Telecom firm plans 350 jobs

BRADENTON — Star2Star Communications plans to hire 350 people as part of a major expansion over the next five years, the company announced.

To accommodate the employee growth, the cloud-based communications firm plans to add 30,000 square feet of space to its current 62,500-square-foot facility in Bradenton.

Founded in 2004 in Sarasota, Star2Star provides cloud-based communications that unify business customers' voice, video, fax and instant messaging into a single system. Star2Star moved from downtown Sarasota to a larger location at 600 Tallevast Road near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in 2008. In 2010, Manatee County approved an $80,000 performance-based expansion grant for Star2Star based on the creation of 80 jobs. Star2Star has since grown from 25 to 186 full-time employees in Manatee County.

“The unified communications market is experiencing double-digit growth, with Star2Star's solution having particular success in the mid-market, and growing interest from larger businesses,” says Star2Star CEO Norm Worthington in a statement. “The Bradenton-Sarasota area is consistently rated a best place to live so you can live and work in paradise, which aids our employee recruitment and retention efforts.”

The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. assisted Star2Star in applying for economic development incentives and rapid response permitting through Manatee County. The company has qualified for $700,000 in performance-based incentives based on adding 350 jobs over the next five years, according to a statement from the EDC. “The Bradenton Area EDC has worked closely with Star2Star over the years to ensure that the company's latest expansion occurs in our community,” EDC President and CEO Sharon Hillstrom says in the release.