains his operations, a company spokeswoman said more than 200 Melville jobs would be "impacted." The company did not respond by deadline to queries on how that number aligned with the 185 jobs cited in the Jacksonville ordinance.

Adecco, which did not seek concessions from Suffolk County economic development authorities before deciding to relocate, said about 250 jobs will remain on Long Island.

Adecco S.A., based in Switzerland, operates in 60 countries.