2018 was yet another successful year for Canadian companies expanding to the U.S. Below is a list of companies our organization helped navigate the complex expansion process.
The reasons for expansion vary—gain a Made in USA label, reduce shipping costs, avoid bridge delays, increase market access, and more. No matter the reason, our organization helped these companies understand and consider all the necessary factors before opening their doors in the U.S.
The process of international expansion is unique to itself and requires unique expertise. Our organization either has that expertise or can call upon it from our vast network of partners throughout Western New York.
If you’d like to join this list of companies for 2019 or just are curious about our capabilities, give me a call. All our services are free of charge.
Avanti Advanced Manufacturing
$520,000 investment | 15 new jobs, 9 retained jobs
Avanti Advanced Manufacturing is a custom injection molding company that originally expanded to the Buffalo Niagara region from southern Ontario in 2011 when they acquired a facility on Buffalo’s East Side. InBN facilitated this original attraction project.
Since then, the company has steadily grown its sales and workforce in Buffalo, leading the company to purchase a second building in Buffalo. Avanti bid on additional contract manufacturing work, which could have shifted workforce totals to multiple different locations. InBN helped build the case for Buffalo, including the navigation of incentive applications and highlighting of workforce data and available space. Avanti secured the new contracts and expanded its footprint in Buffalo Niagara by 15,000 sq. ft., adding jobs and saving those at risk of relocation.
GVA Lightning
$525,000 | 13 new jobs
GVA Lighting is a Canadian-based company designing and manufacturing architectural and commercial LED lighting to illuminate the outside of buildings, bridges, and architectural structures. The company had 30-40% of their sales in the U.S. and 65% of their raw materials were sourced in the U.S., creating a compelling case for expansion. The company reached out to InBN following a recommendation from a past win, Magic White, about a Buffalo Niagara expansion, citing ‘Made in USA’ label requirements as a motivation. InBN managed the cross border project—coordinating incorporation concerns, immigration applications, U.S. tax and accounting set-up, workforce data, and incentive packages, as well as a full site search.
The company leased 5,518 sq. ft. in Cheektowaga for U.S. assembly operations, landing a large U.S. contract thanks, in part, to the expansion.
JLD Epoxy Coating Rebar Inc
$2,000,000 investment | 15 new jobs
TemCorp is a Stoney Creek, ON based company with six employees that was looking to relocate into the U.S. The company applies an epoxy coating to rebar for the road and building construction industries.
The leadership team felt that the size of the U.S. market and the number construction projects would allow the business to grow. The company wanted a location close to the Canadian border so that they could still service their Canadian based customers and projects. The company also needed a U.S. facility to obtain Department of Transportation certification to participate in U.S. government contracts.
InBN assisted the company with information on U.S. tax and accounting, employee recruiting sources, wage data, and funding options. We also completed a site broadcast for the company based on their building needs. The company toured multiple sites and engaged one of the local brokers that they had met during site tours. After a site was found, JLD Epoxy Coating Rebar Inc. was founded as the U.S. branch of TempCorp.
MicroArt Services Inc.
$448,000 investment | 25 new jobs, 2 retained jobs
MicroArt Services is a Canadian-based electronics manufacturer of circuit boards for the aerospace and medical device industries. The company has 250 employees in Canada. They saw their U.S. sales growing to 20% and decided U.S. expansion or acquisition would help ease that process and increase the volume.
The company expanded to Buffalo Niagara via acquisition and was enticed by InBN’s Guide to Canadian Business Expansion. InBN facilitated cross border due diligence meetings to guide them on how best to establish the company in the U.S., identify tax and accounting strategies, understand the local workforce,and coordinate incentive applications.
Rel8ted.to Analytics Global LLC
$120,000 investment | 10 jobs
Rel8ed.to Analytics Global LLC provides big data SaaS for business modeling and analytics for both commercial and government/academic research. The company offers proprietary data products and algorithms based on open and public data to firms in financial services, insurance, marketing, and investigations. The owner and founder of Rel8ed.to, who is a U.S. citizen and U.S. military veteran, wanted to establish a U.S. facing operation replicating the Canadian operation for U.S. government contracts.
Through an InBN speaking engagement, the company was introduced to our services.
InBN assisted in connecting the founder with professional services for legal and accounting for establishing a U.S. entity. InBN also facilitated site tours of incubator space throughout Western New York. Following the confirmation of U.S. government contracts, the company worked quickly to make official their U.S. expansion.
Uratech Tooling Technologies
$200,000 investment | 4 new jobs
Uratech is a Canadian-based manufacturer and distributor of both plastic and stainless-steel carts. The company was started in 2007 and has 15 employees in Canada and seven employees in India. Though Uratech had some U.S. sales, the company was faced with border fees and delays, which was limiting U.S. growth. The company began asking questions of InBN in 2015.
InBN coordinated cross border meetings with local experts in immigration, tax, banking, and workforce to assist them in understanding how best to establish their new U.S. facility. Uratech eventually moved forward with a lease of 1,000 sq. ft. in Orchard Park encompassing sales and shipment capabilities, with the goal of expanding into manufacturing in the future.
