ADP’s Search for a Central Service Center

Virginia’s Advantage

ADP is a leading global technology company providing human capital management (HCM) solutions that prides itself on designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services, and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential. With a number of business units operating throughout the Northeast, ADP began exploring the opportunity to centralize certain company operations in one location as a way to improve efficiency, increase cohesion, and maximize resources. Over the last few decades, Virginia has become one of North America’s premier locations for the tech sector. Thousands of tech firms and tech industry leaders have been attracted to the Commonwealth by its combination of diverse, world-class talent, exceptional quality of life, attractive business climate, and competitive costs. ADP wanted a modern urban space that could accommodate its needs and attract a robust, skilled workforce.

Enter the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Norfolk.

The Virginia Solution

Dynamic Downtown with Robust Talent Pool  

The City of Norfolk, with its walkable downtown, public transportation offerings, affordable housing, and entertainment options, has attracted millennials in full force. Today, residents between the ages of 20 and 34 make up the largest age group in the city. Long known for being home to the world’s largest naval station, Norfolk annually absorbs exiting military into its workforce, while also benefitting from the local higher education system. Seven colleges and universities and four community colleges are within an hour’s drive of downtown, allowing ADP close proximity to new graduates who want to remain in the Hampton Roads region.

In addition to boasting ADP’s target workforce, Norfolk could offer a state-of-the-art office building to accommodate ADP’s needs at a competitive price. Set just steps from the Harbor, the nearly 300,000-square-foot facility at 2 Commercial Place has the space and layout ADP officials envisioned for its regional customer service center. The former bank building’s prestige and location in the heart of the city was the right fit.

ADP Transforms Norfolk

In March 2016, ADP announced plans to invest $32.25 million to establish a regional customer service center in the City of Norfolk, creating more than 1,800 new jobs.

Today, ADP employs more than 2,200 at its Norfolk facility—well over the estimated job creation—and is a marquee company on Norfolk’s corporate roster and an active member of the community. The company has placed a significant emphasis on revitalizing Norfolk’s downtown area, providing job opportunities for local veterans entering civilian life, creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and developing partnerships with nearby higher education institutions. In 2020, Old Dominion University completed a $500,000 technology lab that allows students to use ADP’s payroll, benefits, and human resource management software. This partnership gives students practical skills needed to enter the workforce quickly after graduation. The company has also received numerous consecutive 100 percent ratings in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), fostering a culture that embraces all forms of gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexual orientation, veteran, and disability status.