Hain Celestial wins tax breaks from Nassau
Hain Celestial chief executive Irwin Simon in the company's Melville location. (Oct. 5, 2009) Credit: Howard Schnapp, 2009
The Hain Celestial Group Inc. Wednesday won final approval from Nassau County for tax breaks that will keep the company's headquarters on Long Island.
The board of directors of the county's industrial development agency granted Hain a 16-year freeze on its property taxes and a $850,000 sales tax exemption on furniture, equipment and fixtures.
The maker of health foods plans to rent 86,104 square feet at 1111 Marcus Ave. in Lake Success, once home to the United Nations. Hain currently rents space in Melville.
The larger corporate office will include a product development center. Hain expects to add 122 people to its current workforce of 250 over 10 years.
Earlier, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the state would back the $10-million Hain project with $4.6 million in state tax credits.
Hain had been courted by Colorado and New Jersey, whose governor, Chris Christie, made a personal appeal. The company reported profits of $55 million last year on sales of $1.1 billion.
