Japanese digital graphics company Wacom said on Thursday that it will move its US headquarters from Vancouver to Portland’s Pearl District next year.
The company, which makes digital pens and pads used by illustrators, animators and industrial designers, said it will relocate nearly all of its 160 employees to Portland. The company also will operate a ground-level retail store at the new location, said Wacom senior public relations manager Doug Little.
The company which has based its US operations in Vancouver since 1989 will lease a new office that will provide 56,000 square feet at Pearl West building at Northwest 14th and Irving, an increase from the company’s present headquarters in Vancouver, Doug said.
About five employees will remain in Vancouver, providing return and repair services to the company’s customers, Doug said. The relocation decision was made by the company’s global managers, who wanted to be “closer to the center of creativity,” Doug said.
The company was forced to rush the announcement after the news was leaked to Portland-area media. Employees only learned of the move late Thursday afternoon, Doug said. Although employees who live in Clark County had concerns about paying Oregon’s income tax, most took the news well, he said.
“I think 98 percent of employees are really digging the decision,” he said.
Wacom now has about $750 million in revenue and is aiming for $1 billion next year. It expects to grow over the next several years to 250 employees in the Portland office, Doug said. Its products are used by graphic artists, industrial designers and others who draw digital images.