FIS CEO Gary Norcross and other officials successfully cut the ribbon.
Deputy City Administrator Charles Moreland speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 12.
FIS CEO Gary Norcross and FIS employee and U.S. Navy veteran Ruben Castro watch as the U.S. Navy presents the colors and performs the national anthem.
“I am proud to say we’re 75% of the way there (to adding the jobs) as we open our headquarters today,” FIS CEO Gary Norcross said during the ceremony.
Officials, employees and media members watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Fidelity National Information Services Inc. headquarters at 323 Riverside Ave.
The Northbank Riverwalk runs past the new headquarters.
The new FIS headquarters as seen from the Northbank Riverwalk.
The FIS headquarters includes docks along the St. Johns River.
FIS CEO Gary Norcross said the office along the St. Johns River was built to withstand a 500-year flood with hurricane-proof windows.
Seating areas along the parking structure.
The FIS parking garage along Riverside Ave.
The entrance to the new FIS headquarters from Forest Street in Riverside. South of the new FIS HQ is 501 Riverside, where Morgan & Morgan and Gallagher have offices.
The FIS parking garage with 1,647 parking spaces connects to the office tower.
When Fidelity National Information Services Inc., or FIS, began planning its new headquarters building in 2019, company officials had no idea the concept of office work would change by the time it opened.
“Would you build a new corporate headquarters in the middle of a pandemic?” CEO Gary Norcross said after an Oct. 12 ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the building at 347 Riverside Ave.
When plans for the financial technology firm’s 12-story, 300,000-square-foot office were unveiled three years ago, FIS promised to add 500 jobs to the 1,216 workers it already had in Jacksonville.
The $156 million project included $29.9 million in city and state incentives.
“I am proud to say we’re 75% of the way there (to adding the jobs) as we open our headquarters today,” Norcross said during the ceremony.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, FIS did not anticipate employees spending at least part of their workweek at home and part in the office, and Norcross said it’s difficult to determine just how many employees the new building could accommodate.
“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what that looks like in the future,” he said.
Norcross said the office along the St. Johns River was built to withstand a 500-year flood with hurricane-proof windows. And it is environmentally friendly.
“We aspired to have the greenest building in the state,” he said.
The project team included Gilbane Building Co. as the contractor; Hines as the developer; Gensler as the architect; and England-Thims & Miller Inc. as the civil engineer.
FIS is a global company with 65,000 employees in about 120 locations. It ranks 268th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. companies, based on its 2021 revenue of $13.9 billion.
The company was spun off from title insurance company Fidelity National Financial Inc. in 2006 and had maintained its headquarters in the same Riverside Avenue office complex since then.
Deputy City Administrator Charles Moreland said FIS’ decision to build a new headquarters and expand its local employment solidifies Jacksonville’s reputation as a leader in the financial technology industry.
“This is very big for our city,” Moreland said. “It’s a big win.”
