New or expanding businesses plan to add more than 500 local jobs

By Jaime Levy
   Seven companies - three of them international - relocated to or expanded within Miami-Dade County at the end of 2001 and are expected to generate several hundred jobs during the next three years, according to the Beacon Council.
   Carlos Leonard, Beacon Council senior vice president for business development, Tuesday night announced four new firms: MX Alarms of Canada, Sereca Security Corp. of Venezuela, Systems Union of New York and Twins Creativos of Argentina.
   Of the four, Sereca's plans by far would have the largest local impact. Opening its Miami offices in December, the "one-stop shop" for security services expects to create 400 to 450 jobs within three years, said sales manager Jorge Giusti, who added that Sereca's Venezuelan operation employs about 1,000. The 15-year-old company's expansion into the Airport West region, as well as plans to open locations in Broward and Palm Beach counties, signals its first move into an international market. The new Miami office is at 2624 NW 97th Ave.
   "The plan is to start from the center and grow to expand not only to South Florida but other markets as well," said Mr. Giusti, who said Sereca started building its local infrastructure in August 2001.
   "We're providing customers with the one-stop shop concept. They don't have to go anywhere else to find equipment or services."
   The other three newly announced companies anticipate bringing smaller-scale operations to Miami-Dade, according to information from the Beacon Council. Software developer Systems Union, whose products include SunSystems and Pegasus, is relocating its headquarters from White Plains, NY, to 7300 Corporate Center Drive, an office that Mr. Leonard said would open in about a week. The move is expected to create 35 jobs.
   Canadian security products company MX Alarms, which is expected to create 20 jobs within three years, opened its Opa-Locka/Hialeah office late last year.
   And Twins Creativos, an Argentina-based advertising agency whose clients include Budweiser and Fortune International Realty, opened its downtown Miami office in mid-December. The firm, founded in 1990, intends to create 10 jobs locally during three years.
   At the economic development agency's December forecast meeting, President and CEO Frank Nero announced three other companies expanding operations within the county: computer game manufacturer Alienware, construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar and printing firm Colonial Press International. The growth at Kendall's Alienware is expected to add 50 jobs.
   "There's a lot of activity," Mr. Leonard said. "It sends a good signal out that Miami-Dade County continues to be an ideal location for businesses, particularly some of the multinational firms who continue to see us as a gateway not just to Latin America but the world.
   "We hope to continue the pace (in 2002)," he added. "We do have substantial project leads compared to where we were last year. We expect to have a very successful year."