SLOATSBURG - Warby Parker, which produces designer eyewear, will create 128 jobs over the next five years in a brand-new 34,000-square-foot lab in Sloatsburg, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's office announced Wednesday.
The new $15 million optical lab — where the company will primarily perform lens finishing — will be Warby Parker's first expansion into the region.The company will covert an existing building at 150 Route 17 into the lab, which is across the street from Auntie El's Farm Market.
The company will receive up to $1.32 million in tax credits through the state's economic development agency, Empire State Development.
“This is just great news for Rockland County and the Lower Hudson Valley,” Schumer said. “We needed manufacturing facilities and this is one of the best because Warby Parker is a growing, modern, high-technology type of company.”
The Manhattan-based company will also retain more than 250 jobs at its New York City headquarters as well as an additional 130 jobs at New York retail locations, Schumer said. Warby Park has 31 retail locations across the United States, five of which are in New York City.
"We’re incredibly excited to open our first optical lab in Sloatsburg,” said Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa in a released statement. "Since 2010, we’ve been committed to building a business that lasts and, as we continue to scale, the lab will allow for more sustainable growth across our supply chain.”
Co-founders and co-CEOs Dave Gilboa, left, and Neil Blumenthal, right. (Photo: Courtesy of Warby Parker)
Schumer said that he worked closely with the eyewear company and the state over several months to make the project happen. The senator said Sloatsburg was competing against another site in Pennsylvania, but the village's close proximity to company’s headquarters in New York City and its workforce helped it win out.
Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright said his office was awaiting more information about the deal, but said, “It does look promising.”
Wright said the addition of Warby Parker appears to be a “very positive thing” because it will add employment opportunities and help the local economy.
“It’s nice that the company has faith and confidence in this area,” Wright said.
Al Samuels, president and CEO of the Rockland Business Association, said Warby Parker's move was "a major investment by a significant company. It’s going to mean good jobs, and in that area, there is a tremendous need for good jobs.”
Samuels said Rockland and the surrounding counties offered a large, skilled workforce for the company to tap into.
Schumer said that Warby Parker's investment has the potential to draw other manufacturers into the region.
“For companies that have headquarters in New York City that want to do manufacturing, places like Sloatsburg and the Hudson Valley — Rockland County and Westchester County — are great places.”
Staff writer Michael D'Onofrio contributed to this story.
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Originally Posted by LENNY
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