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Another New Zealand company opens Austin office [Austin American-Statesman](Austin American-Statesman (TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 18-- A New Zealand software company is opening a sales and marketing outpost in Austin and could have as many as 100 employees here within two years, company executives say. Jason Westland, CEO of ProjectManager.com, said he came to Austin a few weeks ago to start hiring staff and said he's also planning to move to Central Texas. Westland said the company's headquarters could eventually relocate here. The company's online project management software has 13,000 monthly paying users in 101 countries, Westland said. It was founded in New Zealand in 2008 and has raised $3.5 million in Series A funding. Westland said the company has 25 employees in New Zealand, but until now all of its growth has come organically through customer word-of-mouth. After a few weeks in Austin, he's hired a handful of employees, among them two vice presidents, including Tanya White, formerly of Dell Inc. and Austin Ventures. Within six months, Westland said, the Austin office will have 20 employees and could reach a total of 80 to 100 employees within two years. He said he is looking at office locations in the Arboretum and Domain areas. Westland said he was attracted to Austin because of its skill base and low turnover, compared to other hotbeds like the San Francisco Bay area, Silicon Valley and New York. "It's just a phenomenal market here," he said. The company's product lets users manage projects online, with a way for users to see graphically if projects are on track. ProjectManager.com counts NASA and the United Nations as users and 56 percent of its customers are in the U.S., Westland said. It's the second New Zealand company this month to announce it's opening an Austin office. Last week, PowerbyProxi, which develops wireless power systems, said it is opening a new U.S. headquarters in Austin with a handful of employees. ___ (c)2014 Austin American-Statesman, Texas Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |