Why New York State? The following businesses and projects are among those that have all answered that question in the past few months with expansions due to add or create hundreds of jobs. Here are some of the recent expansions that are growing the NYS economy.
LiveTiles: Rochester. That’s where LiveTiles, the NYC-based global software development firm with offices on three continents, will establish its North American Intelligent User Experience (“IUX”) Hub. Rochester’s Downtown Innovation Zone, and the city’s High Falls District, won out over places like North Carolina and elsewhere in the Eastern U.S., and the $17 million project—which has already created 60 jobs will create at least 500 new jobs over the next five years. The expansion will involve outfitting the facility as well as hiring across fields including Artificial Intelligence (AI) deployment specialists and business development roles. LiveTiles, established in Australia and headquartered in New York City, develops user-centric software that facilitates business collaboration and communication through tools that developers and business users can use to create dashboards, employee portals and corporate intranets—enhanced by AI and analytics.
Away: The direct-to-consumer travel brand is relocating and expanding its Manhattan headquarters—to a 56,000-square-foot facility—in a growth move announced earlier this month that will create 249 new jobs. Away, which sells travel merchandise including designer luggage and travel bags, also produces a digital and print magazine in addition to podcasts, all supporting a seamless travel experience and helping building the state’s 21st century economy.
Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. /Welch Allyn: Welch Allyn, a medical device company that’s been an economic driver in Central New York for more than a century, is expanding in the region as a subsidiary of Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. a global medical technology company that is innovating in areas that aim to improve clinical outcomes and supply caregivers with products to speed recovery time. Welch Allyn is the largest component of Hill-Rom’s Front Line Care business, and the expanded facility in Skaneateles Falls—which officially opened on May 11—will help to accommodate new jobs and growth. The expansion will bring more than 100 new jobs to the area, while retaining nearly 900 existing jobs in Central New York.
DICK’s Sporting Goods: The nation’s leading omni-channel sporting goods retailer, with roots in the Southern Tier, has deepened those roots in recent months. January marked the opening of the company’s fifth center distribution center in the Town of Conklin. The company’s first-ever, in-house eCommerce fulfillment center was announced in April. The expansion means total creation of more than 500 new jobs at the site over the next five years. The distribution center, at approximately 650,000 square feet, occupies 65 acres on a 123-acre site and services more than 160 retail stores in the Northeast. The new eCommerce fulfillment center will add approximately 245,000 square feet to the facility.
Viatran: There are plentiful indicators of growth in the Western New York economy, and a worldwide manufacturer of industrial measuring instruments has provided another measure of that growth. Viatran’s $1.5 million expansion of its Erie County facility in Tonawanda, announced in March, will create and retain more than 125 jobs in the production of state-of-the-art equipment for sensors and transmitters. The 24,000-square-foot facility will provide added space for R&D and innovation in creating products that are used in a variety of businesses, from pharmaceuticals and food and beverages to specialty metals, auto and aerospace testing.