There are 300-400 new jobs coming to Bryan-College Station with the expansion of the Boston-based company, Nift.
Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation President/CEO, Matt Prochaska, says Nift is a technology company, that like Amazon, focuses on online advertising and gift cards.
“The key to Nift that really think is just sensational, especially for the Brazos Valley, is they are very much a buy local company,” says Prochaska.
Prochaska says the Bryan-College Station office, which is the first for Nift outside of the northeast region, will service the clients, do inside sales, and work in operations with the company.
“We hope at some point that they won’t just bring the jobs and the location here, but they will actually bring the product to the Brazos Valley, which is very much in keeping with our whole buy local emphasis on local businesses,” says Prochaska.
Blinn College is hosting a career fair for Nift this Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Bryan campus inside Building T.
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News release courtesy of Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation:
BRYAN, Texas – Nift, the Boston-based AI platform that helps small businesses compete with giants like Amazon, has chosen Brazos County for its first office expansion out of the northeast.
Nift officials are working to finalize a location for their growing team in Bryan/College Station and are currently seeking business development representatives and sales managers. Nift plans to hire 300 to 400 people, with more than 30 people to be hired each month this year.
The Blinn College District will be hosting a career awareness forum for Nift this Friday, July 27, from 10:00AM to 2:00PM at Building T on the Bryan campus. The company is also working with the Texas A&M Career Center to establish recruiting efforts.
Institutions of higher education, the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation, local government officials, Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley and staffing agencies have been working with Nift during its nationwide search for a new location.
“What we found in Bryan/College Station was a uniquely deep, qualified talent pool that shared our goals of strengthening local businesses and supporting neighborhoods,” said Elery Pfeffer, CEO. “From our first visit, we felt the dedication and welcoming nature of the community, and we look forward to contributing back to Aggieland.”
Nift (short for “neighborhood gift”) works with neighborhood businesses, driving local customers through the door. The network is currently available in Boston, Providence, Rhode Island and Washington, DC. In March, the company announced it had raised $16.5 million in Series A from Foundry Group and Spark Capital.
Nift has plans to expand their network to add up to five new markets in the near future, helping to bring even more customers through local businesses’ doors. The company is now also considering the possibility of opening its platform to small businesses in Bryan/College Station in addition to their recruiting efforts for the sales operation.
Pfeffer, a Harvard data scientist who also founded a company to help Fortune 500s drive sales, started Nift in 2014 after a conversation with a small business owner who detailed how difficult it was to get her business discovered. Pfeffer brought together leading data scientists and experts in product development and customer experience.
“From our very first meeting with the Nift Team in Boston, the fit in the Brazos Valley was evident,” said BVEDC President/CEO Matt Prochaska. “Nift brings innovation to our marketplace with a fantastic business model that focuses on buying local. The Nift team recognizes the strength of our talent base and will immediately bring new jobs to our area. The incredible teamwork from Brazos County, both Cities, Texas A&M, the Blinn College District, Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley and our local staffing agencies has really made the difference to attract such an outstanding new company to our area.”
Nift customers return to the business that gave them Nift gifts more than twice as often, and within one month of redeeming a gift somewhere, 37 percent of Nift customers had returned to that store. Businesses have seen revenue increases of up to 95 percent since starting to use the Nift platform. Similar results to the Boston area are being seen early in Nift’s time in Providence and Washington. One in 10 Bostonians has activated more than 630,000 Nift cards worth $25 million at more than 2,000 businesses. Of those customers, 74 percent selected a gift from a store they never visited before.
“We are excited to welcome the team at Nift to Brazos County. We take great pride in this emerging champion of local business expanding its presence from the northeast to our corner of the Lone Star State,” said Brazos County Judge Duane Peters.