In 2016, Software giant Salesforce announced its plans to expand operation in Indianapolis, and just last month the company is reportedly under negotiation to possibly lease over 500,000 sq. feet of office space in a yet-to-be-built tower along the Chicago River. The proposal can be a total of 5,000 jobs.
Salesforce New Office Space
The new office space will be three times bigger than the company’s current Chicago office, which has around 1,000 employees.
This project can be slowed down by some requests Salesforce has for Chicago officials, including a property tax abatement worth $10 million and a permit to install a gigantic video wall on the side of the planned tower.
Salesforce Workforce in Chicago and Indianapolis
If Salesforce pushes through with adding 5,000 employees, its workforce in Chicago will exceed the number of employees they have in Indianapolis.
In May 2016, the company announced a $40 million proposal to establish their regional headquarters in Indianapolis, increasing their local workforce from around 1,500 to almost 2,400 by 2021.
In 2017, Salesforce started to occupy 11 floors of the 48-storey building formerly called Chase Tower, now known as Salesforce Tower.
To attract this expansion, Indiana economic development authorities gave Salesforce over $17 million in tax incentives.
There is no information if Indian in in competition with Illinois for the most recent project. Reports say that Salesforce is in negotiation with Chicago officials for the incentives.
According to Abby Gras, Indiana Economic Development Corp. Vice President of Communications, their negotiations with the companies remain confidential. This is why she cannot confirm nor deny at the moment whether Salesforce is in a negotiation with Indiana regarding another expansion.
Since 2011, Salesforce has acquired five technology companies and this is how the company has established their presence in Chicago.
In 2013, Salesforce began their operations in Indianapolis by purchasing ExactTarget for $2.5 billion.