ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando has positioned itself as a hub for technology and place for companies which start elsewhere to expand.

In the last several months, companies based around the globe — from South Africa to the Netherlands — took advantage of incentives offered by the region.

And one tech company, eloomi, based out of Copenhagen, Denmark, is no different — it recently set up its first U.S. office in the City Beautiful.

Six years ago, Claus Johansen — a subject matter expert for training and developing team members within organizations — saw a need in the market for innovative HR software.

Fast forward and eloomi opened offices in major markets like London and Düsseldorf, and then set its sights on the United States.

But Johansen, eloomi's founder and CEO, said that Central Florida was the total package for the landing, as he eyed the lower cost of living and fewer taxes.

“We picked Orlando primarily because it’s super friendly area,” he said. “We also got huge help from the city of Orlando to help establish us over here. Getting access to looking offices, recruitment companies. All the things that are not super easy when you’re coming into a new country.”

Johansen said that he’s appreciated help from the Orlando Economic Partnership, making necessary connections. He just flew in last Friday on one of the first flights of vaccinated travelers from Europe.

In the meantime, his small team has rented desks in the co-working space, Industrious, until eloomi settles on a more permanent home in the next few weeks.

Johansen has also utilized his time in the City Beautiful to hire more employees for high-wage positions. He needs to fill 25 to 50 jobs, from sales development representative to account executive roles, with starting salaries of $60,000 plus commission.

It bodes well with the Partnership’s objective: helping to deliver high-wage jobs that top the Orlando region's average of about $44,000.

Johansen said that he’s confident the move to downtown Orlando was the right choice, adding that, now here himself, he’s pleasantly surprised by how the city functions, its vibe and culture.

“It is a big city, but it’s kind of down to earth mentality," he said. "Downtown area, easy to get around. You can walk to everything. You can drive within 30 minutes to everything in Orlando, and that matters, you know, for people who are going to work in my company. Have a good work, life balance.”