ParkingCarma Inc. will invest $4.6 million to locate its customer contact center at Great Lakes Technology Center in Flint, Mich. The company will add 110 new jobs.

ParkingCarma Inc. was established in 2006 to commercialize the ParkingCarma parking guidance service that allows drivers to secure parking spaces through cell phones, the Internet or next generation on-board navigation systems. The product was developed by Emeryville, Calif.,-based ACME Innovation Inc., with its partners: Microsoft, AT&T, Intel, Navteq, and Sensys systems and tested in the San Francisco Bay area with Caltrans, BART, and UC Berkeley leading the congestion mitigation testing.

The Michigan EDC approved a Single Business Tax credit valued at $979,000 over seven years. The Genesee Chamber of Commerce is considering a $500,000 loan to assist with start-up expenses. Automation Alley and Ann Arbor SPARK have each proposed $250,000 high-tech investments to support the project.

Built on the latest Web 2.0 and wireless technology, ParkingCarma’s parking guidance service (PGS) makes parking convenient in major metropolitan areas, while improving our nation’s energy efficacy. At the completion of successful PGS commercial tests in California, the company made a strategic decision to look for a location in the United States where it could expand nationally.

“Michigan has a unique set of offerings: an abundance of good people who understand customer service, a strong desire to support technology companies, and it is the heart of the auto industry,” ParkingCarma Inc. CEO Rick Warner said. “We look forward to expanding the ParkingCarma PGS around the nation and world from Michigan.”

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS, click here.

For a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Expansion Management, click here.

Go to STATE SPOTLIGHTS to read more about other news and articles about this state.

Go to INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTS to read more about other news and articles about this industry sector.

Go to INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHTS to read more about other news and articles about international expansions.