SA International moving headquarters to S.L.

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 22, 2008 by Brice Wallace Deseret News

A company involved in developing software used in the sign- making, digital-printing, screen-printing and machining industries will move its corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to Utah.

SA International said this week that it plans to move its base to Salt Lake City by the second quarter of 2009.

"The move is an initiative by SAi's holding company, S Group International, to centralize operations of its various organizations," the company said. "By moving to Utah, SAi will be centralizing operations with another company owned by the same investment group. Centralized operations mean more efficiencies and cost savings."

A telephone message to the company was not returned Tuesday.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development Board in September approved a nearly $1.8 million tax-credit incentive for the S Group International, which was considering Philadelphia and Utah for its consolidated corporate headquarters. GOED documents indicated that S Group consists of SA International and Park City-based S3 Entertainment.

S Group's selection of Utah will result in Utah gaining 129 full- time employees over 10 years and retaining 33 S3 employees, the documents said. The move would generate more than $63 million in new state wages over 10 years and more than $7 million in new state tax revenues during that time.

In a statement about the upcoming move, the company said some existing employees would make the move to Utah.

SA International has more than 100,000 customers in more than 50 countries, according to its Web site. The company's products are translated into more than 25 languages.

SA International, formally Scanvec Ltd., was founded as an Israeli corporation in 1990. The company merged in December 1998 with Amiable Technologies Inc. and changed its name in July 1999. It has additional offices in Belgium, Brazil, Puerto Rico and China.

S3 Entertainment provides home-entertainment and automation products; customized home-theater systems; and integrated audio, video, telephone, networking and home-automation services. S Group acquired S3 Entertainment in July, with S3 becoming a wholly owned S Group subsidiary and continuing to operate as S3 Entertainment.

E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com