Retail Info Tech Firm to Invest $1.3M in Ulster County

ULSTER, NY-Partsearch Technologies, a retail information technology company, will invest $1.3 million to convert space at the former IBM complex here (Tech City) into a state-of-the art call center, state officials announced.

The Manhattan-based company, which serves Best Buy and other major retailers, has signed a lease for 15,000 sf of space at Tech City. The deal, which was reported by Gov. George Pataki, will have Partsearch create 50 new customer service agent and part sales specialist jobs immediately. The firm, which will maintain its New York City headquarters office at 250 Park Ave. South, also stated that it will create an additional 100 new jobs at its Ulster county call center during the next three years. The two-year-old company currently employs 85 workers.

State officials note that Partsearch had considered sites in New Jersey and Canada before deciding to house its call center in Ulster County.

Glenn Laumeister, chairman and CEO of Partsearch, says of the Ulster County deal, “We wanted to locate this call center in a geographic area that offered a highly skilled work force, but was in an area with lower costs than the New York City metro area. Our decision to locate in TechCity was based on their very robust infrastructure, flexibility that offers us room to grow as the company expands, and a location that is still easily accessible to Manhattan.”

He adds that TechCity’s inclusion in an Empire Zone was “also a big plus.”

Based on its deal in Ulster County, the company is eligible for a $200,000 Empire State Development Corp. grant. Due to the fact that Tech City is located in the Ulster County Empire Zone, the company is also eligible for approximately $990,000 in wage tax credits, state officials say.