Annese looks to New England

HERKIMER — Annese & Associates, Inc. has been expanding into New England in recent years and company leaders are making plans to open an office there.

The firm began its expansion into New England by pursuing work in Vermont in 2010, Annese President and CEO Ray Apy says. The company has an office in the Albany area and so it made sense to start there, he says.

Annese has since gone on to pursue work in Rhode Island, Western Massachusetts, and Western Connecticut as well. So far, the company has been able to support its work from existing offices, including one in the Hudson Valley, Apy says.

That location is close to Fairfield County in Connecticut.

“It gives us proximity to existing resources,” Apy says. “It doesn’t make sense to hire a dozen people with no revenue. We just try to stretch a little further.”

Sometime in the next two years though, Apy expects Annese will have enough business to open an office in New England.

He says most of the company’s business in that market is concentrated in smaller communities and cities like Providence, R.I. The environment there is not too different from Annese’s upstate New York market and cities such as Syracuse or Rochester.

The customer base in New England is slightly different for Annese, Apy says. Most of the company’s work in New York is concentrated with state government, public schools, and the State University of New York system.

The company is chasing slightly different customers in New England, Apy says. Its business there is focused on health-care institutions and the commercial sector.

Right now, about 30 percent of Annese’s overall revenue comes from health-care and commercial work, Apy says. It generates the rest through public-sector work.

The company is trying to grow its commercial and health-care business throughout the country, Apy adds.

The firm was recently approved as a pre-qualified vendor for information-technology projects for the state of Vermont. The designation will allow Annese to pursue more work with state agencies there, according to the company.

Annese employs more than 100 people companywide and has offices in Salina, Clifton Park, Binghamton, Orchard Park, Brewster, Warwick, Pittsford, in addition to its headquarters on Route 5 West in Herkimer.

Annese installs and maintains video, voice, and data networks. The company has been adding managed services to its offerings in recent years.

The company can remotely monitor clients’ computer networks, manage energy systems, run collaboration and video-conference services, and operate wireless networks. Company leaders expect those services to drive growth in the years ahead.

It’s another reason expanding into New England made sense, says Christina Nordquist, a company spokeswoman.

“There’s that ability to service customers remotely, which is ideal for expanding further if you don’t have physical office space,” she says.

Annese generated total revenue of $62 million in 2011, up from $53 million in 2010. Altogether, Annese’s managed services generated revenue of $740,000 in 2011. The company expects to double that total in the next year or two.

Annese was founded in 1970. The firm’s founder, Frank Annese, retired at the end of 2008. Apy, who had been with Annese since 1998, took over as president and CEO. 

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com