[snake]

I'm from this region, so I know where all these places are. The only deviation is Olympus, but it's not that far outside and likely still has an office near the Newark terminal. Ricoh appears to be in California, but has many offices in

NY. Leica Camera Inc. 1 Pearl Ct, Unit A Allendale, New Jersey 07401

Nikon Inc. 1300 Walt Whitman Road Melville, NY 11747-3064, U.S.A.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. One Canon Park Melville, NY 11747 Phone: 631-330-5000

Olympus Imaging America Inc. 3500 Corporate Parkway P.O. Box 610 Center Valley, PA 18034-0610 (used to be in Hauppauge, near Melville on Long Island)

Sony America is all over, but a central number is listed as being in Manhattan. When I was a kid, they were also in New Jersey.

Panasonic Corporation of North America One Panasonic Way Secaucus, NJ 07094

Consumer Electronics 85 Challenger Road Ridgefield Park,NJ. 07660 Tel: 1800-SAMSUNG (726-7864)

FUJIFILM North America Corporation 1100 King Georges Post Road Edison, NJ 08837

Sigma Corporation of America Attn: Service Department 15 Fleetwood Court Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Tamron USA, Inc. 10 Austin Blvd., Commack, NY 11725, Phone: 631.858.8400

[monochrome]

A company locates its Administrative offices where it is likely to find the type of people who can do the work it needs, for a price it is willing to pay, living in close proximity. It's a lifestyle decision

@snake: Aside from Sigma and Tamron none of those companies bears any resemblance whatsoever to Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation, as has been written over and over on this website. Why would we want Pentax to be like them? I thought the whole idea was to be an alternative. New York is a very challenging place to live if you want any kind of a normal family and lifestyle.

[snake]

@snake: Aside from Sigma and Tamron none of those companies bears any resemblance whatsoever to Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation, as has been written over and over on this website. Why would we want Pentax to be like them? I thought the whole idea was to be an alternative. New York is a very challenging place to live if you want any kind of a normal family and lifestyle.

I'm from NY and don't agree.

For business, particularly importers, it makes sense, plus there are always ways to get property costs reduced, as well as getting tax incentives. Not to mention, a huge pool of skilled labor, infrastructure, etc.

[monochrome]

I'm from NY and don't agree.

For business, particularly importers, it makes sense, plus there are always ways to get property costs reduced, as well as getting tax incentives. Not to mention, a huge pool of skilled labor, infrastructure, etc.

My daughter lives and works on Manhattan Island in broadcast Network News. She has no choice about where to live - she has to live in New York. Her monthly rent for an UWS 3rd floor walkup is 2x my monthly mortgage for a vintage 4BR on 2 acres. Granted, the Park is a block away and she has street views and closets (pre-war construction). There's just someting about living in a city where windows and closets are a premium feature that bends me. It is a lifestyle choice. Alternatively you can spend 10+ houirs a week commuting to get an affordable row house or more hours and a fortune to get a house and a yard in NJ or CT.

At one time if you were in the fur trade you had to be in St. Louis, or so it was said.

My employer recently moved their global HQ out of the city and most of the competitors in my business are getting away as fast as they can.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

---

Last edited by monochrome; 09-19-2013 at 01:31 PM.

[snake]

My daughter lives and works on Manhattan Island in broadcast Network News. She has no choice about where to live - she has to live in New York. Her monthly rent for an UWS 3rd floor walkup is 2x my monthly mortgage for a vintage 4BR on 2 acres. Granted, the Park is a block away and she has street views and closets (pre-war construction). There's just someting about living in a city where windows and closets are a premium feature that bends me. It is a lifestyle choice.

At one time if you were in the fur trade you had to be in St. Louis.

My employer recently moved their global HQ out of the city and most of the competitors in my business are getting away as fast as they can.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

I've lived in Manhattan, too. Raised there, been there nearly my whole life. She certainly does have a choice and I am also from the UWS and I believe I know exactly where you're talking she works. You DO NOT need to live there to work where she's working. In fact, one of my friends is likely a colleague of hers in that same area and he lives in Brooklyn. Again, you do not need to leave where she's living. The UWS is where you go when you have luxury and disposable income. It's elective to be there, not a must. For example, John Stossel lives on 81st near the AMNH. I lived on 79th between Amsterdam and Columbus. Go to CPW and that's where the movie stars are living.

It's elective to live there and you are presenting a distorted view. She can even just get off the island and be literally a 15 minute train ride away in the revitalized parts of LIC for 1/2 the price. Even downtown she can find something.

Regardless, you're presenting Manhattan as all of NY, but it's fairly obvious you don't actually know the geography. Most of those companies are out on Long Island, in Huntington. The others are across in NJ. Olympus used to be a few exits further out east.

Canon used to be further west, but moved out to a fairly prosperous and easy to access area in Melville (in Huntington). We're talking about 45 miles from Manhattan, out of NYC.

Incidentally, many people from LI commute to NYC via train as well. Many from Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and so on. Even hipsterific Williamsburg has mass numbers of people commuting in because one doesn't HAVE to live in Manhattan for any reason.

This is not an "agree to disagree" situation here when you don't seem to know the geography of the NY/Tri-state area and you think Manhattan "Island" is the same thing as Melville and you present your daughter's real estate debacle when we're talking about why many of the world's major corporations have to be stationed in NYC or near it.

[snake]

I know. I'm just a benighted hick. New York is the center of all things good and wonderful. You can fly over me on the way to Denver.

FWIW I know more tha you think.

Perhaps, but I've never heard a New Yorker say "Island" for Manhattan. It's much like the "Queensboro Bridge" vs. "59th St. Bridge".

And the belief that your daughter MUST live in one of America's wealthiest neighborhoods at all costs is fairly laughable, too. Especially since NONE of that applies to why the other major camera companies are NOT in Manhattan and some 40-50 miles out in some cases and nowhere near it.

Manhattan doesn't have a import/export port, which is why most importation middle companies are in Jamaica and in Newark (often only one because they can handle both locations from one office).

I've still not seen any reason why Ricoh needs Pentax to be in Colorado. NONE. Pentax and Ricoh are importers of goods from overseas. It would make more sense for Ricoh to close Pentax in Colorado (and lord knows, that office did the company zero favors in the last few years anyhow), streamline it, and bring it over to their main office in California (if that's where they are based). What reason does Pentax have to be isolated from its owner, the industry, centers of photography (ie: NYC), and so on?

There is zero reason for Pentax to stay in Colorado, unless there is some former deal to keep it there for an employee with a golden compensation package.

[vonBaloney]

Maybe because for the work they do out of that office, it doesn't really matter where they are, and they were already here. No reasons have be given why it would help them to be somewhere else either -- to be near where the ships come in? What's the difference?

Now, if they want to do this that and the other thing they aren't doing now and there is some compelling geographic reason to move or to open another office, I'm sure they'll do so, but no reason to move just for the sake of moving. Especially to somewhere much more expensive to be....

[snake]

it doesn't really matter where they are

It does because that office costs money. It should be brought in-house to Ricoh and redundants removed.

Saving money on a nearly dead company is not "for the sake of moving". Making it profitable for Ricoh is the only chance for survival of the brand.

[vonBaloney]

It does because that office costs money. It should be brought in-house to Ricoh and redundants removed.

Saving money on a nearly dead company is not "for the sake of moving". Making it profitable for Ricoh is the only chance for survival of the brand.

That is pure speculation, with some BS on top. Plus, first you said they should be in New York like everyone else (for some reason) and now you're saying they should just be closed cause Ricoh has an office already. You're just arguing for the sake of arguing.

[snake]

That is pure speculation, with some BS on top. Plus, first you said they should be in New York like everyone else (for some reason) and now you're saying they should just be closed cause Ricoh has an office already. You're just arguing for the sake of arguing.

I didn't say that. They should be near a port. Ports are on the coasts. I provided examples of peers near the ports (all of them), with Ricoh in California, again, near a port.

New York was brought under scrutiny by the other guy who didn't acknowledge that there are companies based near JFK/Newark for a reason. Every company is based near the ports, with the majority in the NY/Tri-state area.

[monochrome]

Dude. To work in her chosen field my daughter no choice but to live in the New York metropolitan area.

She can choose to pay ridiculous rent and walk 15 blocks to work, commute for an hour each way on subways to live in a row house in Brooklyn like her friends, or commute two hours each way on trains and a subway and have grass and a tree. All of which doesn't take into account that when something Breaking happens, wherever she is and whatever she is doing, her Blackberry beeps and she has to GET THERE NOW. Like Tuesday. Her boss lives closer than she does - for the same reason. In her position, the ability to get there in 15 minutes is required or it doesn't get OnAir..

But I guess she has luxury disposable income (I wouldn't know) based on the street and landmark you named.

FWIW, after an active posting at One Liberty Plaza and a flop bed Midtown in a long-term efficiency hotel I moved to the midwest - couldn't stand the place. It was a career-killing decision but I've had a wonderful life. Just like the Pentax people.

Anyway - these are decisions. People make decisions. Businesses make decisions. We don't know all the factors that led Honeywell to locate all their operations in Golden, Colorado 45 years ago; we don't know all the factors that led Pentax to outsource virtually every corporate function to contractors and adopt a Distributor model (no warehousing and inventory - everything is drop-shipped, no camera service, no support personnel, no camera/lens ordering) several years ago. We don't know all the factors that led Pentax to relocate from Golden to downtown Denver in August 2011. But we know they made a decision and we can presume it was a good decision based upon the unique factors under consideration at the time. We certainly know there is no earthly reason for Pentax Administrative offices to be near a port - and we have no way to know what Ricoh would charge Pentax to lease space in its corporate offices.

[redrockcoulee]

I think that Pentax Canada as well as Nikon Canada are just outside Toronto which does not seem like the closest port in Canada to Japan. Not sure why people in HQ would need to pop down to the loading docks to check on Sea-cans of cameras and lenses. At least in Canada all major cities have some corporate head office located in it. Is that not the case in the US?

Ports were traditionally places of business and large cities because sailing was so important in not only transporting goods but for travelling from continent to continent. Cities like Denver and Calgary are examples of newer commerical centres that are not seaports. True they are mostly energy and finance based HQ but those are still viable locations for HQ. Much of the growth in both countries in centred in interior cities and because of popultation shifts more HQs will be located there. It is also not the only country in which a camera maker's HQ are not in a port.

Would Pentax be any better off in New York City? If not what is the big deal? Its not like Denver is a run down city or a very small town. They do have a NHL team after all

[Clarkey]

I think that Pentax Canada as well as Nikon Canada are just outside Toronto which does not seem like the closest port in Canada to Japan. Not sure why people in HQ would need to pop down to the loading docks to check on Sea-cans of cameras and lenses. At least in Canada all major cities have some corporate head office located in it. Is that not the case in the US?

Ports were traditionally places of business and large cities because sailing was so important in not only transporting goods but for travelling from continent to continent. Cities like Denver and Calgary are examples of newer commerical centres that are not seaports. True they are mostly energy and finance based HQ but those are still viable locations for HQ. Much of the growth in both countries in centred in interior cities and because of popultation shifts more HQs will be located there. It is also not the only country in which a camera maker's HQ are not in a port.

Would Pentax be any better off in New York City? If not what is the big deal? Its not like Denver is a run down city or a very small town. They do have a NHL team after all

Hopefully not too off topic - Pentax, Ricoh, Nikon, Olympus and Canon are all along the "401 corridor" in Mississauga (one of the cities abutting Toronto and that has a significantly lower cost of doing business than Toronto). Mississauga is the home of Pearson airport, the largest in the country. The greater Toronto area is also home to ~6 million people.

There are two elements - importation of goods, and corporate headquarters (business development, sales, strategy, support, etc.).
25% of ALL Canadian - US business goods traffic runs through the 401 corridor and over the Ambassador bridge in Windsor.

[snake]

. We don't know all the factors that led Pentax to relocate from Golden to downtown Denver in August 2011. But we know they made a decision and we can presume it was a good decision based upon the unique factors under consideration at the time.

Why can we presume it was a good decision?

Hoya, who is heavily criticized for mishandling Pentax during that time was in control. Now all of a sudden a good decision was made by them?

Then Pentax was stagnant during this time and perhaps worse than stagnant-misdirected, having a great camera and some lenses, but a band model to increase sales.

Then Pentax was sold to Ricoh because Tokina-Hoya stopped caring altogether about it.

In business, you remove the legacy of mistakes that dragged a business down in the past.

We certainly know there is no earthly reason for Pentax Administrative offices to be near a port

We don't know that. We do know that it would be more efficient if the Pentax offices were moved to the Ricoh HQ. Better location, fire redundant workers, keep the talent, get rid of redundant property costs. There must be a reason why Ricoh is where it is.

[monochrome]

Oh snake. You know so little about the history of Pentax. You must be new to the brand.