Web Host HostGator to Hire Hundreds in Austin

With its new Austin office space scheduled to be complete by the end of July, Web host HostGator said it plans to initially employ 200 local individuals, and as many as 300 over the next 36 months.

Owned by Oxley Leasing, the 100,000-square-foot building located at 8100 Cameron Road, Austin, will be the new location of HostGator's operations. Hosting more than three million domains, HostGator supports approximately two percent of the world's Internet traffic. "We do business all over the globe," HostGator president and chief executive officer Lance Custen said in a statement. "Because Austin is such a hot market, we felt comfortable investing in property for our company's continued growth."

Founded in 2002 by board chairman Brent Oxley from his dorm room at Florida Atlantic University, HostGator has grown to provide service to clients in more than 170 countries with more than 8,000 servers under management. In 2006, HostGator.com moved from Boca Raton, Florida, to Houston, Texas, for more space and to draw upon the local talent in the Houston area.

"We're delighted HostGator has selected Austin for this expansion," Opportunity Austin chairman Tim Crowley said in a statement. "Clearly, our community is a magnet for successful, technology-driven companies like HostGator."

As with the move to Houston, when many employees lived at the office for the first few months, according to a blog post from HostGator's Josh Loe, they will likely do the same in Austin if zoning permits. The company, however, is also thinking of making a "tent city" where employees can sleep until they get situated in Austin. "If you have never bunked with 10+ System Administrators you are missing out! Brent himself will be staying in the office if zoning permits," Loe wrote.

Custen concludes that the move to Austin will provide the company with new talent that will drive its business worldwide. "Because of the nature of reseller hosting, HostGator customers are frequently web designers and or developers who have chosen to provide hosting services to their clients," said Custen. "Austin's deep talent pool will provide our company with the skilled workforce it needs to assist these clients."