Systemic growth: Law firm has plans for global support hub in area

Support systems for financial and professional enterprises have quietly become the backbone of the Tampa Bay economy.

More than 356,000 people are employed in the sector, according to the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. That's partially thanks to the region’s competitive talent pool and lower costs of doing business compared to northeast states, like New York and New Jersey, for example, that have traditionally been home to back-office operations for big banks and law firms.