Rich Van Wyk/Eyewitness News
Marion County - Hundreds of new, high tech and high paying jobs are coming to Indianapolis. ExactTarget Technology is moving into the historic Gibson Building at Michigan and Capitol.
"It's an absolutely perfect fit for Exact Target," said company founder and CEO Scott Dorsey.
90 years ago, the Gibson Building was a perfect fit for a new auto industry, high tech for its day.
Just a couple of blocks from the center of downtown development the building's been mostly vacant for about 30 years.
Now the computer software and Internet communications firm will move its downtown headquarters from the circle to a bigger space.
"ExactTarget is committed to creating 300 new jobs and $25 million of investment over the next five years," Dorsey said.
Dorsey and two partners created ExactTarget eight years ago. It has grown to 400 employees and powers more than a billion emails a month for thousands of organizations, including Microsoft, Google and The Home Depot.
The high tech company followed old school business basics, avoiding the credit crisis that's hampering many other companies.
"Our philosophy has been to grow quickly, but take the operating cash flow that our business is generating and put it back into the business," Dorsey said.
Governor Mitch Daniels praised the expansion, calling it a huge step toward diversifying Indiana's manufacturing based economy.
"Last year for the first time a space other than manufacturing represented a largest single piece of new jobs coming to Indiana," Daniels said.
The company says some of the jobs will pay as much as $45 an hour.
Dorsey says he could have moved the company anywhere, but decided to stay here because of the area's low cost of living, high quality of life and support of local and state government. The state is giving ExactTarget almost $4 million in tax credits and job training funds. The city is promising other tax incentives.
