Avionté, a provider of front- and back-office software to the staffing industry, appointed former Thomson Reuters executive Karl Florida as CEO.

“After an extensive effort, we were thrilled to find Karl, who brings a customer-first mindset and a focus on building great teams,” said Kevin Frick, co-chairman of the board. “Over and over, we heard about Karl’s focus on finding new ways to delight his customers. As we think about what the future holds for Avionté, our customers and our team, it is clear that Karl is a perfect fit.”

Florida succeeds John Long, the company’s co-founder and previous CEO. Long will take on the role of co-chairman, remaining on the board and maintaining equity in the company.

“I am excited about this new venture for Avionté and am extremely pleased to have Karl Florida on board, as I have confidence he will prove to be an excellent leader for this team,” Long said. “My passion has always been on the customer and this transition will allow me to tap into my desire to be a true ambassador for our customers.”

Florida comes to Avionté after spending 12 years at Thomson Reuters in a variety of executive leadership roles. He most recently served as managing director of a $900 million revenue portfolio of information, software and services for small law firms, as well as president of the $250 million company FindLaw, a marketing services business.

Prior to Thomson Reuters, Florida co-founded Return Path, an email delivery assurance service. Florida also led product management for e-commerce applications at Netscape Communications and invested in software companies for private equity firm General Atlantic Partners.

Eagan, Minn.-based Avionté provides front- and back-office staffing software solutions throughout the US and Canada. The company launched its product in 2005 and now services more than 500 customers and 14,000 users, processing more than $5.5 billion in payroll across its systems annually.