Microsoft Corp. is relocating its local operations — a 112-person outfit that specializes in services such as Bing Maps — to downtown Boulder, company officials confirmed Tuesday evening.
The Redmond, Wash.-based technology giant plans to occupy 32,000 square feet on three floors of 1900 15th St., said Caitlin McCabe, a company spokeswoman. The new offices are 6,000 square feet larger than Microsoft’s current Boulder site at 1690 38th St., she said.
McCabe declined to comment about when the move will occur and future plans related to the new space.
Noting Microsoft’s cachet and the addition of 112 people who will be both working and spending money at nearby businesses, Sean Maher, executive director of Downtown Boulder Inc., said the impact to the local commercial sector could be huge.
“It’s a great company,” he said. “Their employees are very well-paid. They’ll be a great boost to our economy downtown.”
Microsoft settled in the local market in 2006 when it acquired Vexcel Corp., a Boulder-based remote sensing firm for an undisclosed sum.
Vexcel’s technology subsequently was integrated in Microsoft’s online mapping efforts and programs such as Virtual Earth and, now, Bing Maps.
