WOODBURY, N.Y. — Arizona Beverage Co. has held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new $35 million corporate headquarters located in Woodbury. The 100,000-square-foot building is situated on 6 acres at 60 Crossways Drive. The new facility was designed by local firm Angelo Francis Corva & Associates for sustainability, and it includes energy-efficient HVAC systems and windows as well as a rooftop garden to reduce stormwater runoff and to aid in building cooling.
The project was made possible by a public-private partnership between Arizona and the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). Arizona was looking to expand from its previous Long Island operations, a 20,000-square-foot leased property in Lake Success, and approached the IDA about financial incentives to keep the company in the area. The IDA found an underutilized industrial site for the company to construct a new headquarters and put together an incentive package that included tax abatements.
“They chose to stay here. They chose to expand here…which is ultimately where they grew up,” says Joseph Giono, executive director with the Nassau County IDA. “That sends a message to other businesses to maybe look into Long Island a little more than they had previously.”
As part of its relocation and expansion, Arizona has added 60 new employees to its previous staff of 120 and plans to expand even more in coming years. While the company had its eye on several locations throughout the New York/New Jersey area, it was ultimately the efforts of the Nassau County IDA that convinced the company to stay in the same area where it got its start.
“These things don't happen on their own. If you don't have a public-private partnership in these type of deals, I don't see it happening [in this economic climate,]” Giono says.
— Coleman Wood