Telecom firm plans 350 jobs

BRADENTON — Star2Star Communications plans to hire 350 people as part of a major expansion over the next five years, the company announced.

To accommodate the employee growth, the cloud-based communications firm plans to add 30,000 square feet of space to its current 62,500-square-foot facility in Bradenton.

Founded in 2004 in Sarasota, Star2Star provides cloud-based communications that unify business customers' voice, video, fax and instant messaging into a single system. Star2Star moved from downtown Sarasota to a larger location at 600 Tallevast Road near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in 2008. In 2010, Manatee County approved an $80,000 performance-based expansion grant for Star2Star based on the creation of 80 jobs. Star2Star has since grown from 25 to 186 full-time employees in Manatee County.