LI trophy maker eyes new $13M Hauppauge facility

Trophy Depot Inc., an assembler and distributor of awards and trophies for sports leagues and schools, is seeking to relocate to a new facility in Hauppauge for an estimated $13 million, according to the company's application for tax breaks.

The Brentwood-based trophy maker is looking to purchase a 108,000-square-foot building at 55 Kennedy Dr. for about $9 million, with another $4 million going toward the building's renovation and outfitting.

Currently, the property has three tenants, including Adelphi University's Hauppauge Education and Conference Center. Trophy Depot plans to occupy 98,000 square feet and lease the remaining 10,000 to the university.

The move would more than double the company's current operating space at 171 Rodeo Dr. and allow Trophy Depot to keep up with increased online sales, said president James O'Boyle. "The business just keeps growing," he said.

Thursday, Suffolk County's Industrial Development Agency agreed to provide Trophy Depot's project with a $202,688 sales tax exemption, a mortgage recording tax exemption of $47,250 and a 15-year property tax abatement valued at about $1.7 million.

Trophy Depot employs 58 people. In return for the assistance, it promised to hire another 16 people within two years of completing the planned building renovations, which include installing new engraving equipment. Records show the company's average salary is $47,862.

According to Peter Curry, attorney for Trophy Depot, the company has received as many as six competitive build-to-suit relocation offers from North Carolina.

O'Boyle said the local workforce was a reason to stay on the Island. But without the county's assistance the company would have moved "down South," he said.

O'Boyle's "business is exclusively through online orders, so he can be located anywhere," said Anthony Catapano, executive director of the IDA.