October 17, 2018 -- Attracting, creating and retaining jobs. That’s what the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is all about. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent vote by the IDA Board, approving a $500,000 sales tax exemption for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc.
Atlas Air, which provides cargo and charter services for companies such as DHL and Amazon, is growing so rapidly that it is running out of space at its corporate headquarters in Purchase.
Atlas Vice President Scott Roper said: “We have an issue that we’re delighted to have. We’re growing so fast that we are bursting at the seams.” More than 500 employees are based at the company’s headquarters at 2000 Westchester Avenue.
In its application to the IDA, Atlas Air said it plans to invest $2 million in its facilities, some of which are located outside of the County where the cost of labor and materials is significantly lower than Westchester. The company said extending its sales tax exemption and increasing it by $500,000 would mitigate the cost differential, and allow Atlas Air to make the major capital investment in Westchester County.
The IDA has a history of working with Atlas Air to help grow its corporate headquarters in Westchester. In 2011, the IDA approved sales tax exemptions which allowed Atlas Air to remain in the County, expand its operations here and retain 460 jobs. In 2016, the IDA extended the sales tax exemption and increased it by $1 million for Atlas Air to invest in more projects in the County including a new data center in Hawthorne.
Director of the Office of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons said: “Our experience with Atlas Air is a case study in how financial incentives provided by the IDA are helping to promote a vibrant and growing economy in Westchester County. These benefits, which are provided at no cost to the taxpayers, have created tens of thousands of jobs in all sectors of the County’s economy.”
For more information about the financial incentives available from the County IDA, visit http://www.westchestergov.com or call 914-995-2952.