ACS System Associates moving to LI from Westchester, will get tax breaks

A Westchester County-based installer of heating and air conditioning systems has decided to move to Nassau County instead of out of state, the company’s attorney said.

Nicholas Terzulli, a real estate attorney for ACS System Associates Inc., said the company has committed to purchasing two buildings: one in Woodbury for use as an office, warehouse and factory and another in New Cassel to be a metal fabrication shop and storage space.

Terzulli said ACS scrapped plans to move to New Jersey or elsewhere in New York State after meeting with the county’s Industrial Development Agency in September. “They’re coming to Nassau,” he said recently.

The IDA has agreed to negotiate tax breaks for a 38,000-square-foot building at 101 New South Rd. in Woodbury and a 28,550-square-foot building at 118-130 Swalm St. in New Cassel.

The $12.4 million project will create 194 jobs in Nassau within three years, many of them held by people who now work at ACS’ operation in Mount Vernon. The company plans to keep a small operation there with about 10 workers.

“The heart of the business will be located on Long Island,” Terzulli told the IDA board this month.

Average salaries range from $40,000 to $120,000 per year, excluding medical insurance and retirement benefits, records show.

ACS is owned by Ahmad Reyaz, a mechanical engineer. It has supplied ventilation systems to the World Trade Center, Kennedy Airport, Sagamore Hill, public housing projects and Stony Brook University.

The company is one of the largest minority-owned contractors in the metropolitan area, Terzulli said.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.