One of the most notable high-rise commercial buildings in downtown St. Petersburg has been renamed. One Progress Plaza is now known as Priatek Plaza.
The building is named after one of the tenants,
Priatek, a performance-based digital signage company.
Known for its “UGot2Play” kiosks, which can be found in malls, stores and airports, the media company offers clients advertising through prize promotions via the kiosks.
“I came up with the name Priatek as sort of an acronym for prize and advertising technologies,” says Milind Bharvirkar, president of Priatek. “Also, Pria, which is my second daughter’s first name, means beloved, so when you put it together Priatek really means beloved technology.”
For Bharvirkar it really is beloved technology, as Priatek was a brainchild built out of his home in Lutz and now is a successful business venture that employs 15 people and occupies 8,000-square-feet on the tower’s 23rd floor.
So why did Bharvirkar choose St. Petersburg for his headquarters? The answer is simple: competition and job candidates.
“The Tampa Bay area is a media mecca with Nielsen, HSN and Clear Channel, to name a few,” he says. It gives us the opportunity to compete and even partner with these companies. Also, there is a tech movement happening in this area, and with that brings great talent.”
Talent is something that Bharvirkar will be looking for as he plans to expand his empire. He says the space where the company currently resides can accommodate up to 50 people, which means adding to the headcount will not be an issue.
“I don’t have a timeline at this point, we will make adjustments and hire when we need to, however I do foresee us growing and hiring in the near future,” he says. “As we grow, there will be a need for jobs here in engineering, media, sales, operations and administration. Job creation is definitely on the horizon.”
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