Troy

When Tom Nardacci was starting his own public relations firm, Gramercy Communications, he began by working out of his house.

The barking dog in the background really didn't give off a professional impression when Nardacci was on the phone with potential clients.

And when he tried to work out of the local coffee shop, he found it was often too loud, and that a seat could be hard to find.

When it comes to high-tech startups in the Capital Region, there are plenty of "incubators" willing to sign up tenants that work in a collaborative setting, from Schenectady to Albany and Troy.

But when it comes to the creative economy — the region's sixth largest employment sector — Nardacci said nothing similar exists locally, or anywhere in upstate New York.

That's why Nardacci is planning to spend $1 million on a rundown building at 22-24 Fourth St. in downtown Troy. He calls his new concept the Troy Innovation Garage.

Nardacci says that everyone from the freelance writer to the web designer and the social media promoter will be able to walk in and rent space in the office, either for just the day or on a longer-term basis. There will also be conference rooms and meeting rooms, and Gramercy is going to have its headquarters in the middle of it all, helping startups and aspiring "solopreneurs" as Nardacci calls them, grow their businesses.

"It's going to have a retail mind set," Nardacci said. "It's going to be an open door here."

Nardacci says he already has a handful of startups looking to become tenants, although he declined to name any of them. He secured financing from Pioneer Bank and is working with 3tarchitects of Troy and Jeff Buell of Sequence Development on the design. The two-story building, which has housed a restaurant, a dance studio and a bank call center over the years, will be completed by this time next year.

City of Troy officials are thrilled, believing that the "Garage," as it's being called, will help provide a nurturing environment for fledgling businesses that will eventually need more space downtown.

Monica Kurzejeski, Troy's economic development coordinator, says Troy's resurgence downtown is based on many startups, from restaurants to video game companies, whose owners have worked together to help one another. She sees what Nardacci is doing as an extension of that.

"Now, Tom is paying it forward," Kurzejeski said. "It works with the vibe of downtown Troy's business community. It's tremendous."

Erin Pihlaja, executive director of the Troy Business Improvement District, called the Garage a "game-changing investment" for the city.

Nardacci is also going to commit $250,000 toward a special "residency accelerator program" that will provide director support to select tenants that get accepted to the special support program, designed to help early-stage businesses get off the ground.

The Fourth Street location that Nardacci is buying is in the middle of about $50 million in investment coming into the city by way of developers, schools like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and other infrastructure development, such as the proposed new transit center at the intersection of Fourth and Fulton streets. The location is between Franklin Plaza and Proctor's Theater and is near the new location of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity at the Quackenbush Building.

"I really think the Innovation Garage's success is going to be based on this growing community," Nardacci said.

lrulison@timesunion.com • 518-454-5504