CenterState CEO holds groundbreaking for Tech Garden expansion project

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The $32 million expansion project at the Tech Garden at 235 Harrison St. in Syracuse is now underway.

It’s expected that crews from Hueber-Breuer Construction Co., Inc. will complete the work in about 14 months. Empire State Development (ESD) is providing up to $16.6 million for the project, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release about the project.

CenterState CEO on Wednesday hosted a groundbreaking event for the project on the Tech Garden patio.

The expansion will include a two-story, 46,000-square-foot addition; renovations to the facility’s existing space; and updates to the on-site mechanical and security systems.

Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, called it an “incredibly exciting moment” for the organization.

“We have been working towards this vision of expanding this facility for our entrepreneurs for the better part of six, almost seven years now,” Simpson said in his remarks at the Wednesday afternoon groundbreaking. “We would not be here today were it not for the incredible support of our partners in business.”

Besides Hueber-Breuer, those partners also include QPK Design of Syracuse, which handled the design work.

The expansion effort includes a 5,000-square-foot roof terrace for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) companies to launch and test drones, a 3,000-square-foot meeting room with seating for up to 180, private tenant offices for 35 additional resident startups, coworking areas, an expanded hardware space for prototype and product development, and a new entrance, Hochul’s office said.

The Tech Garden is home to the New York State-supported Genius NY competition.

A state certified Innovation Hot Spot, the Tech Garden is the “key” tech business incubator for the Central New York region, per Hochul’s office. In 2022, 114 companies were served by one of CenterState CEO’s technical-assistance programs.

These teams employed 409 people, created 113 jobs, generated $70.7 million in total revenue and half were minority-, woman-, veteran and/or disabled-owned businesses.

“This $32 million investment will completely transform the southwest gateway of downtown [Syracuise], creating a vibrant, exciting space for innovative companies to call home,” Dan Kolinski, ESD’s acting regional director of the Central New York region, said in his remarks at the groundbreaking event. “This building and its entirely new façade will better reflect the world class innovation ecosystem supported inside by CenterState CEO and further reinforces Gov. Hochul’s commitment to investing in the future of upstate New York’s flourishing high-tech economy.”