A web-based software company is trading sunny Florida for the friendly city of Murfreesboro.
Claimtrust, founded by MTSU alum Joe Ferro, provides electronic claims processing for hospitals across the country. Essentially, the company makes sure hospitals are billing insurance companies for the procedures that patients have undergone.
“Hopefully, we help hospitals provide better care and have patients pay for services they are rendering,” Ferro, president and chief executive officer, said.
Ferro launched the company in Davie/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in 1998. Ten years later, the company, which has a satellite office in Needham, Mass., has outgrown its corporate headquarters.
Instead of building another building in the Sunshine State, Ferro has opted to move the company’s headquarters to Murfreesboro. A small satellite office will remain in Florida.
“I felt a move to a better business climate would be appropriate,” he said from ClaimTrust’s temporary offices in Uptown Square near the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport that he opened in January.
Construction is under way on ClaimTrust’s national headquarters, which will house a state-of-the-art data center, located off Cason Lane on Brandies Circle.
Ferro expects to have 30 local employees when the new facility opens around December or January. Six employees have transferred from Florida so far, and nine have been hired locally.
Marilyn Bryant, a senior account executive for Claimtrust, said she is strongly considering make the move to Murfreesboro from South Florida after visiting the city for a week.
“I didn’t know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised,” she said of the city.
Bryant, who has worked at Claimtrust for five years, said she was blown away by the affordability in the city and the friendliness of residents.
Ferro said construction could begin as early as April 2009 on additional corporate offices next door to the data center.
The state of Tennessee and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce has made doing business in Murfreesboro easier, he said.
They have taken down the roadblocks to doing business, Ferro said unlike the state of Florida.
Holly Weber, vice president of economic development for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, said she spent several months working with Ferro on the relocation.
“We are excited and thrilled that Claimtrust is relocating to Murfreesboro and Rutherford County,” she said. “Mr. Ferro and his family have a history in the community and MTSU, and it is always nice to see families come back home to do business. Claimtrust is and will continue to be a great asset to our thriving economy by providing great jobs to the citizens of Rutherford County”
Ferro said there are several advantages to moving his company to Murfreesboro.
Middle Tennessee is essentially the healthcare capital of the United States with literally thousands of healthcare companies, he said.
Additionally, Rutherford County has a great labor pool, Ferro said.
“There are a lot of people with the skills that we need,” he said.
Now, Ferro said he is looking forward to continuing to grow his company and work with more Middle Tennessee-based healthcare companies.
Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.
On the Web:
www.claimtrust.com
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