Another California company moving to Tampa Bay

Lynx Automation, a property automation company, says it will relocate from California to Tampa Bay.

The Sacramento-area company says it has 50 employees and plans to double that over the next year by hiring Tampa Bay-area people in such roles as account management, customer support, sales and software engineering.

Lynx Automation so far has not chosen an office site in Tampa Bay. Both the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp. and the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council assisted Lynx Automation and will continue to help them locate space in either Hillsborough or Pinellas counties, according to EDC officials. The company is currently remote with its workforce, EDC officials say.

Lynx Automation assists property managers and operators of vacation rentals and hotels, offering technology such as keyless entry; automation for thermostats; sensors; and guest communication. The company was created to solve problems its co-founders were facing as hosts of their own vacation rentals and long-term rentals: They wanted to automate the mundane and time-consuming aspects of rental management, according to Lynx Automation officials.

Florida's pro-business climate was just one reason given by Lynx Automation officials for the move. Other advantages to being in the Tampa Bay area include the "low-tax environment and greater business-development opportunities." Company officials also liked the beaches and "work-life" balance that Tampa Bay offers, EDC officials say.

"Tampa Bay's growing technology and startup community, which is not saturated yet and has the drive to continue to grow, was another draw for the company," EDC officials say in a statement.

The award-winning beaches and local lifestyle also won over the company’s co-founders as they feel they’ll enjoy a better work-life balance in Tampa Bay.

"We already have customers in the area, and we know there is greater opportunity to further expand our customer base here," Resha Shroff, co-founder and CEO of Lynx Automation says in the statement.  "We're confident Tampa Bay is the perfect fit for us, and we look forward to being a part of this growing technology and startup ecosystem."

The respective EDC teams say they provided Lynx Automation with market research and labor statistics, and collaborated with local startup partners like Tampa Bay Wave and Embarc Collective.

Lynx is the latest company to announce a corporate relocation from California, following AutoSlide, Engineered Fluids, and OPSWAT.