Meet the tech company now operating out of Sacramento's second-tallest building
SACRAMENTO — A new high-tech company is changing the landscape of downtown Sacramento.
The city's commercial office market has suffered since the coronavirus pandemic caused thousands of people to work remotely, but there is a new company that is bringing new jobs and technology to Capitol Mall.
Sacramento's skyline has a new look. The 25-story building on Capitol Mall at 6th Street was originally known as the US Bank tower. It's Sacramento's second-tallest building – best known for having a colorful LED art installation across its roofline that can be seen from miles away.
Now, the skyscraper has a new name, HCLTech. So what is HCLTech?
"We're focused on engineering, and our engineers can do everything: software development, QA testing, data analysis, cloud production, tech support," said HCLTech spokesperson Michelle Rico.
Rico said the company was founded in India and has offices in more than 60 countries.
"Sacramento is a really strategic decision on our part," she explained. "We want to be where the action is. We want to be where our customers are. We want to be where the new young talent is."
Barry Broome, the president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said they are very happy to have HCLTech in California's capital city.
The GSEC said the high-tech company is bringing new jobs with an average wage of $78,000.
"They are projected to hire between 500 and 1,000 people," Broome said.
The company's new office may just have the best view in town right across the street from the Golden 1 Center and halfway between the California State Capitol and the iconic Tower Bridge.
The new site will also feature some state-of-the-art technology.
"We actually have an extended reality experience lab, so that helps our clients experience the metaverse and all of our capabilities to help support them," Rico said.
HCLTech is the latest in a growing number of companies from overseas choosing to open offices in the Sacramento region.
"Bosch is from Germany, HCL is from India, Solidigm is from South Korea, so you are going to start to see us become more of a global center than we have in the past," Broome said.
The company has qualified for a $1.3 million state tax credit to create the new jobs and invest in facilities and office space.