Verian breaks ground in IL

Reece Murphy
rmurphy@thelancasternews.com
Charlotte-based software firm Verian Technologies broke ground Friday on a new 25,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Indian Land.
The firm, a leading producer of purchase-to-pay automation solutions for business, was recently recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Charlotte by the Charlotte Business Journal.
The new facility is located in the 22.5 acre Rosemont Office Park off S.C. 160, a project also being developed by company owners Tehseen Ali Dahya, Bilal Soylu and Bhavin Shah.
The new building is expected to be completed in May, with the firm moving in by June.
“We come to work every day to accomplish our mission of making people’s lives easier,” President and CEO Ali Dahya said, thanking those gathered for the groundbreaking.
“It’s so important for us to have our 60 or so people (who were) scattered all over the place in one office.
“This has been a dream and a vision of ours for a long time and we’re finally putting it together,” he said.
Soylu said the company plans to occupy half the space in the new building and lease or sell the remaining 12,500 square feet.
Overall, the business park will be able to accommodate another 200,000 square feet of commercial development.
Soylu said, in addition to its proximity to Charlotte, the company chose to expand in Indian Land because of its explosive growth and economic incentives offered by the county.
According to Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. President Keith Tunnell, the county gave the firm a 6 percent fee-in-lieu of property taxes as an office project and a 50 percent rebate on property taxes on the new building for seven years. The firm’s savings from the incentives must be spent on infrastructure for the business park.
The firm also received job development credits from the state, which will rebate a portion of its payroll taxes for 10 years.
Tunnell said one of the many benefits of hosting the firm is it will increase the county’s tax rolls and offer opportunities for the county’s youth who have an interest in technology.
“I want to thank Tehseen for all the hard work they’ve done,” Tunnell said in welcoming the firm. “We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”
Lancaster County Councilman Larry McCullough was also on hand to welcome the new company, which he praised for its track record as a good corporate citizen.
He said the establishment of the state-of-the-art business park would be a boon to the county since it would provide much-needed space for, and act as a draw for, future business of all sorts.
“For 120 years, it was just textiles in Lancaster County,” McCullough said. “This is all part of our business plan to diversify and broaden our base.
“(Verian) is a great community citizen and it’s great to have high-tech businesses coming in.”
Verian Technologies began in 1997 as a Columbia-based software company that helped medical and hospital networks with their procurement and inventory process.
The company now counts among its clients Boeing, Macy’s Recreational Equipment Inc., Allstate Insurance, PETCO and GNC.
Its software helps companies monitor and track their purchases, invoices, assets, reimbursements and costs.
The company employs 56 employees and plans to hire between 10 and 15 employees a year for the next few years, Tunnell said.

Reece Murphy/Reporter

Verian Technologies co-owners, from left, Bhavin Shah and Bilal Soylu sign an I-beam at the firm’s new world headquarters building going up in Indian Land. The software firm, recently recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as one of the fastest growing companies in Charlotte, is expected to open its doors at the new building in June.

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