Acxiom to open this fall in Texas

Acxiom Corp. plans to open a new office in Austin, Texas, in November, the Little Rock data-mining company said Tuesday.

A new office will "accommodate growing demand in its technology, engineering and operations," the company said in a news release.

"We are excited about opening new job opportunities for the local market," Janet Cinfio, site leader in Austin and vice president of infrastructure and technology operations, said in the statement.

"There is an incredible amount of technology talent in Austin which we hope to tap into as our operations continue to grow and expand," she said.

Acxiom said it would hire up to 150 employees for the new office. The new positions include "network engineers, security engineers, systems engineers, security architects, network architects, infrastructure architects, software engineers and project managers," the news release said.

Acxiom collects consumer data through public records and by observing shoppers' habits to help customers with marketing campaigns.

The Austin Business Journal reported Monday that Acxiom will sponsor a recruiting event Thursday in the city and that the new office will be at River Place Corporate Park in a cluster of office parks west of the city.

Acxiom has undergone several rounds of layoffs since last November, when the company said it would cut its "annual cost base" by $20 million to $30 million.

More than 215 employees nationwide, including central Arkansas, were laid off earlier this year, sources familiar with the cuts told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette several months ago.

Acxiom cut about 20 workers from its marketing department at its Little Rock headquarters about a year ago.

Acxiom was addressing efficiency issues when it cut divisions and management positions, Scott Howe, the company's chief executive officer, told the Democrat-Gazette in April.

He said the company was starting to invest in new products, such as the Audience Operating System, its new marketing platform.

Acxiom purchased startup LiveRamp for $310 million this year. The California-based marketing service company is expected to help Acxiom use offline information in its marketing application.

Business on 09/10/2014

Upcoming Events