FLORENCE — A company that will use the Internet to handle purchasing for industrial firms will locate its American headquarters here, area officials said Monday.

        KeyMRO, which is based in Paris, is creating up to 50 high-tech jobs and leasing 5,600 square feet in the Florence Executive Center, an office building under construction along Interstate 75 just off Houston Road.

        The company said in a statement it will create “up to 50 new professional positions with above-average salaries involved in information technology and purchasing functions.”

        The statement says information about the jobs is at www.hotjobs.com, an Internet job site. As of Monday evening, KeyMRO had posted a listing for three senior buyers on the site.

        Rick Love, general manager of KeyMRO America said in the statement the company chose Florence and Northern Kentucky because of the convenience of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Boone County, which offers direct flights to Paris, and the “pro-business climate in Northern Kentucky.”

        “We are confident that we can succeed in Northern Kentucky,” Mr. Love said.

        The company, which will begin operations in the spring, received state approval Jan. 31 for $637,000 in local and state credits over 10 years through the Kentucky Jobs Development Act, according to Danny Fore, president of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, the region's business and job recruitment agency.

        Tri-ED worked with the Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet on the incentive package.

        “KeyMRO America's new Florence operation represents the attraction of high-quality jobs to Northern Kentucky,” Mr. Fore said. “This type of company is an excellent fit for the Northern Kentucky area.”

        KeyMRO will use the Internet to negotiate the purchase of industrial goods and services for its customers. It did not name its initial group of customers but describes them as “four multinational companies”.

        Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said the city is excited about the company moving to Florence.

        “The city of Florence and the Northern Kentucky area provide the ideal environment for KeyMRO America's business to grow and prosper,” she said.

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