ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Less than a block away from New York’s Capitol and tucked away in an unsuspecting 100-year-old building lies Aeon Nexus, a tech company with a nationwide reach.

“We’re a legal case management system for criminal, civil, and administrative law. We have prosecutors, public defenders, departments of justice, attorney general’s offices, and things like the Department of State doing licensing and so forth,” said CEO Omar Usami.

Usami brought the company down from Queensbury in 2015 after being approached for a redevelopment opportunity.

“The opportunity was that this entire row of buildings was in shambles, and the development of these properties, we needed one project to start the fire. I volunteered. The opportunity was just too great to pass up,” added Usami.

If you ask the Gen Z employees, many RPI and SUNY school alumni, they like what Albany has to offer.

Business analyst Marion Lyons said, “I’m from the area, so I wanted to stay kind of close to home, and also since I’ve grown up here, I know that I love the area, so I was happy to stay.”

Developer Jordan Johnson went to college in Pittsburgh. “Even driving through Pittsburgh is kind of like difficult and, you know, anxious, feeling, but here’s kind of like a smaller city, but I still like the city feel,” he said.

After 11 years on State Street, the company has outgrown its current office and is looking to expand and stay in the capital city.

With a $400 million investment from Governor Hochul, Aeon Nexus leaders are hopeful the investments will bring life back to the area to help attract more employees to move to Albany.

“More of the engagement. So what I would like to see out of the city, the county, and the state is more collaboration, which we’re seeing now, and a real plan that is holistic,” added Usami. “It can’t be just giving money to the first grant application that comes in. It’s showing that you have a proven track record of investment.

For Gen Z employees, there are ways they say Albamy can improve.

Business analyst Jana Putzig moved to the area before the pandemic; “it felt like during that time, Albany was really alive. We had clubs, we had bars, we had stores, pop-ups, and things like that. So your weekends are a little dull and quiet downtown, which is not typical for a downtown living space.”

Brynn Alvord says having businesses open more hours would make a difference in people’s daily lives. “There are a few local businesses that I fell in love with on my lunch breaks, just kind of walking around and exploring the area, and then my mom came to visit on a weekend, and I was like, I have to take you to all these little spots, and they were all closed.”

For Usami, the pros and cons of getting people to move to Albany aren’t much different from those they were in 2016.

“For the first time in Albany, you have a mayor, a county executive, and a governor who all want to invest in Albany and want to work together. That collaboration means a lot to a company like ours,” Usami added.

Creating the student-to-workforce pipeline opportunities is something Eeon Nexus leaders are looking to help with the redevelopment of their continued partnerships in the with local and regional colleges.