Pet travel company coming to Schenectady

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

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A pet travel site is setting up headquarters in Schenectady.

Furlocity, a company that helps pet owners find safe accommodations for their dogs and cats, announced Tuesday it’s relocating from San Diego to Schenectady’s lower State Street neighborhood.

The company will move into 3,000 square feet of leased office space on the first floor of the New York BizLab accelerator at 251 State St. around Sept. 1. It plans to create 20 jobs by the end of 2017.

Furlocity CEO Denise Fernandez Pallozzi described the company as being in “strong growth mode” in a news release issued Tuesday.

“We have made a long-term commitment to Schenectady County, which will include the hiring of local talent that will become integral members of the Furlocity family,” she said.

Furlocity was founded in 2012 by busy “pet parents” who were looking for trusted pet care service providers. It offers an online technology platform that lets pet owners search, identify and book trusted pet boarding, veterinary services and pet-friendly hotels. Its online marketplace includes pet boarding facilities and veterinarians in more than 105 cities and 30 states and more than 100,000 pet-friendly hotels across the U.S.

The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority is providing a $45,000 grant to cover the cost of the company’s lease for one year.

“We heard Furlocity was looking for space,” said Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen. “They were headed someplace else, and Schenectady was not on their radar screen. We invited them to come over and take a look.”

The company toured downtown, including Proctors and the YMCA, and looked at several buildings before deciding to go with the business accelerator. Furlocity is the second tenant for New York BizLab, which held its grand opening last month and welcomed its first tenant, tech startup SureDone, in March.