Moraine tech firm revisits hiring plan to support its expansion

A Texas-based software development company is putting the finishing touches on its Moraine office.

Tyler Technologies Inc., based in Plano, Texas, began its Moraine expansion in February 2019. It’s now completing the construction and is awaiting final inspections. If all goes smoothly, the building plans to open this July 1.

“It’s been an exciting project to add an additional 45,000 square feet of space, bringing the building’s total square footage to 85,000,” said Mark Hawkins, president of Tyler’s Appraisal and Tax Division. “We’re pleased to say that the building expansion is nearly finished.”

For the company which has offices in 19 states and the District of Columbia, its Moraine location is the only in the Buckeye State. The firm focuses primarily on serving the public sector.

The building is regarded by Michael Davis, Moraine city manager, as, “the envy of all the other tech buildings in the entire Dayton market.”

According to the company, the purpose of the modernization of its office space is to foster an effective work atmosphere for staff members and to entice top candidates in software development, support and implementation positions in the Greater Dayton area.

“The building is our take on modern industrial,” Hawkins said. “It has an open and modern design and a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces. Each office was carefully designed with ergonomics in mind.”

The Dayton Business Journal previously reported the new space will allow for future growth within Tyler’s Appraisal and Tax Division, which is headquartered in Moraine. The payroll was projected to exceed $27 million due to the combination of new and existing jobs.

“They have plans that, when they meet the expectations of 225 employees over a three- to five-year period, in addition to the 150 they already have, that we may be working with them to collaborate and add an addition on the north side that would be very similar to what they just built on the south side of the building,” Davis said. “They have designed their (current) expansion in a way to be able to accommodate another growth of the same size if and when it is needed. A lot of it is market-driven.”

However, like many companies and businesses around the world, Tyler felt the impact of Covid-19 as the Moraine office closed due to the stay-at-home regulations, and employees started to work remotely.

“We have not had a significant uptick in new hires for 2020,” said Hawkins. “Hiring timelines are being reviewed in conjunction with adjusted project start dates and new contract signings.”

Despite the work from home, Tyler has not had to furlough or lay off any employees and does not anticipate having to make any.

When the expansion was initially planned, 200 new hires were expected to fill the space creating $15.6 million in new annual payroll. The new positions were estimated to have an average salary of $70,000 but Covid-19 has forced the company to adjust its initial plan.

“While we likely won’t be adding employees in the near term at the same rate as we anticipated when the building expansion started, we will continue hiring as a function of demand from our clients,” Hawkins said.

As stay-at-home restrictions start to ease and employees start to return to work, Tyler expects to see a rise in field appraisal work and are prepared to hire as needed to accommodate this anticipated increase.

Tyler has a phased plan in place for return to the office for all of its locations.

“Phase 1 allows for up to 25% of our workforce to return to the office,” Hawkins said. “As offices elect to enter Phase 1, all employees are expected to maintain a six-foot distance between themselves and others.”

Modifications have been made in the Moraine building to comply with social distancing guidelines. Plexiglass screens and additional cubicle walls were added to have areas comply with the return to office social distancing policy and government directives related to returning work.

DBJ