By Maureen Werther
J.W. Danforth Co. plans to take occupancy of its newest location at 5 Liebich Lane in Halfmoon by late fall or early winter of this year.
One of the largest mechanical contracting firms in the Northeast, Danforth has its origins in the Buffalo area, where it began over 130 years ago. Its main office is now located in Tonawanda, a few miles outside of Buffalo. The company received site plan approval from the Town of Halfmoon in early May.
Danforth came to the Capital Region in the fall of 2015 to help support the expansion at GlobalFoundries. The company initially rented space in Clifton Park until about six months ago. The company is now occupying space at 107 Hermes Road in Malta until construction on the new office is completed.
This new building will be the third location for Danforth. They also have an office in Victor, N.Y.
According to Steve DiRaimo, vice president of business development and acquisitions, “With the addition of the new office, Danforth will be better positioned to expand in the Capital Region and offer a full array of services, including custom sheet metal and pipe fabrication; full mechanical contracting services; design-build capabilities; energy performance contracting, and other specialty offerings.”
The new location at Liebich Lane consists of one 60,000-square-foot building, which will house a new warehouse and a sheet metal and pipe fabrication shop. The company is spending approximately $3.6 million to construct an additional 30,000-square-foot office building, bringing the total size to 90,000 square feet.
With the expansion of the existing building nearly complete, Danforth plans to break ground on the office space sometime this month and expects to move their entire operation to Liebich Lane by the end of the year, DiRaimo said.
"Danforth currently has 40 employees in the Capital Region, with plans to increase to approximately 60 people," said DiRaimo. There are plans for further expansion in the Capital Region as business expands in the area.
Employee salaries range from approximately $40,000 to $120,000 annually, depending upon the job type and skill level of the employees, he said. In addition, the current construction will create about 100 construction jobs.
In an effort to support that projected future growth, Danforth worked with the Saratoga Economic Development Corp. to develop a tax incentive package, which is currently under review and consideration by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency.
Part of the plan includes a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) of $662,388, which, with Danforth paying $662,388 in property taxes over a five-year period. State sales and mortgage tax exemptions worth $187,000 make up the incentive package.
According to DiRaimo, was expected to get final approval of the incentive package on June 9.
The Danforth team managing the project includes DiRaimo, company President Robert Beck President, CEO Kevin Reilly, CFO Brian Tubin and Tom Shannon, vice president of operations in the Capital Region.