LEDs America will join a growing roster of "green" employers at TechCity, Ulster County, promising to add as many as 100 new jobs here.
It's said that roughly two-thirds of TechCity's industrial space has been snatched up since 2008 by solar energy companies, green building suppliers and other enviro-friendly businesses.
LEDs America will occupy 10,000 square feet at the former IBM plant, where it will manufacture high-efficiency LED lights. The lights come in two forms: tubes for ceiling fixtures and incandescent-style bulbs for lamps.
It will create 50 to 100 jobs over the next year, according to company CEO Joel Westermarck.
The company started in China two years ago and set up its American headquarters in Jupiter, Fla. Due to TechCity has the necessary industrial space and proximity to key markets around New York City, it decided to expand into Ulster County and could start making the lights here by the end of fall.
Now, the company is marketing its bulbs as replacements for old, less efficient lighting in colleges, jails, hospitals and other businesses.