Affirma Opens New Office in Reno, NV
Affirma Consulting officially opened its Reno, Nevada office on July 1st, 2017. The 15-person office will be Affirma’s fifth, joining offices in Seattle, Los Angeles, India, and Ireland. The newly launched team will support Affirma’s growing BPO (business process outsourcing) business unit. Affirma’s BPO business unit assists companies and organizations in improving business performance by moving repeatable business processes to different locations. The office’s primary operational function will be to service Microsoft OEM partners as well as provide general Microsoft support. Reno provides an excellent stage ground for Affirma Consulting’s expansion into an emerging technology market. Although battered by the recent financial recession in 2008-2010, Reno has emerged as an exciting new market for growing companies.Bolstered by a rising educated population and a favorable tax environment, Reno made news with the opening of several large technology production centers in the area.
Tesla’s Gigafactory, said to be the world’s largest factory, opened in mid-2016. Joining it are several large production centers and data centers operated by Apple, Microsoft, and Panasonic. Among the tech giants to descend on Reno is Google, which recently bought over 1,000 acres of office space, and Las Vegas-based tech company Switch.
Reno provides several advantages to tech companies seeking alternative office locations. Reno has no income tax, a low sales tax, more affordable labor costs, and an overall more affordable standard of living than many of the other major tech centers in the country, such as Seattle or San Francisco. This is a welcome contrast for organizations facing talent shortages, price pressures, or unfavorable tax environments.
Operations in Reno also have a higher productivity per dollar than off-shore locations such as China or India. Reno’s high productivity makes it an ideal location for concierge or “white glove” BPO operations. Projects that feature heavy interaction with clients, or significant business to business operations will appreciate the professionalism of Reno’s labor force.
Another significant advantage for tech companies in Reno is the close proximity of the University of Nevada. Reno’s position as a college town gives neighboring companies an easy pipeline to young, affordable tech talent. Mark Mason, Principal at Affirma summed up Reno’s advantages as “Reno has a mixture of access to quality talent, a lower cost of living and a growing tech community”. Companies like Tesla, Google, and Apple certainly agree. For Affirma, Reno represents a long-term expansion into a new market. Mason added “We’re really excited about Reno and feel it’s a great match for Affirma. We look forward to becoming part of the community”
