The Austin / Round Rock area is further concretizing its position as a major tech center. One of the top consulting firms is opening a software office in Austin with an initial workforce of 200 employees that is expected to quickly grow to 300 new jobs in the area. Christopher Calnan says that:
Consulting giant Accenture Plc has opened in Austin a software office expected to develop products for state health and human service agencies.
Executives for Accenture said the 5700 Mopac Expressway location will initially employ 200 workers, but it’s expected to grow to 300 in coming years. Workers will include software engineers, developers, testers and business analysts.
The company employs about 1,000 Austin workers, most of whom are working with locally based state agencies.
The new development center is expected to produce five different software applications targeting human services organizations. The applications are designed to enable functions such as eligibility determination and benefits distribution, Health & Public Service Group Chief Executive Steve Rohleder said.
It’s one of six software development groups Accenture operates nationally. The company selected Austin as its location because it would be a good place to attract technology workers, he said.
Accenture, which was established in the 1950s, employs about 259,000 workers. The company generated $27.9 billion in revenue for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2012.
In Texas, it employs 5,000 workers in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The company’s San Antonio office, which opened in 2006, employs about 700 workers mostly assigned to federal clients, Rohleder said.
Accenture clients include 21 Texas state agencies and organizations combined with five state universities.
In 2005, Texas awarded Accenture an $899 million contract to operate the state’s food stamp eligibility program. But mismanagement with the venture caused benefit problems for thousands of eligible Texans resulting in the worst performing federal food stamp program in the nation.
Accenture is the latest in a string of larger companies to establish tech development offices in Austin.
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) was one of the most notable when it announced last year plans to open a facility in North Austin.
In December 2012, Union Pacific Corp. (NYSE: UNP), the nation’s largest railroad operator, disclosed that it had opened a software development center on Las Cimas Parkway in Northwest Austin that could employ up to 40 workers. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is also planning to operate development centers in Austin.
Earlier this month, Virginia-based Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) opened a software development center on Congress Avenue that is expected to employ up to 50 workers.
The influx of intellectual power, and technological innovation to the Round Rock / Austin area continues. There has never been a better time to have been in business in Round Rock.
