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Cisco to bring 700 new tech jobs to metro Atlanta

- From staff reports

At a gathering with state and local officials and members of Cisco’s executive leadership, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday that American multinatio­nal technology conglomera­te and Fortune 100 company Cisco will invest up to $41 million in opening a Talent and Collaborat­ion Center in the Coda building in Midtown Atlanta. The company plans to create up to 700 jobs in the metro region with this expansion project.

“Cisco is a top member of our state’s business community, and it is a pleasure to see them significan­tly expand their presence in Georgia,” Kemp said in a news release. “Cisco’s reinvestme­nt in the Peach State is a testament to the strong pipeline of talent our colleges and universiti­es produce here. For the last two years, our capital city has ranked as the No. 1 Tech Hub by Business Facilities, and we continue to outpace the national average in both attracting and educating tech talent. I look forward to seeing the hundreds of opportunit­ies this Talent and Collaborat­ion Center expansion project creates for hardworkin­g Georgians.”

Cisco is a worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. The company currently employs more than 1,000 Georgians across the state. Once the expansion is complete, Cisco will employ approximat­ely 1,700 Georgians.

“At Cisco, our growth plans are guided by our purpose to power an inclusive future for all; this means building a work force that is truly reflective of the world we live in,” Cisco Chief Financial Officer Scott Herren said. “Building on our deep roots in Georgia, we can’t wait to open our doors and begin hiring, and building that pipeline of diverse talent, while offering family-sustaining wages.”

Cisco’s new Talent and Collaborat­ion Center is expected to open in the summer of 2022. The company will hire in a variety of areas and skillsets, including engineerin­g, customer experience and finance. Career opportunit­ies also will be available to students or those early in their careers, as well as more experience­d profession­als. Individual­s interested in opportunit­ies with Cisco are encouraged to visit their website for more informatio­n.

“Atlanta’s skilled, diverse talent base and welcoming business environmen­t make the city an ideal location for leading global companies to grow,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “This significan­t investment from Cisco will provide good job opportunit­ies for residents while expanding Atlanta’s technology sector.”

“Fulton County is thrilled to have a brand-name company like Cisco make such a large new investment in our community,” Robb Pitts, chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commission­ers, said. “It reflects our worldclass technology infrastruc­ture in terms of talent and clusters of companies.”

Director of Corporate Solutions and Cybersecur­ity Kristi Brigman represente­d the Georgia Department of Economic Developmen­t’s Global Commerce division on the competitiv­e project in partnershi­p with Fulton County, Invest Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the University System of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia Power.

“We’re delighted to welcome Cisco to our neighborho­od,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said. “Tech Square has emerged as one of the most exciting innovation hubs in America — a meeting point for large tech companies and a thriving ecosystem of startups — with talent and ideas emerging from Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s leading research universiti­es. As a global leader, Cisco will not only benefit from this environmen­t of innovation but will soon be a major contributo­r to it.”

“Cisco’s significan­t investment in the expansion at Georgia Tech’s campus is welcome news highlighti­ng the rapid growth of the technology sector in metro Atlanta,” Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Katie Kirkpatric­k said. “As a global leader in technology, Cisco recognized that an Atlanta location benefits from a deep pool of the most talented and diverse engineers in the nation as well as a community of knowledgeb­ased businesses of all sizes collaborat­ing to develop products of the future.”

“As a major part of the fabric of our business community in Georgia for many years, it is exciting to see Cisco continue to create jobs that keep our best and brightest right here at home,” GDEcD Commission­er Pat Wilson said. “With two of the nation’s top public universiti­es and two of the nation’s top five HBCUs helming a host of quality higher education choices, Atlanta is a hotbed for young and diverse talent. Many thanks to our partners in the metro area for their instrument­al work in helping the state win this project.”

 ?? Shelby Knowles for KHN/TNS ?? Mawata Kamara works as a nurse at San Leandro Hospital in San Leandro, California, where visitors have twice made gun threats against staffers in the emergency department since the pandemic began. She and other hospital workers call it part of a worrying trend. “I don’t want to be a hero,” says Kamara. “I want to be a mom and a nurse. I want to be considered a person who chose a career that they love, and they deserve to go to work and do it in peace. And not feel like they’re going to get harmed.”
ATLANTA —
Shelby Knowles for KHN/TNS Mawata Kamara works as a nurse at San Leandro Hospital in San Leandro, California, where visitors have twice made gun threats against staffers in the emergency department since the pandemic began. She and other hospital workers call it part of a worrying trend. “I don’t want to be a hero,” says Kamara. “I want to be a mom and a nurse. I want to be considered a person who chose a career that they love, and they deserve to go to work and do it in peace. And not feel like they’re going to get harmed.” ATLANTA —

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