Tech Company Yext To Add 500 Jobs In Chelsea: Cuomo

CHELSEA, NY — A technology company that helps companies manage online branding is expanding in Chelsea on Manhattan's west side, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the company, Yext, announced Monday.

Yext will expand its headquarters at 61 Ninth Ave. between 14th and 15th streets in what the company has named "The Yext Building" with some 500 tech jobs over the next five years.

"Tech companies like Yext are thriving and expanding across the state thanks to New York's top-notch talent, educational institutions and cultural resources," Cuomo said. "We are proud to support companies that invest in New York State and grow our innovation hubs, which in turn attract more world-class businesses and further elevator our 21st century economy."

If the company delivers the jobs within five years and retains all its New York City-based jobs for an additional five years, it will receive $6 million in tax credits over 10 years from the Empire State Development Corporation, according to Cuomo's office.

The added 500 jobs will bring Yext's New York workforce to about 1,100, per Cuomo's office.

Yext's founder and chief executive officer Howard Lerman called the so-called Yext Building a "temple of truth."

"In an era of too much information, much of it wrong, Yext is pioneering a new search paradigm that brings brand verified answers to your fingertips," Lerman said.

The tech company's expansion comes on the heels of the city's growing tech industry.

In December, Google announced a $1 billion campus in Lower Manhattan, adding to its existing outposts in Chelsea. City Council green-lighted in August a 21-story "tech hub" on East 14th Street at Irving Place, which is expected to bring some 600 jobs and a digital skills training center.

Amazon was expected to bring thousands of jobs to a new Long Island City headquarters — but the company backed out after protests from politicians and activists who were outraged about a $3 billion tax break for the online retail behemoth founded by Jeff Bezos.