Tech company Excelitas commits to moving global HQ to Pittsburgh's Strip District

A tech company is poised to move its global headquarters to Pittsburgh’s Strip District, showcasing the region’s continuing success at attracting high-tech businesses.

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that Excelitas Technologies has committed to occupying roughly 50,000 square feet of space at 2545 Railroad St. in the Strip.

Excelitas, a photonics technology company that specializes in high-tech lenses and lighting applications, has committed to a 12-year lease at the Railroad Street location, Shapiro said.

“For the past year, I’ve been telling the world that Pennsylvania is open for business — and Excelitas clearly agrees,” Shapiro said in a release.

He said the company will create at least 250 jobs in Pittsburgh over the next four years as well as invest $2.3 million in the move. That is matched by a $2.3 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Excelitas also will be encouraged to apply for state research and development tax credits.

The company is moving into the space formerly occupied by the defunct autonomous-vehicle company Argo AI, which shut down in 2022.

Excelitas, currently headquartered in Waltham, Mass., has a small Pennsylvania presence with a location in Chester County. The Excelitas team consists of more than 8,000 professionals working across 33 locations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Ron Keating, CEO of Excelitas Technologies, said he is proud to move the headquarters to Pittsburgh, noting the region’s growth in the tech sector and ability to compete.

“Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania region have developed a significant high-technology presence, combined with a strong work ethic and an engaged state and local leadership who understand the value of job creation,” Keating said.

Shapiro said his administration has worked to bring more than $1.2 billion in new private sector investment to Pennsylvania since he took office in January 2023.

Excelitas has been expanding recently. The business acquired Germany-based lighting solutions company Noblelight this week.

The Pittsburgh region has not fully recovered economically from the pandemic, but its tech industry has fared much better compared with other sectors.

Pittsburgh had 62,469 tech jobs in 2023, according to a report from the Computing Technology Industry Association. That’s up about 1,800 jobs from the prior year.

“Pittsburgh is quickly becoming the next great tech city, and we are excited that Excelitas has chosen Pittsburgh as the home of their new corporate headquarters,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement.