State officials hope the relocation story of a software business catches the eyes of other business leaders in congested cities. New York City-based G-Commerce plans to move its headquarters to Des Moines. Company co-founder Louis Angerame is a native New Yorker who admits he and some of his fellow employees had to be convinced Des Moines was right for them. Angerame says once you consider quality of life, the family environment and what’s available in terms of entertainment, most of their employees are embracing the idea of moving to Iowa. Angerame’s business partner, Steven Smith, admits the one million dollar state loan helped seal the deal.Smith says other states couldn’t match that state grant and Des Moines won out because of its proximity to customers as well as its quality of life. Governor Tom Vilsack was on hand for a news conference this morning to welcome the new entrepreneurs to Des Moines. Vilsack told the pair Des Moines has “rush minutes, not rush hours.” He advised they’d be able to make the transition to following baseball teams like the Cubs, Royals, Cardinals and Twins rather than following the Yankees and the Mets. The two entrepreneurs are being invited to go along with Iowa economic developments officials as they make sales pitches to other New York City companies.
