Comtech Telecommunications, a tech company that does business in more than 40 nations, has cut more than its share of ribbons. But in August, after more than half a century on Long Island, the company cut the ribbon on a new, 150,000-square-foot headquarters in Chandler, Ariz.
The company, founded in Smithtown in 1967, said it would be near some of its largest customers around Phoenix. Interim CEO John Ratigan said Comtech will “benefit from the city of Chandler’s continued commitment to innovation.”
“Chandler, Arizona, has established itself as a leading technology corridor in the United States,” Ratigan said.
Comtech, it seems, had a long love affair with Long Island, tapping local talent, enjoying proximity to New York City and local universities, acquiring companies and going public. It even got tax incentives.
But after expanding and acquiring companies, it became the latest company in an era with remote workers to move its headquarters, often westward.
Many Long Island companies are expanding in the region, investing, building and hiring, but Comtech and some other global companies are choosing to write their next chapter elsewhere.
↧