A Canadian information technology company is opening an office in Saco to tap into the U.S. labor market.

T4G, based in Toronto, goes to where the workers are rather than opening up in large cities where its clients may be based, said Geoff Flood, president of the company.

The company specializes in business intelligence and analytics, he said, working with companies to derive better information about customers and markets from the data they collect.

Flood said the company will start small, with probably three workers in the Saco office. He said there could be a dozen professionals in the office by the end of this year.

The location is good because the workers are there, said Flood. Some clients are nearby, like L.L. Bean, but others can be reached via the Downeaster, which runs past T4G’s offices on Saco Island, or by plane.

Areas like southern Maine are preferable for offices, he said, because the quality of life helps keeps workers satisfied and leads them to resist offers from other companies in large cities.

Flood said demand for IT professionals is high on both sides of the border.

The Saco office is T4G’s first in the U.S.; it has offices coast-to-coast in Canada.

Flood said the company works in the retail, telecommunications, travel and hospitality, financial services and energy management industries and is looking to expand its portfolio of government contracts.

The company has about 230 professionals in Canada, Flood said. About 30 to 40 percent of its business is in the U.S., he said, but it would like to expand that.

T4G had revenues of about $30 million last year, Flood said, and recorded slight growth over 2008, which he considers significant, considering the hit the American economy took from the recession.

 

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:

emurphy@pressherald.com