The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced that Candor, a healthcare coverage marketplace specializing in pairing Millennial consumers with top health plans, will create 675 professional jobs over a 5-year period in Floyd County. Through 2023, the company plans to invest $39 million into the local economy as it hires, builds out and trains its technical, sales and customer management teams.

"We are always proud when innovative companies like Candor choose Georgia," said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. "Candor is leveraging the power of technology to effectively reach consumers, and Rome provides them access to the workforce they need to support its growth."

Candor has developed a smartphone app and chatbot to help Millennial consumers find appropriate health care coverage plans. The app and its associated software platform also incorporate tools and support for partner insurance agencies, health insurance carriers, and health care providers. In addition to providing access to health care coverage plans for Millennial consumers, Candor enables secure and instant transactions and provides agents and carriers with the ability to visualize market trends and business performance.

"Our community is home to approximately 100,000 people, with a median age of 35, representing a significant group of Millennials," said John Good, COO and co-founder, Candor. "We launched Candor to make health insurance simple to buy and easy to understand for this population. This is essential, because 97% of Americans don't know what their health insurance covers, and 63% of bankruptcies are due to unexpected health expenses," he said. "We're pleased to choose Rome as our headquarters, and excited to bring new professional jobs, and a vibrant company culture, to this welcoming city."

The company has created more than 40 jobs to date in Floyd County, and plans to lease several office spaces in Downtown Rome.

"We are thrilled Candor has chosen Rome and Floyd County as its home. Access to health insurance is of vital importance to our community. We have an infrastructure and skilled labor force in place, ready to meet the day to day operations of this innovative business model," said City of Rome Mayor Jamie Doss.

"This is a tremendous gain for Rome and Floyd County," said Rhonda Wallace, Floyd County Commission Chair. "With the announcement of Candor, quality jobs are added in our community, attracting more bright, young professionals and further solidifying Rome and Floyd County as an Innovation and Technology Hub."

"We congratulate Bob Shinn, John Good and the team at Candor, and are grateful for the relationships developed over the years that brought them to Rome and Floyd County," said chair of the Rome Floyd Chamber John Quinlivan. "Candor appreciates our Quality of Life, vibrant downtown, and rivers and hills which are attractive to their current workforce and will, they know, help attract the future workers upon whom we will all depend."

GDEcD Regional Project Manager, Stephanie Scearce, represented the Global Commerce division in collaboration with the Rome-Floyd Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power.