The Pflugerville Community Development Corp. announced Tuesday the addition of TrackingPoint Inc. to the 130 Commerce Center, a master planned business development park in east Pflugerville. The Pflugerville City Council also approved lease agreements for the company at its meeting Thursday night.
TrackingPoint is a technology company currently located in Austin that is currently working on developing the world's first precision-guided firearms (PGFs). The company's XactSystem eliminates possible shooting errors due to aim, trigger pull, environmental influences and range miscalculation, allowing a shooter to make more accurate shots in longer ranges, according to the TrackingPoint website.
The company said it is moving to Pflugerville to take advantage of the city's business-friendly community and elected official support for second amendment rights and convenient location and accessibility, according to a news release.
"We knew that Pflugerville was very pro-business, but it was also important to us to locate in a place our employees could easily access. 130 Commerce Center in Pflugerville offered us exactly what we needed—a high-quality, affordable business park with room for growth located on [SH 130] in the heart of Central Texas," TrackingPoint founder and CEO John McHale said in the release. "With our experienced executive team and board of directors, a highly educated, innovative and hard-working staff, and now a location where our business can prosper and grow, we will be able to take modern-day technology and integrate it with firearms to revolutionize the gun industry, which has been stagnant for more than a century."
TrackingPoint plans to employ more than 90 workers in Pflugerville by the end of 2013, with 120 more jobs opening in 2014. PCDC Business Recruitment Specialist Mary Poche announced at the council meeting an incentive to reduce the company's rent by $5,000 for each employee hired with a salary of at least $100,000 and benefits. The company plans to occupy approximately 48,000 square feet of new office space in the 130 Commerce Center and build a 500-yard underground ballistic laboratory on 20 acres behind the building.
TrackingPoint, which was classified as Project Orion by the PCDC until Thursday, is predicted to bring $7.68 million to Pflugerville's tax base over the next 10 years, according to a study commissioned by the PCDC.
"We are successfully attracting corporate headquarters to 130 Commerce Center to build the daytime population of Pflugerville, which helps attract retail, builds our tax base, provides job opportunities to our residents, and ultimately enhances the quality of life in Pflugerville," PCDC Executive Director Floyd Akers said. "Adding innovative, growing companies like TrackingPoint will provide a large number of high-paying jobs with benefits and bring more opportunities to our residents."
The 130 Commerce Center is also slated to house gourmet coffee and creamer distributor EIEIO Inc. and a data center.