Flomo moved from Teteroboro to Moonachie
MOONACHIE -- Wendy Shen, CEO of the Nygala Corporation/Flomo USA, could have moved her company to New York or Pennsylvania when the lease at the company's facility in Teterboro.
It might have been cheaper and both states were likely to offer incentives to Flomo for leaving New Jersey.
But the company stayed in-state, leasing a 100,000 square-foot building on Moonachie Avenue.
"We didn't want to lose any employees," Shen said. The company expected to lose almost half its workforce. "Job retention is very important."
Flomo, a manufacturer and seller of gift, party, holiday and office supplies, employs about 40 people. The company moved to Moonachie despite higher property taxes and even though it didn't qualify for any state incentives.
However, the location is close to its customers in New York and New Jersey and has access to several major highways, Shen said. And the company received help from the state in other ways.
The Business Action Center has worked with Flomo to make introductions to foreign consular officials, smoothing the path to trade in Mexico, Colombia , El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Shen was grateful enough to invite Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to a ribbon cutting on Wdnesday.
Jim Kirkos, CEO of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, said being business-friendly can sometimes carry as much weight as tax credits.
"The state and legislature need to make sure we have the capacity to continue to offer incentives where appropriate, but more importantly, we just need to have a good business friendly posture," he said.
Shen brought Flomo to the U.S. in 1992, when it was a stationery business that belonged to her father. The company sells products to wholesalers and retail chains, but is launching a an e-commerce website called Glittzie that will offer products in smaller quantities to customers like teachers who buy their own classroom supplies.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.