By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – You might say the City of Buffalo has entered a "new era." Mayor Byron Brown joined leaders of New Era Cap Tuesday for the grand opening of its brand new headquarters on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo.
New Era Cap has shifted its headquarters from Derby to the former Federal Reserve Building on Delaware. The new facility will house 300 employees as well as a retail shop and baseball cap museum. But manufacturing will continue in Derby.
New Era makes caps for Major League baseball, the NHL and the NBA. At one point, the company considered moving its headquarters to Alabama. But CEO Christopher Koch says even though they were enticed by other states to relocate, it made "sense" to stay in Buffalo.
New Era spent about $15 million for the building project, but received $8 million in grants and tax incentives. Mayor Brown says the city is using New Era as an example to ask other companies to come to Buffalo.
The company actually expanded its Derby facility to create more manufacturing space by moving its headquarters into downtown Buffalo. The New Era retail shop on Delaware opens to the public this Saturday.
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