George C. Ford, CR Gazette –
CEDAR RAPIDS — A California business will receive state financial help to relocate its support services office to Cedar Rapids.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board on Monday awarded $40,000 in direct financial assistance to Expense Reduction Analysts Inc.
Expense Reduction Analysts, also known as ERA-USA, started in 2003-2004 and is a franchisor company that supports franchisees that operate an Expense Reduction Analysts® Consulting Practice. The latter helps organizations improve profitability through cost, purchase and supplier management.
ERA-USA’s support services office is located in Carlsbad, Calif. It will relocate to an existing building at 240 33rd Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids to meet the needs of more than over 200 consultants nationwide. The project is expected to create 16 new jobs.
ERA-USA Managing Director Jim Schmitt said the company is hoping to lower operating expenses by relocating its support center from California, where costs are relatively high, and there are availability issues related to the time zone differences with clients in the central and eastern United States.
The support positions in Cedar Rapids would likely include training, marketing, information technology support and finance, Schmitt said.
David DeWitte of Business380.com contributed to this story.