WorkingRx Inc. to add 200 jobs in the next year

WorkingRx Inc., a workers' compensation claims management company serving pharmacies nationwide, expects to add about 200 new jobs in the next 12 months as it consolidates its California operations to Utah.

The company, now based in Murray, announced Monday it has signed a lease to acquire office space in the Legacy at Lake Park complex, 4225 Lake Park Boulevard, West Valley City. WorkingRx spokeswoman Jennifer Fuqua said the move was necessary because WorkingRx plans to consolidate its operations in California to an operations center in Utah.

"It was a business decision, so we could stay with one common technology platform and so we could better serve our customers," Fuqua said.

WorkingRx plans to complete its relocation by Aug. 14. The California consolidation should be complete by year's end, Fuqua said. The company currently employs 227 people, including 14 remote sales and marketing employees. The 200 job openings will most likely be in operations, Fuqua said, such as claims specialists.

Christopher Roybal, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Utah, said the WorkingRx consolidation is representative of a trend — a trend the EDCU is working to facilitate. The EDCU is a private, nonprofit, investor-based economic development organization including more than 230 private-sector businesses and organizations. The organization helped WorkingRx with site selection and other consolidation needs.

"I think the real message there is that the consolidation out of California is very real," Roybal said. "We've spent a lot of time in the California marketplace, and this is an indication that there's a lot of opportunities for us in terms of consolidating a number of different kinds of operations."

Firms "across the board" have expressed interest in Utah and its neighboring states, Roybal said.

"The workers' compensation costs, utility costs and just generally the challenges of doing business in California will continue to drive certain kinds of operations from that marketplace," he said. "We compete for those."

The WorkingRx deal signifies more than just 200 new jobs, Roybal said.

"It's an indication that we're going to see more," he said. "We anticipate seeing more out of California in terms of consolidation and expansion."

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