Vying for US business

TWO office sites in Cork City and suburbs are competing to woo a new US FDI occupier — with the promise of up to 500 IT-related jobs.

The rival sites bidding for the c50,000 sq ft occupier deal are in Mahon, and the city centre. They are John Cleary Development/BAM’s recently amalgamated quayside plot on Albert Quay, in the city centre, next to City Hall, and O’Flynn Construction’s Motorola site in suburban Mahon. The 10-acre Motorola site is a kilometre from John Cleary’s City Gate 1 and 11 office developments, which were built speculatively and were hugely successful, despite the economic and employment downturn, attracting the likes of Dell and EMC.

The US firm is negotiating on a significant Cork base; well-placed sources say it would be a new presence, and a good match, for other recently located FDI firms in the region.