September 28, 2017, SAINT JOHN (GNB) – Pronto Canada Ltd., a home repair company, is establishing its information technology headquarters for North American operations in Saint John and creating 20 jobs with support from the provincial government.
“Your government has been working hard to create strong partnerships that contribute to economic growth in our province,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “We are pleased that Pronto has chosen Saint John for its information technology headquarters and will be employing talented New Brunswickers in the growing technology sector.”
Pronto was founded by Atlanta-based technology entrepreneurs Boris Jerkunica and Erik Stadler, who felt that state-of-the-art technology could help the home services industry provide a faster, better customer experience. They launched a mobile app with four handymen employees in August 2015. The company’s new Saint John office will allow for further development of the Pronto Pro app as the business continues to grow.
“At Pronto, we are committed to providing the highest levels of customer service to our customers through our app,” said Stadler, the company’s CEO. “As we continue to expand throughout North America, we will be depending on our app development and quality assurance teams here in Saint John. We thank Opportunities NB and the Government of New Brunswick for their support and for providing Pronto with such a warm welcome, as we plant roots here in Saint John.”
The new positions are expected to generate $722,540 in provincial income taxes and contribute about $5.8 million to the province’s GDP over the next four years. Once all the jobs are created, they are expected to contribute an estimated $440,000 in provincial income taxes and contribute $2.7 million to the GDP on an annual basis.
To support the creation of these jobs, Pronto is eligible for up to $345,000 in support from Opportunities NB. This Crown corporation seeks to attract and support opportunities to grow the economy and create jobs by providing support services for businesses across the province.
The funding is in the form of payroll rebates that are performance-based and only disbursed to a company once it has created and maintained the jobs for one year and provided proof of salary levels and employment.
From left: Saint John Mayor Don Darling; Elad Shalom, chief technology officer, Pronto; Saint John Harbour MLA Ed Doherty; and Premier Brian Gallant.
MEDIA CONTACT(S):
Jeff Hull, communications, Opportunities NB, 506-453-8694.