The online review company Yelp says it's opening an office in downtown D.C. and creating 500 jobs -- at least half of which will be "targeted" for D.C. residents.
Yelp and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Friday that construction on the D.C. office will start this summer and hiring will begin later this year.
“Washington, D.C. is a natural place for Yelp’s next office, offering a vibrant local community and access to top-tier talent,” Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said in a statement. "We are excited to build on the strong community of users we’ve established in D.C. by bringing additional jobs and business to the region.”
The 52,000-square-foot office will be located at 575 7th St. NW, just south of the Verizon Center.
Bowser heralded Yelp's decision as a win for the District's technology sector.
“We are thrilled to have attracted Yelp to our expanding business community and thriving tech scene," she said in a statement.
Yelp will hire 500 employees in sales and marketing over a five-year period, the company said. Information was not released immediately on how D.C. residents would get priority for "at least half" of the roles.
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Yelp, founded in 2004, has offices in San Francisco, New York and Chicago, among other cities.
Attracting Yelp to D.C. is a major win for the economic development efforts and the commercial real estate market, experts told Washington Business Journal.
