Hudson Valley Region, March 2011
Firm Expansions and Contractions
This briefing is intended to provide information on firm-specific hiring and layoff announcements in the Hudson Valley. Information in this report is derived from press releases, newspapers, business journals, newsletters, and other public sources. It does not include all expansions and contractions in the region – only those for which public information has been obtained. An attempt is made to present only current information – events that have recently occurred or will in the near future.
Business Expansions
New this Month
Dutchess County - Nothing to report.
Orange County - Nothing to report.
Putnam County - Nothing to report.
Rockland County - Nothing to report.
Sullivan County
Wal-Mart’s plan to build a 132,00 square-foot store in the town of Wawarsing is one step closer to reality as a state Appellate Court panel dismissed a suit that was filed by ShopRite and some local residents to stop the company from building the store. It is estimated that the new store will create 250 full and part-time jobs, with a starting pay of about $10 per hour.
Ulster County - Nothing to report.
Westchester County
Pepsi Beverages Company, the bottling Division of PepsiCo will keep its headquarters in Somers. The company was being wooed by Connecticut and there was indication that it might leave, taking with it an estimated 900 jobs. The company will remain in Somers through 2015, with the option to extend its lease for an additional 5 years. PepsiCo will also expand its current office space from 390,000 square feet to 540,000 square feet, while retaining its current workforce and adding an additional 22 jobs.
New Last Month
Dutchess County - Nothing to report.
Orange County - Nothing to report.
Putnam County - Nothing to report.
Rockland County - Nothing to report.
Sullivan County
Empire Resorts is proposing a $400 million project that includes three hotels and a water park at the Monticello Casino & Raceway. They propose to first build a $100 million, 200-room hotel, and then two themed 200-room hotels. The first phase is expected to create 750 temporary union construction jobs and 225 to 250 permanent jobs when completed.
Ulster County - Nothing to report.
Westchester County - Nothing to report.
Business Contractions
New this Month
Dutchess County
Rumors of layoffs at IBM have surfaced in recent months. According to the union group Alliance@IBM, the company may lay off up to 612 workers from its Global Business Services unit. The company has not commented on this development.
Orange County
V-Twin Manufacturing Tedd Cycle, Inc. filed a WARN notice with the Labor Department in anticipation of a mass layoff, beginning on June 16, 2011 and continuing in stages until November 17, 2011.
Putnam County - Nothing to report.
Rockland County
Chromalloy, a company that designs and manufactures airplane turbine engine components is moving its headquarters from Orangeburg to Palm Beach Gardens in Florida. The headquarters consisting of a team of about 8 employees will relocate to Florida while the 350 employees working in its manufacturing operation will stay in Orangeburg.
Sullivan County - Nothing to report.
Ulster County
Bank of America announced last month that it was ending its contract with New York State to process income tax returns. That decision could potentially affect some 100 full-time and 1,500 part-time jobs at Tech City in the Town of Ulster in Ulster County. State tax returns have been processed at Tech City, a former IBM plant since 1996; first by Fleet Bank and then by Bank of America.
Westchester County
Xand Corp., a data-center infrastructure and business continuity provider will expand its data center facility, adding another 5,000 square feet to its existing floor space at its Skyline Drive location in Hawthorne. No job numbers were available.
New Last Month
Dutchess County
Crush Fitness will close its fitness and tanning center located in LaGrangeville by February 28, 2011, and lay off 31 employees.
Orange County
Omnicare Inc., a Lagrange-based pharmaceutical provider announced plans to lay off 48 employees in the coming months. Forty-one employees will be let go by March 11th and seven more on April 29th.
Putnam County
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. a California-based generic drug maker will close its Carmel manufacturing facilities by the end March 2011 and lay off the last 20 employees who remained at the site. At one time Watson was Putnam County’s second largest employer with an estimated workforce of about 600 people. The reductions began in 2008 as the company began consolidating its operations in the United States and in India.
Rockland County
Xerox Corporation announced plans to close its supply distribution center in Suffern in May 2011, laying off 36 employees.
Sullivan County
The U.S. Department of the Interior rejected the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans' application for approval to build a resort casino in Sullivan County. The Department of Interior notified the tribe that it would not approve the compact, a needed first step in a process that could have led to final approval for the casino in Bridgeville.
Ulster County
St. Cabrini Home, Inc. announced plans to close its facility in West Park on February 28, 2011. The residential treatment center employs about 69 people.
Westchester County
A&P will close five supermarkets in Westchester and Putnam counties as part of the company’s bankruptcy reorganization. Supermarkets in Greenburgh, New Rochelle, Port Chester and Carmel are among the 32 stores that the company will close under its Chapter11 filing. The five local stores will close around April 15. Borders bookstores announced plans to close its Eastchester store by the end of April 2011. The closure of the Eastchester store will affect 38 people.
Strikes and Labor Disputes
Nothing to report