TriNet is on a mission to make Atlanta a new hub for its growing workforce and small-business customers, planting its latest roots in Dunwoody with a new office and plans to expand its local team.
The human resources company celebrated the grand opening of its new metro Atlanta office in Dunwoody with a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, Aug. 18, bringing together company executives, local officials, community partners and employees. The new office on High Street is part of TriNet’s effort to establish a long-term presence in the Atlanta area.
TriNet provides human resources services to small and medium-sized businesses, including payroll, employee benefits, human resources support and compliance. CEO Mike Simonds said Atlanta stood out after the company considered dozens of cities because of its schools, cost of living, airport connectivity and public-private partnerships.
“When we got to actually doing site visits and visiting a few different cities… Atlanta really stood out,” Simonds said. “It stood out for those reasons.”
TriNet opened a temporary Atlanta location about a year ago with a few dozen employees. At the ribbon cutting the company announced their plans to create 750 news jobs in five years, and expects the new office to serve as a hub for hiring, collaboration and community involvement.
“We’re here to take care of people’s processes for those small businesses… You want to be focused on your customer, your team, and how you can chase that dream that got you in business in the first place,” Simonds said.
According to TriNet, the Atlanta area is home to nearly 900,000 small businesses. The state of Georgia has over 1.4 million small businesses, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
The company’s growth also means more opportunities for early-career workers. Chief Revenue Officer Shea Treadway said TriNet’s Ascend program, a yearlong sales training program for early-career employees, has grown to about 100 people in Atlanta.
“We’re able to go into the local colleges and universities, go into the business schools and other majors and their sales programs, and recruit the best of the best,” Treadway said.
For Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch, TriNet’s arrival is a signal to other businesses that the city is a place to invest.
“Success begets success, and so when corporate America sees their peers choosing a location, I think it helps get people curious about what’s happening here,” Deutsch said.
Deutsch said TriNet also brings hundreds of employees to High Street, a mixed-use development across from Perimeter Mall.
“Having TriNet here will energize the development, which is a benefit for everyone, including the city,” she said.
The company has also emphasized integrating the office into the local community. Office walls are covered by the murals of local artists including Eric Nine, Brianna Gardocki, Aysha Pennerman and Peter Ferrari.
Ray Ezelle, President and CEO of Discover Dunwoody and a TriNet customer, said the company’s services have helped the organization provide benefits that would otherwise be difficult for a small organization to afford.
“Because we are a small organization, without TriNet, we would not be able to afford the quality of insurance and benefits that we get,” Ezelle said.
Mike Jackson of Discover Dunwoody said TriNet’s presence creates a connection between the company and the city it serves.
“TriNet is here. We’re using their services. It helps us. They’re in our backyard,” Jackson said. “And so it’s a win-win for that.”
Jay Venkat, TriNet’s executive vice president of strategy, products and transformation, said the physical office is intended to encourage employees from different departments to work together in person.
“We’re realizing that for many of our initiatives and projects, we need people from different departments to work closely together,” Venkat said.
