Governor Perdue Announces First Data Creating 350 New Technology Jobs in Georgia

ATLANTA, March 30, 2010 — Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that First Data Corporation's TASQ Technology subsidiary, the largest provider of point-of-sale (POS) goods and services in North America, will consolidate its U.S. operations in Marietta, Ga. First Data will relocate two West Coast facilities in Rocklin and Roseville, Calif., and a current facility in Kennesaw, Ga. into the new Marietta location over the next 18 months. The company will invest approximately $5 million in the new location, moving 145 current employees from its current Kennesaw facility and adding approximately 350 new positions throughout the transition. 'We welcome First Data's decision to centralize its operations in Georgia,' said Governor Sonny Perdue. 'Georgia's workforce has the motivation and skill to accelerate the success of high-tech companies like First Data, and help keep them on the cutting edge of innovation.' First Data will lease a 260,000-square-foot facility space at 1169 Canton Road in Marietta. In addition to housing TASQ administrative positions, the facility will also contain a client relations center, fulfillment and deployment center, and technology repair center. Georgia Quick Start, the state's award-winning workforce training program, will provide customized, job-specific technical training to the company's employees. 'Moving to Georgia was about our being closer to the customer. Eighty percent of our point-of-sale technology currently ships to the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Southern and Midwestern regions,' said Barry McCarthy, First Data General Manager of Mobile Commerce and Point of Sale. 'This move will enable us to respond faster to the market and better serve our customer base.' First Data will continue to maintain a West Coast presence to provide coverage for customers based in Western region of the United States. 'We are excited that First Data is the first business to relocate in one of Marietta's new opportunity zones that will help the city's economy and provide new jobs for our community,' Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin said. 'With help from the Georgia departments of Economic Development and Community Affairs, Marietta was one of the leaders in the state to take advantage of the program that encourage companies to create jobs by providing state tax credits. This is a great announcement for Marietta and Georgia.' TASQ is a subsidiary of First Data Corporation, a Fortune 500 electronic commerce and payment technology company that relocated its global headquarters to Atlanta in August 2009. Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Project Manager Blair Lewis assisted the company with its location. About the company Founded in 1994, TASQ operates as a single solution for Remote Deposit Capture and a leading outsource provider for the payment processing industry. TASQ offers state-of-the-art POS products including terminals and peripherals, Ethernet, IP-enabled devices, and contactless readers. In addition, they provide PIN pad injection, equipment configuration, inventory management, and shipping and reporting services to help ensure the delivery of a product that meets the merchants' needs. First Data powers the global economy by making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services using virtually any form of electronic payment. Whether the choice of payment is a gift card, a credit or debit card or a check, First Data securely processes the transaction and harnesses the power of the data to deliver intelligence and insight for millions of merchant locations and thousands of card issuers in 36 countries. For more information, visit www.firstdata.com.