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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Bak USA Opens World Headquarters In Buffalo, New York

01/16/2015
Bak USA, becoming one of the first companies in the world to assemble its own branded electronic tablets in America, opened its world headquarters on the east side of Buffalo, New York.

The company's new global headquarters is located in a 10,000 square foot office complex on the top floor of Compass East, in the former Sheehan Memorial Hospital, at 425 Michigan Avenue. Bak is one of the first companies in the world to produce own-branded electronic tablets outside of Asia. The tablet PC devices are primarily marketed to developing countries for educational purposes.

According to the firm, in the six months since receiving START-UP NY designation, the company has established its headquarters, trained its first operators and assembled the first 500 of the 80,000 tablets it anticipates producing in 2015.

"Today is a celebration of a dream come true for Bak USA and our 20 members of our company 'family.' In just six months, we've achieved so much and are poised to create the 100 jobs we promised to Buffalo in our first year and will likely double that goal," said Ulla Bak, President, Bak USA.

"I would like to express my deepest thanks to the START-UP NY program for making it possible for Bak to be part of Buffalo's high-tech transformation. These connections are invaluable to cementing our social entrepreneurship model here in Buffalo and expanding it globally. I'd also like to say 'thank you' to all the local government and non-profit entities, as well as the countless individuals who have made us feel so at home here in Buffalo," Bak added.

Co-founder JP Bak said today's grand opening represents much more than the establishment of the company's world headquarters in Buffalo. "We have been blessed every step of the way and our journey is only beginning. We created Bak USA because we wanted to be able to put affordable products on the market which would help students learn all around the world, products that would last for a long time and that would truly make an impact where help was needed. While Bak USA is a very small step towards tackling this urgent problem, it is a step nonetheless: we can begin to contribute towards solving world illiteracy," JP Bak said.

"Today, we celebrate the grand opening of Bak's new global headquarters in Buffalo, as well as the company's investment in our community and residents," said Governor Andrew Cuomo. "Thanks to our innovative START-UP NY initiative, Bak's electronic tablets will be 'Assembled in Buffalo' and businesses and jobs will continue the growth and development that we have achieved for Western New York's economy over the last four years."

In June, the governor announced an inaugural group of eight companies partnering with UB in START-UP NY, which stands for SUNY Tax-free Areas to Revitalize and Transform Upstate NY. The statewide program aims to spur economic development by enabling universities to identify areas where new and expanding businesses can operate for 10 years without paying New York State business, corporate, income, sales or property taxes, or franchise fees.

Empire State Development President/CEO/Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "Governor Cuomo's game-changing initiative, START-UP NY, is delivering unique industries and jobs for Buffalo. Bak USA has plans to grow and continue to contribute to the economic momentum we have worked so hard to create by further positioning our region as a global leader in advanced technology research and development."

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