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Pennsylvania-based Emtec Inc. will move its corporate headquarters to Jacksonville on Sept. 1, said Emtec Managing Director Doug Goodall. Through the move, Emtec expects to see the employee headcount in Jacksonville double to 150 over the next two years in its current location on Jacksonville’s Southside.

The IT strategy and consulting firm already provides services to a number of well-known Jacksonville clients, including JEA, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). As a result of the DCPS contract to purchase, configure, maintain and repair its computers and devices, which it has held for the last 18 years, Jacksonville has become Emtec’s largest U.S. branch, making it the top candidate for the headquarters move.

In addition to the services Emtec already provides, Jacksonville will be the launching pad for the company’s new business divisions, including cybersecurity, with the prospect of a future Internet-of-Things division due to the significant work being conducted by the North Florida Smart Region Coalition.

Emtec plans to build a talent pipeline with area universities including University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida State University and others, but is already developing pathways for younger students through its partnership with DCPS. The company is more than five years into a summer internship program through DCPS in which it hires more than 100 students and a handful of teachers to rehab more than 60,000 student laptops and 1,000 projectors. Through these initiatives to develop talent, Emtec will work to create a self-sustaining talent pool for IT and cybersecurity in Jacksonville.

Emtec chose Jacksonville over other cities with a large company presence, Chicago and Athens, Alabama, because of the enviable tax climate, cost of living, quality of life and recruiting appeal, said Goodall. The company has offices throughout the United States, Canada and India. Read the full article in the Jacksonville Business Journal.