Does Omar Usmani’s Aeon Nexus still have employees in GF?

Chronicle News Editor Gordon Woodworth asks: What’s going on with Aeon Nexus, Omar Usmani’s company with offices in the former Russell & Wait building in downtown Glens Falls?

Several people mentioned to us that they don’t see much activity there, and a delivered phone book was left unpicked up by the back door for several days.

Earlier this month we noticed two Federal Express delivery notification slips; one indicated a “last attempt” was made on Sept. 23.

We reached out to Mr. Usmani, his wife Meghan Barkley, Aeon Nexus’s operations director, and Amir Naghmi, chief operating officer, to learn how many employees still work in Glens Falls.

Mr. Naghmi responded and asked us to contact Ms. Barkley, which we did. Neither she nor Mr. Usmani responded.

Mr. Usmani co-chairs the Glens Falls Downtown Revitalization Initiative committee that will decide how to use the $9.7-million state grant. At the committee’s first meeting he said his goal is to find more companies like Aeon Nexus “who has invested in Glens Falls.”

Last year, a Glens Falls economic development official told Chronicle editor Mark Frost that Aeon Nexus employed 16 people in Glens Falls, but when The Chronicle sought confirmation, Mr. Usmani said the number was nine people.

In 2010 Aeon Nexus in Glens Falls received a $145,000 state grant from the Empire State Development Corporation.

Mr. Usmani called it at the time a “convertible loan” and said if Aeon Nexus created 11 or 12 new jobs, “the loan will become a grant. And I don’t think we’ll have any problem filling those jobs.”

When the Usmanis had the grand opening of the Glens Falls office in 2010, Mr. Usmani said, “We’re only here for one reason — to save taxpayers money.”

He said their business was to conduct “reverse auctions” that pitted suppliers against one another to lower their bids to win government contracts.

Last year Aeon Nexus received a $530,000 state economic development grant toward what it said is a $2.3-million project in Albany. Aeon Nexus had requested $530,875.

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