“Tech Village” Project Gets Underway at Cape May County Airport

OCNJ Daily

Cape May County Freeholders Gerald M. Thornton and Will Morey, center, are joined by other dignitaries during a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new project. (Courtesy of Cape May County)

Cape May County officials and their economic development partners celebrated the groundbreaking Wednesday of Tech Village at Cape May County Airport. The $6.2 million, 20,000-square-foot complex is the first of three proposed buildings that will serve as an innovation hub for tech businesses that will advance the goal of growing year-round jobs to residents within the county. The first building already has two tenants and is half-rented. “This is the start of a reimagining of Cape May County’s economic future,” Cape May County Freeholder Will Morey said. “We need to find new ways to diversify and create jobs that attract top talent, which will enable our young folks to find great opportunities within the county. D-Tech International USA and Cellular Tracking Technologies are the two companies committed to the first building. D-Tech was originally based only in the United Kingdom. The company had a distributor in Wildwood and chose the area for its US headquarters. The company opted to move to Tech Village to accommodate its growth and now partners with a local metalworking business. D-Tech develops self-service products that streamline processes inside libraries and brings library services to patrons online, through an app developed exclusively for libraries. Cellular Tracking Technologies relocated its business from western Pennsylvania because of space concerns at their current location and signed a long-term lease for space at Tech Village. The company designs, develops and manufactures sensor and telemetry devices in the wildlife and Internet of Things space. Officials say they expect to create nearly 50 new jobs within the next three years. Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton thanked the many partners involved in the project, especially the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for demonstrating its confidence in Cape May County. The EDA awarded the county a $3 million grant to help build Tech Village. “The county and our partners have gained traction and we’ve been successful in catalyzing investment and activity at the airport,” Thornton said. “I am very happy to see the development taking place at the airport, and we believe this is the beginning of great things to come.”