Orange County’s largest software makers added 223 jobs in the past year, up 2.8% from a year ago.
The additions marked the third straight year of modest employment gains in the sector since the Business Journal began ranking companies by local employees instead of revenue three years ago.
The gains, based on employee figures as of March, were the highest numerically and by percentage in the past three years.
The 31 largest companies with local operations here employ a combined 8,239 people, according to this week’s list, which includes locally based software makers and subsidiaries and operations of big companies. Ten companies added staff, three made cuts, and six were flat from a year earlier. The Business Journal estimated figures for 12.
n Irvine-based video game maker Blizzard Entertainment Inc. maintained its top ranking for the second consecutive year, adding 100 local workers to 1,900 people, up 5.6% from a year ago.
The company added developers, programmers and related support positions at its iron-gated campus in the Irvine Spectrum to handle the workload associated with two game releases and another one in development.
March was a busy month for Blizzard as it released its first free-to-play video game, “Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.” Last month, it also released “Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.” The game has raked in more than $108 million since its March 24 release.
“We’ve had a busy year to date, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon,” said Blizzard’s Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams.
Kofax
• Irvine-based business software maker Kofax Ltd. moved up one spot to No. 7 after adding 21 employees for a workforce of 295, up 7.7% from a year earlier. The company began trading on the Nasdaq in December after raising $11.7 million in its initial public offering.
Kofax, which maintains a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange, makes scanning software used by businesses to streamline the flow of information, eliminate paper, speed productivity, reduce costs and improve customer service.
• No. 8, Irvine-based healthcare software maker Quality Systems Inc., slipped one spot, despite making 28 hires, up 11.1% to 280 local employees.
Quality primarily makes software that helps doctors and dentists manage their practices. It aimed to grow its hospital business through a rollup strategy in recent years prompted by healthcare reform. The segment has been challenging and largely unprofitable in the past year or so but has led to increased hiring to meet demand.
“The healthcare information technology sector is rapidly expanding as the government mandates the transition of our healthcare system to electronic medical health records,” said Chief Executive Steven Plochocki.
• No. 9, Teletrac Inc., a Garden Grove company that makes GPS, fleet tracking, diagnostic and analytics software, is one of four newcomers on the list. The company, which keeps a low profile here, added 15 people, up 7.8% to 207.
It has benefited from the growing adoption of mobile devices for fleet management and the rising cost of fuel for large operators, said Dennis Jaconi, content marketing manager.
“The fleet telematics industry has seen a sharp rise over the last few years, as it was largely impervious to the recession,” he said. “And as fuel prices continue to climb and new measures put in place to regulate carbon emissions, the demand for fleet management software has never been greater.”
Telogis
• No. 17, Telogis Inc., another newcomer to the list, added 20 employees, up 25%, the second highest percentage increase of any company. The Aliso Viejo software maker is on a hot streak, lining up contracts with some of the largest manufacturers in the country.
Last month, it signed a deal to equip General Motors’ commercial vehicles with software that links operation centers with far-flung fleets, providing information on a vehicle’s location, odometer reading, fuel consumption and other data.
“Once assets, vehicles, workers and data are connected, the Telogis platform is able to create actionable intelligence from vast quantities of mobile data, allowing companies to make more informed decisions,” said Chief Financial Officer Kyle Messman.
Telogis uses GPS technology and proprietary software to help commercial fleets create better routes, track shipments and deliveries, manage mobile workforces, and smooth work flows.
The company grabbed attention late last year when it raised $93 million in a Series A funding round led by Menlo Park-based investment firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
