Three more companies have agreed to move or expand operations near SUNY Cobleskill in exchange for 10 years of no taxes.
Together, the companies are promising to invest more than $32.7 million and create 74 new jobs in vacant space near the college through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Start-Up NY initiative. The program allows eligible new, expanding or out-of-state businesses to operate tax-free for a decade if they locate near participating colleges and universities. So far, 110 businesses have committed to creating 3,150 new jobs near colleges across the state.
Echelon Materials, LLC will open inside the massive Guilford Mills complex, a former textile factory that closed in 2001. The company is new to New York, originally incorporating in Connecticut as a research and development company that has since patented a bulletproof cloth made from titanium beads. Echelon plans to market, manufacture and sell the product to companies that produce ballistic armor protection, including vests, helmets, helicopters and Humvees.
The company will invest an initial $5.2 million in the complex and an eventual $28 million. It will create 49 new jobs, and partner with SUNY Cobleskill faculty and students on projects focused on sophisticated armor textile product development.
A small-batch meadery in Richmondville is planning to move into a vacant manufacturing warehouse up the road near SUNY Cobleskill’s Auxiliary Services. Royal Meadery will invest $225,000 in the space and create seven new jobs. Owner Gregory Wilhelm currently makes small-batch artisan mead from local honey, fruits and hops. In his new space, he will be able to further establish the business in the mead-production market.
Blenheim Pharmacal, Inc. — a packager of prescription drugs, antibiotics and controlled substances — will expand operations to vacant space at the former Maranatha Family Center in Richmondville. The company, which has a contract with the state to package drugs into unit-of-use bottles and blisters, currently operates out of facilities in nearby North Blenheim and plans to keep them open as part of the expansion. The company also provides private labeling and custom packaging services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and hospitals across the nation.
It will invest $4.5 million in the Richmondville space and create 18 new jobs. It will also partner with SUNY Cobleskill to create internships for students and provide post-graduate employment opportunities.
Two other companies are also locating near SUNY Cobleskill as part of the governor’s Start-Up NY program. In March, Cuomo announced tech firms Sakat Consulting and Eco Convergence Group, Inc. will invest nearly $30 million to open inside the old Guilford Mills complex with plans to create a combined 154 new jobs.
