Data management company adding 15 jobs in move to downtown Ann Arbor
BraveSoft, led by CEO Eric Heverly (left) and President Tom Wood (right), plans to add 15 jobs in Ann Arbor in 2012.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
The company — which provides remote database management services to major corporate clients — recently moved from a 1,900-square-foot office in the Waterworks Plaza on South State Street to a 3,500-square-foot office in the sixth floor of the office tower at 301 E. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor.
BraveSoft has between 22 to 24 employees based in Ann Arbor with plans to add another 15 this year. The company has 36 employees overall, including an office in Atlanta.
BraveSoft President Tom Wood said the company chose to expand in Ann Arbor in part because of the strong pool of talent generated by local universities.
"We thought we were going to expand grow more in Atlanta, but we decided to do it here," Wood said. "We wanted to move into a bigger space that we could grow into."
Among the factors was the high cost of living in the Atlanta area. Salaries must be higher there to compensate.
BraveSoft's logo sits on a window ledge overlooking the city at its new office at 301 E. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
The average senior database administrator earns between $90,000 to $120,000 in Atlanta, while the average one in Michigan would earn between $80,000 and $90,000, according to Salary.com data cited by BraveSoft.
"The salaries are still high, but they're lower than Atlanta," Wood said.
Eric Heverly, CEO of BraveSoft, said the company's revenue has been averaging annual increases of about 31 percent. Many clients are choosing not to contract with off-shore database companies, recognizing the value in using local service providers.
"They just feel comfortable knowing that you're near them," Wood said.
Driving the increased interest in BraveSoft's services is a general desire among corporations to outsource their data management so that they can focus on the core products and services they provide.
BraveSoft provides data analysis, using tools from companies like Oracle, to give executives a clear picture of their companies' performance.
BraveSoft's clients range from major financial institutions to hospitals to manufacturers. Those clients' revenue ranges from $5 million a year to $2 billion to $3 billion a year.
Swisher Commercial brokers Mike Giraud and and Randy Maas represented the 301 E. Liberty St. building owner, Larson Realty Group, in the BraveSoft lease, while Milliken Realty Co.'s Bill Milliken represented the tenant.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
Jazz Sings
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:39 a.m.
Glad to see a business growing and staying in Michigan.
Linda Peck
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 9:38 p.m.
This is great news for Ann Arbor! I say work for what you can get in salary, being anti-union as I am. There are great reasons to work here in Ann Arbor as opposed to Georgia. Salary is not the whole picture. We do have lots of fine talent here and plenty of people who appreciate living in our very fine city.
jcj
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:58 p.m.
For those whining about only making $80-$90K. See how many are in line behind you that would be happy with that amount! I never made close to that but: I don't have a house payment, car payment or credit card bill! whaa! Whaa!
johnnya2
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:26 p.m.
So this would mean that a good data base person would decide to leave Michigan and head to Chicago, Atlanta, or some other city. How about Mr Heverly and Woods let us know their salaries, since they are so proud that they can find a cheaper labor pool in Michigan.
Raugsam
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 6:21 a.m.
I lived in Chicago. Its very expensive to live there. Houses, commuting cost (tolls). LIving downtown Chicago and the burbs is a lot higher than Ann Arbor or any other city in Michigan. The cost of living and a higher demand for skilled IT drives salaries. That is no brainer. (Chicago, Atlanta and Boston is lot more populated than Ann Arbor, hence more competition for companies to find qualified people). Go ahead and move to Chicago but make sure you can afford the Chicago rent. Besides comparing Michigan (A2 to Chicago for e.g.) is an apples to oranges comparison; therefore you can't compare.
Jazz Sings
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:46 a.m.
So this means a good data base person can choose to live with his/her family in Ann Arbor and not worry about moving to an expensive city. The salary numbers are from salary.com and not from Mr Heverly and Woods. The company will be adding JOBS - Someone is HIRING in Michigan.
Ron Granger
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 5:59 p.m.
This is the perfect example of why top talent leaves Michigan and cannot be recruited to Michigan. It is a major reason why our graduates leave. Snyder is pushing an agenda of Michigan being the drone worker state. Want low wages? Come to Michigan!
Jazz Sings
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:49 a.m.
Your kids will be going to China soon... You'll be blaming Snyder for that too.
hard core ann arborite
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 2:15 p.m.
I think Michigan has been "getting it" for a while (and I won't say where). The flip side of our pain is that declining wages were bound to make us attractive to outside businesses looking to cut costs. It's nice for Michigan to finally be on the receiving end after all these years of losses. If a business creates jobs it's only because they couldn't avoid hiring another person. That doesn't earn them the title "job creators".
xmo
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.
It looks like BraveSoft is "out sourcing" it jobs to Michigan because of lower labor cost. Usually, it is the other way around. Maybe Michigan is finally getting it!
smokeblwr
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 1:34 p.m.
$80-$90K seems low for a senior DBA. Even in the backwoods of Michigan.
Jsher Lot
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:29 a.m.
The numbers are from salary.com $80-$90K is a good salary in Michigan... Most full time DBAs these days just check their emails and play facebook games. Everything is going to the cloud and the remaining jobs will be outsourced if people like you keep complaining about $90K salaries :)
glimmertwin
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.
That number sounds right. Data Architect, a senior level, would be higher.
smokeblwr
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.
I guess it depends on experience and the company. The Oracle DBAs at the companies I've worked for tended to be quite experienced I guess and very well compensated.
Barb
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 2:21 p.m.
Really? Seems kinda average from my experience.