(Michael P. Farrell, Times Union)
A Knoxville, Tenn.-based e-commerce company called Etailogic was so enthused about passage of the START-UP NY tax-free zones initiative that it sent out a press release announcing it was coming to Schenectady with assistance from the Metroplex Development Authority.
The problem: The company isn’t coming to Schenectady (at least not yet), and neither Metroplex nor the state have promised them anything.
From the company’s release:
Etailogic plans to occupy approximately 2000 square-feet at the newly renovated 251 State Street in downtown Schenectady. This will position Etailogic to take advantage of the new ‘Start-Up NY’ program that passed in both houses on Friday. As part of that program, Etailogic will enjoy special tax incentives not just for the company but for employees as well.
Founder and CEO Philip Autelitano, a Schenectady native, says the company will make the move over the summer and is looking to hire 10-12 new employees by the end of the year. They have already begun advertising the open positions which range from administrative assistant to entry-level and advanced web designers and programmers.
The cherry on top: The release concludes by noting that “Schenectady was chosen over Austin and Miami.” How ya like them apples, Rick Perry?
There are a few problems with this:
1.The program doesn’t even begin until January.
2.START-UP requires the individual state schools — in this case, Schenectady County Community College — to select the companies that fit the criteria set by the state program (e.g. the business being part of the school’s ostensible mission), and then submit those plans to Empire State Development Corp. for approval. That process hasn’t even begun yet.
3.While Metroplex is a likely START-UP off-campus site — it meets the criteria of being within a mile of the SCCC campus and having a pre-existing relationship with the school — it hasn’t yet been officially designated, and can’t be until START-UP is, well, started up. “We haven’t promised companies benefits under the program,” said Metroplex chair Ray Gillen. He said Etailogic was interested in the prospect of coming into “shared space” set up by incoming Metroplex tenant Transfinder. “It’s at a very preliminary stage,” Gillen said of Etailogic’s interest. He noted that Metroplex hadn’t even done its own due diligence on the company.
4.Finally, Etailogic’s board hasn’t approved the move to the Electric City yet, according to an email from the company’s “CEO/Top Dog/Big Cheese/Head Honcho” Autelitano.
In an email, Autelitano said the company’s VP for marketing sent out the announcement “a bit prematurely.”
“Our board has yet to approve the relocation, so as it stands we’re still considering some other cities. … (F)or now I can’t comment on relocation other than to confirm we’re considering the area for our new home,” he wrote.
Here’s the company’s full premature release:
Start-Up NY Brings Etailogic to Schenectady
Etailogic, Inc., a Knoxville, TN-based ecommerce software and solutions developer is moving to Schenectady.
Since 2010, Etailogic has built custom ecommerce solutions exclusively for the printing and graphics industry. Their turnkey print shop solution quickly became the de facto standard for the industry. As a top reseller of Bigcommerce ecommerce software, Etailogic was recently named to their premium partner program, and with that comes expansion into the broader market — ecommerce development and applications for restaurants, retail, service, and other niche industries.
With that expansion comes the need for more workers and larger facilities. For that, Etailogic is turning to Schenectady’s Metroplex Development Authority.
Etailogic plans to occupy approximately 2000 square-feet at the newly renovated 251 State Street in downtown Schenectady. This will position Etailogic to take advantage of the new “Start-Up NY” program that passed in both houses on Friday. As part of that program, Etailogic will enjoy special tax incentives not just for the company but for employees as well.
Founder and CEO Philip Autelitano, a Schenectady native, says the company will make the move over the summer and is looking to hire 10-12 new employees by the end of the year. They have already begun advertising the open positions which range from administrative assistant to entry-level and advanced web designers and programmers.
Etailogic will also use the new space to continue a tradition of offering free web design and ecommerce classes to the community.
Autelitano was drawn to the idea of moving the company to Schenectady after a recent visit to Schenectady where he was inspired by the improvements to the downtown area. Schenectady was chosen over Austin and Miami.
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