NYC-Based Software Consultancy Seed Development Establishes Headquarters in City Center
Last week, New York-based software consultancy Seed Development announced that it has established its company headquarters within the City Center Lehigh Valley development in Downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania. The flourishing global business, which builds web and mobile applications for clients ranging from funded startups to investment banks and Big Four accounting firms, is leasing 5,200 square feet at 806 Hamilton Street. The company, which has seen revenue growth of more than 500 percent in the past year, currently employs 13 people in the space with plans to add more as it continues to grow.
“Allentown fits perfectly into our growth strategy,” said Matt Pavelko, co-founder and chief executive officer of Seed Development. “We looked at where top talent was coming from, where our current and prospective clients were, and felt this would be the best location to open our main headquarters. While touring City Center’s beautiful space, we were instantly attracted to the flexible open space, exposed brick and high ceilings. Being based in Allentown sets us up to become one of the region’s top tech employers.”
Pavelko, who is originally from the area, said the company has already hired software engineers from Harrisburg and Hazleton and is in the process of onboarding employees from western New Jersey and northern Philadelphia.
“We’re bringing exciting projects to Allentown for local software developers,” added Noah Santorello, co-founder and chief technology officer. “We’re looking to hire strong candidates ranging from recent grads to experienced developers. We’re also looking at business development opportunities in the Lehigh Valley.”
Pavelko and Santorello launched Seed Development in 2014. Today, the company is made up of highly motivated, versatile technologists who specialize in building cross-platform mobile applications and web properties for businesses of all sizes. Seed Development has also leased a house in downtown Allentown for its employees who work remotely to stay in while in town for meetings. The company will maintain its local offices in New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina.
In a recent story in The Morning Call, Pavelko explained why Downtown Allentown and the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) are so attractive to startups, such as his. From the article:
“If I stay in New York, I have companies like Google luring talent with daily massages and gourmet food,” Pavelko said. “Here, I have access to excellent talent from Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley, New Jersey and Philadelphia. And we can still offer them an urban setting. It’s the perfect place for a startup to grow.”
The startup, Pavelko said, could well be the NIZ’s niche.
“Our growth strategy is to be able to pull people from all over the place,” Pavelko said. “We still have easy access to New York, and we still have an office there, but we don’t have to compete directly with New York companies.”
“Seed Development is the first of what we hope will be many out-of-state tenants to take advantage of the compelling value proposition City Center offers – competitive urban Class A office space that attracts and retains talent while offering easy access to New York and Philadelphia,” said City Center’s Director of Leasing Jarrett Laubach. “Seed Development is getting the most for their investment in Allentown, and we look forward to watching them grow and thrive here.”