Schenectady, N.Y. — Schenectady County officials today joined with Metroplex to announce that NorthEast Sales & Service has signed a lease to occupy over 4,000 square feet at the Schenectady County Community Business Center.  As a result, the Business Center on Albany Street has achieved 100% occupancy for the first time since its establishment in 2000.

Susan E. Savage, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature said, “I am proud to announce that our streamlined and results-oriented economic development team has helped to fill the Business Center on Albany Street with small business clients. Today, we welcome the news that NorthEast Sales & Service will occupy over 4,000 square feet at the Business Center creating up to 20 new jobs and reconnecting Schenectady to the locomotive industry which is such an important part of our history.”

NorthEast President Robert Singleton said, “We are pleased to locate our locomotive parts business in Schenectady — the City that lights and hauls the world. The economic development team in Schenectady was very effective in convincing us that Schenectady is renewing itself and that the opportunities for growth here are tremendous. From the Business Center, we will supply new and remanufactured locomotive parts to customers throughout the world.”

NorthEast builds and distributes new and remanufactured locomotive parts to the railroad industry in North America, as well as Mexico, Australia and England. The company currently has operations in Latham and Fort Edward, NY. Company operations will be consolidated in Schenectady with five jobs being created almost immediately with the potential to grow to 20 employees within five years.

The company provides parts for locomotives built by GE, GM and the National Railway Equipment (NRE) Corporation, including Alco Locomotives. NRE owns the rights to build and remanufacture ALCO locomotives.

Chair Savage said, “This announcement also continues the momentum achieved by our economic development team. We have created a unified approach to economic development that is helping Schenectady catch up with the rest of Tech Valley.”

Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton said, “We welcome NorthEast Sales & Service and the news that the Business Center has achieved full occupancy. We are reconnecting with our industrial roots through NorthEast’s connection to Alco Locomotive. In addition, we are sending a clear message about our future – real change has arrived in Schenectady. Thanks to our unified County/City/Metroplex approach to economic development, the jobs that used to go elsewhere are coming to Schenectady.”

“The good news keeps coming,” added Schenectady City Council President Frank Maurizio.  “And what is especially gratifying is that the addition of NorthEast to the Schenectady County Business Center — quickly becoming an anchor in Hamilton Hill — demonstrates that every neighborhood is starting to experience our city’s steady revitalization.”

NorthEast will occupy space at the Business Center in January. The company hopes to grow into its own facility in Schenectady County within two to three years due to increased demand and business growth.

Ray Gillen, Chairman of Metroplex and Commissioner of Economic Development and Planning said, “As with other companies, when we learned that this firm was looking, we lined up our team and aggressively pursued them. This company is an ideal fit with the Business Center’s goal of providing space for small companies to grow and prosper. This new company also gives us the opportunity to pro-actively market Schenectady to other companies in the transit and transportation industry.”

Jeff Corcoran, Executive Director of the Business Center said, “Cooperation and collaboration are the new buzz words in Schenectady. Our economic development efforts are working on all cylinders because we now have a unified team approach. NorthEast Sales & Service is an excellent example of this team approach at work. After looking at numerous locations, we were able to offer this company the right kind of space it needs to grow right here in Schenectady County.”

The Schenectady County Business Center on Albany Street features 25,000 square feet of space and is home to 13 businesses. Schenectady County and Metroplex recently announced plans to make the Center the hub for small business programs and services in the County. A full-time business advisor from the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Albany will also take up residency at the Center along with representatives from the New York Business Development Corporation.

The Business Center works closely with the U-Start Business incubator located at 4 Nott Terrace in Schenectady. Both are members of the Tech Valley Incubator Network. The U-Start facility has six of seven office suites leased so it is also nearing capacity. The County’s economic development team will consider providing additional incubator space within the next few months.

Gary Hughes, Chair of the County Legislature’s Committee on Economic Development and Planning and a member of the Board of Directors of the Business Center said, “Step one was creating a cost effective, streamlined economic development team which produces leads and turns these leads into real jobs for our community. The next step will be to create additional space for business growth for both small and large businesses. Schenectady County is now taking steps that other communities took years ago to create a vital and growing job and tax base.”

More information may be found at www.sccbc.org.