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California Company Plans Expansion In Ellicott

Arktura, a California-based designer and manufacturer of architectural systems, announced it plans to expand in Chautauqua County, and bring with it 50 new jobs to the area.

The company creates custom ceiling tiles, acoustic panels and facade systems. Officials are in the process of purchasing a 134,858-square-foot facility located at 1 Precision Way in the town of Ellicott — previously home to Acu-Rite/Heidenhain.

The Chautauqua County Industrial Development on Tuesday voted to provide Arktura with financial incentives, including real property tax abatements (PILOT); sales and use tax exemptions; and a mortgage recording tax exemption.

Arktura plans to invest $7.3 million to expand its existing Los Angeles, California-based operations to Chautauqua County. The new plant is projected to facilitate expedited lead times to the U.S. market for its products, provide local services to east coast markets, and increase its overall production capacity. Arktura plans to hire 50 full-time employees during the first three years of operations.

“This is a great project for not only Ellicott, but the county as a whole,” said Mark Geise, deputy county executive for Economic Development/CEO of the CCIDA. “We have been actively marketing this high-tech, modern facility for several years now, and to have a company of this caliber purchase and renovate it, while creating 50 jobs, is a dream come true. I really need to give a lot of credit to our business development team here at the IDA, especially Linda Burns, for making this a reality.”

Three architects and former classmates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Albany; Rob Kilian, Chris Kabatsi, and Kevin Kane, founded Arktura in 2008.

“I have been working very closely with the County and the CCIDA on efforts to attract businesses to locate here and create jobs, and to put legacy buildings back into use,” said Patrick McLaughlin, Ellicott town supervisor. “This accomplishes both objectives, which is really good news. I would like to thank Mr. Giese and Mr. Dixon for their hard work in bringing this new venture to fruition.”

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