British-based firm seeks Bay presence

Coffee Talk hears constantly that several companies are looking to establish a new presence along the Gulf Coast, which bodes well for office landlords and brokers.

Of course, the identities aren't revealed until the ink dries on newly signed leases, except in one instance.

Revonergy Inc., a London-based renewable energy company, says it plans to open an office in Tampa early next year as part of an expansion to the United States. The firm is in the process of raising capital in both the U.S. and United Kingdom, and expects the majority of its shareholders to be U.S. residents.

“We want to have a strong U.S. presence,” Ravi Daswani, Revonergy president and CEO, stated in a release last week. “Given that the majority of our business in the foreseeable future will be in the United States, the establishment of a strong and formal office there will be a huge asset, and ultimately save us costs and time.”

Daswani said Tampa was chosen for a number of reasons, namely because it is a center for clean technology and is considered cost-friendly. He adds that the local office will be a convenient point of contact for stateside shareholders, given the time differential between Florida and the U.K.