Ohio Attracts Global Outsourcing Leader Williams Lea, Drawing 500 Jobs

Company Name: Williams Lea Inc.
Location: Columbus
Industry Sector: Other
Company Profile: Williams Lea is the global provider of skilled business-critical support services to financial, legal and professional services firms. It connects people, processes and technology to manage documents and streamline key back-office functions. From its humble beginnings as a print shop in London, to its position today as a global outsourcing leader, Williams Lea’s business is built on a strong heritage, great relationships and a talented team.
Company Website: www.williamslea.com

Project Summary:

Type of Project: New location

Number of Jobs:

• Jobs committed: 550
• Types of jobs: Sales, account management, document production, graphic design and administrative positions

Capital Investment: $4,000,000

Company Need:

Williams Lea — a leading global provider of skilled business-critical support services to financial, legal and professional services firms — sought a new U.S. market to expand operations. This new facility would be an operations center providing legal, accounting, marketing and financial services to clients globally. One of the primary drivers of the company’s decision was the economic feasibility of expansion into potential markets.

Why Ohio?

After considering other major U.S. markets, Williams Lea chose to expand in Columbus, occupying approximately 60,000 square feet in downtown Columbus to help the company create long-term assurance and viability as it continues providing world-class services and support to clients.

The Ohio market provides a unique, world-class financial ecosystem that is ranked fifth in the U.S. Ohio is close to major financial and insurance hubs including New York City, and the state has an abundance of established industry-leading financial and insurance operations including Progressive Insurance and JPMorgan Chase. This concentration of financial industry leaders has also trained and encouraged the development of a quality tech and financial services talent pipeline.

Williams Lea has seven offices in the U.S., with two in New York City including its Americas headquarters, and additional offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Wheeling, West Virginia. Williams Lea is part of U.K.-based Williams Lea Tag, with 10,000 employees worldwide, operating in more than 195 cities across 40 countries.

Testimonial:

“The success, growth and attractiveness of the Columbus Region make this a smart decision for us as we continue to grow our operations in the U.S. The ability to expand into a market like Columbus presents a significant talent attraction opportunity and helps us continue to service customers in the most economically feasible way compared to other major U.S. locations.” — Clare Hart, CEO, Williams Lea

Collaborators:

Columbus 2020, city of Columbus, Ohio Development Services Agency and JobsOhio