AJC Exclusive: NCR said to be weighing 1,000-job Ga. expansion

NCRs planned headquarters in Midtown Atlanta. Courtesy of NCR.

NCRs planned headquarters in Midtown Atlanta. Courtesy of NCR.

NCR’s plans for a second tower at its new Midtown Atlanta headquarters is part of a broader business consolidation effort the financial technology giant is considering that could bring more than 1,000 jobs to Georgia, people familiar with the matter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.

The Fortune 500 maker of software, ATMs and self-serve kiosks is weighing plans that would involve some newly created jobs and a consolidation of its workforce from certain locations outside of Georgia.

One person familiar with the company’s discussions, said the figure could be between 1,600 and 1,800 jobs over the next several years.

The people declined to be named because they are not authorized to comment. NCR spokesman Scott Sykes declined to comment.

It was not immediately clear how soon a final decision will be made. The AJC first reported online Wednesday that NCR and its developer, Cousins Properties, were considering a second tower in Midtown even as the first tower in complex is under construction.

NCR CEO Bill Nuti has said the intown shift is designed to help the company tap student and faculty talent at Georgia Tech. Payment processor Worldpay US and a number of other tech companies have made similar relocation announcements in recent years.

The AJC first reported NCR's plans last year to relocate to Midtown from Gwinnett County. NCR said in January 2015 it would shift 3,600 jobs to Midtown.

At the time, NCR said it planned to maintain a second office campus in the northern suburbs, in Gwinnett or elsewhere. It is not clear if those plans are still on the table.

Cousins officials said last week in the company’s second quarter earnings call that the size and cost of the NCR project was fluctuating and likely would continue to as a design is finalized.

In response to an analyst’s question concerning Cousins’ portfolio of development sites, Cousins Chief Financial Officer Gregg Adzema said the second phase of the NCR project is “about to start.”

NCR moved its headquarters from Ohio to Gwinnett County during the depths of the recession.