Tech Firm Adding 300 Jobs

CHARLESTON — Insurance software developer Benefitfocus is adding 300 design and engineering jobs to its Daniel Island campus.

Gov. Nikki Haley made the official announcement Tuesday at ribbon cutting for the tech firm's Charleston office.

The company, which develops cloud-based software to manage workplace benefits, officially opened an 80,000-square-foot office building that can accommodate 475 employees during a Tuesday ribbon cutting.

"This is a great celebration, because as much as we try to recruit great companies to South Carolina, there is no better compliment than when companies expand here," Haley said to a crowd of excited Benefitfocus employees. "It shows that we are taking care of those who take care of us."

The privately held company received no state incentives to expand here, Haley said. The new building provides a modern "social workspace" that looks like both an office and a coffee house.

The modern environment is meant to foster creativity among technology developers who build and plan Benefitfocus products.

"For the first time in our company's history, and perhaps in the history of South Carolina, we have an 80,000-square-foot space that is specifically for software engineers and designers," said CEO Shawn Jenkins.

Founded in 2000, the company has seen tremendous growth, according to Jenkins. Its software is used in 66 countries and every state in the U.S. Roughly 18 million individuals use Benefitfocus to manage all their at-work benefits in one virtual location.

Benefitfocus currently has more than 700 associates in offices in Greenville, Tulsa, Okla., and San Francisco.