Nokia will initially occupy space at 709 Westchester Ave., while renovations are under way at the vacant 102 Corporate Park Dr. that will serve as the headquarters for Nokia's Enterprise Solutions business group. Nokia has purchased the property from EastRidge Properties for $7.6 million, according to Nokia officials. EastRidge Properties is also the owner of 709 Westchester Ave.
Nokia plans to spend nearly $30 million in improvements to 102 Corporate Park Dr. The company plans take occupancy of space at 709 Westchester Ave. by July and intends to relocate to the building 12 months to 18 months after.
Nokia expects to have between 100 to 150 workers at its Westchester operations. The company eventually plans to house up to 300 employees at the building, which totals 102,000 sf. In addition to the Nokia Enterprise Solutions Group, the firm will employ sales, marketing and corporate personnel at its Harrison complex. In addition, Nokia CFO Rick Simonson is being transferred from Helsinki to the Westchester office by this summer, Nokia officials report.
"Westchester County's proximity to the world's financial capital and headquarters of many of the world's largest corporations, combined with the quality of life of the area made it a perfect selection for Nokia's newest corporate office," Simonson says.
On March 4, the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency approved Nokia's application for sales and use tax exemptions for its plan to house its regional operations in the county. However, the firm did not state it would take the county up on its incentive offer until today.
Keith Nowak, a Nokia spokesman, says the firm expects to receive some assistance from the town of Harrison, Westchester County and New York State. The company had considered sites in Fairfield County and was offered an incentive package to locate the regional office in the Nutmeg State. Nowak did not specify the value of the incentives the firm could receive from New York and those offered by the state of Connecticut.
"We worked hard to show Nokia the benefits of doing business in Westchester," says Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano. Nokia employs more than 6,000 workers in more than 20 cites in the US. Its US headquarters is located in the Dallas suburb of Irving, TX. Worldwide, Nokia employs more than 50,000. Cushman & Wakefield senior director Kevin Foley represented Nokia in the transactions.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
