ENDICOTT — BAE Systems, displaced last fall by severe flooding at its Johnson City location, won’t have far to go to move into its new permanent home.

That’s because the company recently signed a five-year lease to stay at the Huron Campus in Endicott, where BAE has been operating since the days after the September flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

BAE shuttered its Main Street facility in Johnson City after some 16 million gallons of water flooded the plant after the remainders of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee slammed the area. In October, the company announced it would not return to Johnson City and was looking for a new home — either elsewhere in the Southern Tier or within existing BAE space around the country. However, in November, the company announced it planned to stay in the Southern Tier, keeping 1,350 jobs here, and would continue to look for a suitable location in the region.

BAE received a $40 million state incentive package including job- and investment-related tax credits over a five-year period to assist with its relocation effort.

“It was certainly useful to be here,” Richard Ashooh, BAE Systems strategy director, says of the company’s post-flooding relocation to the Huron Campus. Company officials knew BAE would have to adjust with any new facility, but being at the Huron Campus provided the company with a good learning experience.

“At the end of the day, you’re looking for a site that meets the unique needs of the business,” and is cost competitive, Ashooh says. BAE searched within a 35-mile radius of its former location, trying to keep any move within a reasonable commuting distance for the approximately 1,350 people it employs in the Southern Tier.

The odds of BAE finding a site large enough to replace the 600,000 square feet under one roof it had on Main Street in Johnson City were slim, he says, but the Huron Campus stood out from among other possible sites because it does offer a lot of space and flexibility.

One thing the company made sure to do was assess the risk of flooding on the campus, Ashooh says. “We absolutely consulted the flood maps,” he notes. The fact that BAE was able to locate on the campus four days after the flooding was also a good indicator the campus is located well out of the flood zone.

BAE Systems will lease 400,000 square feet from Huron Real Estate Assoc., LLC with options to renew and add space, Ashooh says. In the coming weeks, BAE will map out its exact footprint at the campus as the company now has access to some different buildings.

“We have to figure out how we’re going to occupy and where we’re going to occupy,” he says.

Once that is settled, BAE can get back to business as normal, he says. “Now the effort we spend will be on getting new business.”

BAE’s Southern Tier operations produce electronic controls for military and commercial aircraft and hybrid electric propulsion systems for transit buses. Since the flooding, BAE has operated from temporary space on the Huron Campus in Endicott.

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S.–based segment of BAE Systems plc. The defense, security, and aerospace company delivers products and services for air, land, and naval forces as well as advanced electronics, security, information-technology solutions, and customer-support services.    

NORWICH — In its 2011 annual report, Commerce Chenango looked back on a year filled with business growth and the successful launch and implementation of several new programs.

Highlights from the year include:

Agro-Farma, Inc., maker of Chobani yogurt, was one of the region’s top business success stories, announcing $134 million in investments that will create 106 new jobs in the area.

Chenango County made grants of $80,000 to five area businesses under its Microenterprise Program.

Chenango County laid the groundwork to attain Foreign Trade Zone status on behalf of Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Companies hired new employees including Frontier Communications, which grew its staff in Sherburne by 130 employees, Unison in Norwich, and Raymond Corp. in Greene.

Norwich–based NBT Bank grew its geographic footprint, added new jobs in Chenango County, and announced plans to upgrade and expand its operations in Norwich.

Chentronics announced plans to expand its facility at the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency’s airport incubator building.

Chenango County Agriculture Development Council (CCADC) launched its “Produced in Chenango” sticker program in 2011, with several producers choosing to apply the label to their products. CCACD also hosted Ag Summit V, providing a venue for members of the agricultural community to share perspectives on current issues and opportunities in the farming business. CCACD also helped coordinate an agriculture tour for legislators, giving them a chance to hear about and see the issues that farmers face.

Chenango County Industrial Development Agency worked with Tecnofil Chenango, SA to provide property-tax assistance as the company purchased the former Sherburne Metals facility — a project that created 24 new jobs in Sherburne. The CCIDA also worked with Agro-Farma on its expansion plans in South Edmeston. 

The year was a good one for growth and continued expansion in the area, Commerce Chenango stated in its report. “We are very optimistic the trend will continue in 2012,” it said.

Commerce Chenango (www.chenangony.org) is a nonprofit, community-based organization working to promote economic growth in Chenango County and the surrounding area. Commerce Chenango (www.chenangony.org) includes the chamber of commerce, industrial development agency, and tourism council.

VESTAL — Two new events at Binghamton University will bring together entrepreneurs, industry partners, and investors over the course of two days in April.

Things kick off with Binghamton University’s first-ever Energy Innovation Day on April 17. The day will feature speakers and panels on alternative-energy research and education, tours of campus facilities, and an evening reception.

The reception is also open to participants of TECHSTORM, which takes place on April 18 and serves as a networking opportunity for inventors and entrepreneurs.

Both events will be held at the university’s new engineering and science building at the Innovative Technologies Complex on Murray Hill Road in Vestal.

“We’re bringing [in] technologies that are on the cusp of becoming companies,” Dr. Eugene Krentsel, assistant vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation partnerships at the university, says of the two programs. The goal, particularly for TECHSTORM, is to give people with great ideas, companies looking for new innovations, and investors seeking projects to fund a chance to network together in the same place.

The event also gives the university and others a chance to showcase energy initiatives and innovations during Energy Innovation Day, sponsored by the New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (based at Binghamton University), industry partners, and the university. The goal of the day is to bring together students, researchers, and companies to discuss emerging alternative-energy technologies, energy-conservation issues, and research and development collaborations.

Binghamton University decided to host a TECHSTORM event after attending the inaugural one created by InnovateTech Ventures in Virginia last year, Krentsel says. That event, held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. last June, drew 27 university and federal labs to showcase more than 115 technologies. More than 175 attendees participated. 

Binghamton University reached out to InnovateTech about having an event in New York State, Krentsel says.

The ultimate goal of both events — and the idea behind having the events on successive days with a joint reception between them — is “cross pollination” between big companies and small entrepreneurs. Throw in an investor or two, and some of those matches might result in the formation of new startup technology companies, he contends.

Krentsel says the events have been drawing a steady stream of interest from possible attendees and participants.

Registration for the Energy Innovation Day is free, although space is limited. Email innovation@binghamton.edu to sign up or get more information.

Registration for TECHSTORM is $150 through March 16, and then rises to $175 through April 15. The cost is $200 for those who register the day of the event.

More information about the event and registration is also available online at www.techstormny.com.

Krentsel says he hopes to register more than 100 for the events. “We hope that we’ll fill the room to its capacity,” he says.