When Matt Wheeler was looking for a city in which to launch a metrics-based technology/sales start-up, he considered Atlanta, San Francisco, Austin (Texas), and two communities in North Carolina.

After visiting those cities, and assessing their prospects for his business and family, the former Cambridge, Maryland, resident chose Hillsborough County. He and his associates opened qualifiedMEETINGS in a storefront in Channelside, in downtown Tampa, about two years ago.