Software maker to add workers
60 of 100 developer slots for Headspring will be at Austin HQ.
Fast-growing software maker Headspring is stepping up hiring, with plans to add 100 developers at its Texas offices by year’s end.
Of those, 60 jobs will be at the company’s Austin headquarters.
Headspring develops custom software that helps large companies move from older technology systems to newer, updated ones. It has more than 100 clients including Whole Foods Market, Dell Inc. and the Texas Education Agency.
Headspring currently has about 60 employees, including 44 in Austin.
A year ago, the company opened a Houston office to tap into the development pool there. At the time, Headspring said its Austin network had become tapped out, and it expected to use employee referrals to find technical talent in Houston.
The strategy worked so well that the company is now
opening an office in Dallas, said JT McCormick, Headpring president.
“It worked two-fold: We ended up obtaining new talent, but we also obtained additional business from having an office in Houston,” he said.
The company, which now has 12 employees in Houston, plans to hire 20 employees in both Houston and Dallas.
“The Dallas office is the exact same scenario as Houston — once people find out we’re opening an office there, we hear from developers who know us and want to come on board,” McCormick said. “And we already have four companies lined up with contracts to do business with us just from opening an office there.”
To accelerate hiring in Austin, Headspring has added a five-person inhouse recruitment team. The company has had the most success bringing in workers from out of state, particularly California, McCormick said.
“They say, ‘I read online about you, and I love the community and the vibe of Austin, and I want to come work for you,’” he said. “Developers, especially on the West Coast, want to move here.”
Last year, Headspring had revenue of $10 million, up more than 40 percent from the previous year. This year, the company is on track to exceed revenue of $15 million, McCormick said.
Headspring, which hasn’t raised venture capital and doesn’t plan to, is profitable, he said.
The company’s growth is being driven partly by Headspring Mobile, a mobile application development practice that the company launched in February.
To continue its expansion, the company plans to open an office in Chicago next year.
Headspring was founded in 2001 by Dustin Wells, who remains the company’s CEO.