Binghamton–area business to add nearly 600 jobs over five years

KIRKWOOD, N.Y. — Modern Marketing Concepts Inc. (MMC), which operates at 29 Industrial Park Dr. in Kirkwood, plans to add nearly 600 full-time jobs over the next five years.

Modern Marketing Concepts is a sales-optimization company providing marketing, technology, sales, and fulfillment services.

The company is also retaining 310 existing positions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced in a news release Tuesday

Cuomo spoke at the announcement held at Kirkwood Industrial Park West at 265 Industrial Park Dr. in Kirkwood.

MMC plans to invest about $17 million to acquire a “predominantly” vacant, 426,000-square-foot industrial structure, Cuomo’s office said.

The firm will redevelop the building into Link Park, a multi-use, multi-tenant facility to accommodate the expansion, along with additional businesses and jobs.

Construction is set to start later this month and finish in early 2017.

 

Financing

Empire State Development offered MMC $5.8 million in performance-based incentives, which are tied directly to the creation and retention of 902 jobs.

The incentives included a $5 million capital grant and $800,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, Cuomo’s office said.

Additionally, the New York State Job Development Authority, a subsidiary of Empire State Development, has approved a loan of $5 million to assist with the acquisition and redevelopment of the facility in Binghamton, which has been “largely” vacant for over two decades.

Cuomo’s administration said it offered the incentives “in order to encourage MMC to make this significant investment and expand its operations in the Southern Tier.”

Modern Marketing Concepts had considered options in Colorado and Florida, but chose to remain and expand in Kirkwood, Cuomo’s office said.

In addition to New York’s $10.8 million support, the Broome County Industrial Development Agency (The Agency) will finance the acquisition of the approximately $4.5 facility and expansion site.

 

Reaction

The expansion project is “another step forward” for the local community, Cuomo said in the news release.

“It is one that will help Binghamton and the surrounding areas become the kinds of places where our young people come and stay to find their future in the new economy. We were pleased to do our part on the state side to make this possible,” the governor contended.

 

In Cuomo’s news release, Daniel Babcock, founder and CEO of Modern Marketing Concepts, thanked local, regional, and state-government officials for the “opportunity to continue to grow and invest in the region.”

“I am proud to call the Southern Tier home and I look forward to bringing a state-of-the-art facility focused on employee satisfaction and retention right here to Binghamton. We have partnered with local higher-education institutions to begin the process of connecting the next generation of talent with some of the region’s top companies. Being a lifelong resident, this area is very important to me and we need to keep residents here rather than moving elsewhere for opportunity,” said Babcock.

 

About MMC

MMC uses “data driven, digitally focused, multichannel” campaigns, and has the ability to “execute all aspects of a campaign under one roof,” according to Cuomo’s office.

The company’s “proprietary” data and platform, the “next action platform,” integrates its client’s brands with data, technology, and people to produce “measurable” sales growth.

MMC annually produces more than $1 billion in direct sales for its clients, which includes several Fortune 500 companies.

Founded in 1986, MMC has 28 years of experience in marketing and sales, working with “some of the biggest and most recognizable companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical and building product markets,” the news release said.

 

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com