150+ entrepreneurs spending summer in Uptown Kingston

Uptown Kingston will be the summer home for more than 150 entrepreneurs who will spend two months working out of a “summer outpost” being established by New York Citybased Grand Central Tech.

And Ulster County Executive Michael Hein hopes when they get here, they’ll never want to leave.

Hein has announced that Grand Central Tech, which describes itself as a venture platform that provides office space and other critical resources for “transformational startups to achieve scale,” will establish a summer satellite office in the Senate Garage on North Front Street.

The project will bring as many as 175 employees from the more than 100 Grand Central Tech member companies to Kingston for the months of July and August.

Hein said the project gives Ulster County a “unique opportunity” to show what it has to offer.

“I believe that when we show people how amazing it is to live, work and raise a family in Ulster County, they can’t help but fall in love with this wonderful place and wan to make it their home,” he said.

Hein said the effort to bring the summer outpost to Kingston is part of his ongoing commitment to attract business to the county by leveraging scenic and cultural resources.

Matt Harrigan, founder of Grand Central Tech, said in a statement that the summer outpost will give its members — who he said “spend long hours in front of [computer] screens” — the opportunity to get out of the city and to get outside.

“As we explored the idea of a summer outpost, we cast the net far and wide,” Harrigan said. “But after speaking with County Executive Hein and local tech leaders like [Hudson Valley Tech Meet-Up co-founder] Kale Kaposhilin ... we quickly realized that Kingston had the right fit for our members. It’s close, it has great food and culture, and it already has an exciting community of highly engaged tech entrepreneurs.”

Visiting members will be encouraged to participate in the wide variety of local activities, events and festivals available in Ulster County throughout the summer. And the Ulster County Economic Development Alliance, which is sponsoring Grand Central Tech’s effort in the county, will work with other organizations to showcase the local qualify of life.

“Grand Central Tech’s decision to expand to Kingston will have tangible benefits throughout Ulster County,” said Julie Cohen Lonstein, chairwoman of the alliance’s board of directors. “The entrepreneurs who come ... whether for a day or for the whole two months, will shop at our stores, eat at our restaurants and stay in our hotels and B&Bs.

“And perhaps, when the summer is over, they will decide, like many before them, to visit again or to relocate here.”