St. Petersburg, Florida continues to attract financial services companies looking to capitalize on the Sunshine City’s talent pool and unique lifestyle. New York-based online trading platform Webull recently opened an office in the Carillon business district. The space houses employees of Webull, Webull Pay, and Webull Technologies.
Webull wanted to attract new employees in an in-person environment outside its New York headquarters, so it looked at a variety of locations for an additional office, including Austin, Atlanta, and North Carolina. The company reached out to the St. Pete Economic Development Corp. through its website to explore St. Pete as well.
The St. Pete EDC worked closely with Webull executives to arrange a community tour, connecting Webull to a host of community stakeholders, including the City of St. Petersburg for workforce information, St. Pete EDC Investor Smith & Associates for residential real estate, EDC Investor Relofant for moving project management, and an immigration attorney to explore relocating non-U.S. executives.
The St. Pete EDC also made introductions to the University of South Florida, which has a focus on making the school and the region a hotspot for fintech. Webull executives attended the St. Pete EDC’s Meet the Projects event at Tropicana Field in the fall, where they met with St. Pete EDC Investors and companies that relocated to St. Petersburg in the past year.
Attracted to Talent
Webull’s director of special projects Carlos Questell, who headed the firm’s office search, said, “Once we visited St. Pete we were blown away. We were looking for a location that had a strong local fintech presence and that could attract additional talent because we think in-person connections continue to be important for innovation. St. Petersburg’s workforce and appealing quality of life made it an obvious choice.”
“Once we visited St. Pete we were blown away. We were looking for a location that had a strong local fintech presence and that could attract additional talent because we think in-person connections continue to be important for innovation. St. Petersburg’s workforce and appealing quality of life made it an obvious choice.”
“We initially looked at St. Pete because of Florida’s business-friendly climate, and then were sold by the city’s robust business community and appeal to the next generation workforce we want to attract. People who live here want to stay and people outside the area want to move here.”
Capital Investment in St. Petersburg
While Webull initially worked from Thrive DTSP, they were interested in purchasing a building that would give them opportunity to expand. The St. Pete EDC connected them to several developers and real estate professionals, and the company ultimately purchased the 157,755 sf Catalina building at 200 Carillon Parkway. Catalina now leases space in the building. St. Pete EDC Investor Corporate Fitness Works is working with Webull on creating an onsite gym.
J.P. DuBuque, president and CEO of the St. Pete EDC, said, “We are pleased to welcome Webull to St. Petersburg. They are an innovative fintech company that’s already made a capital investment in the Sunshine City with plans to hire locally.”
About Webull
Webull is a comprehensive trading platform tailored for individual investors. Its advance charting, financial analysis, and customizable tools aim to empower the investor’s trading journey. Brokerage services are provided by Webull Financial LLC, a broker dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Webull Financial LLC is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) , NASDAQ and Cboe EDGX Exchange, Inc (CBOE EDGX).
For more, visit https://www.webull.com/.
Note: Webull subsequently decided to move its global headquarters to St. Pete. For more, see “St. Pete celebrates new corporate HQs at St. Pete EDC annual meeting.”
