Left: Kyle York, Right: Travis York (Courtesy Photos)
Kyle York
Founder of York IE
Travis York
CEO of York Creative Collective
Brothers Travis and Kyle York believe that building businesses and building community should go hand in hand.
The two have separate, successful companies—one in tech and one in marketing—as well as a joint real estate firm, York Real Estate, whose latest project is turning an underused, old industrial building near the heart of Manchester into an entertainment and dining complex meant to draw people to the area.
“We want young talent to move home,” says Kyle York, founder of York IE, an advisory and investment business that works with tech startups. “We want Manchester to be a cool place to live. We want them to live, work and stay here and hopefully that becomes cyclical.”
Travis York, CEO of York Creative Collective, which includes the marketing firm GYK Antler and the video production service Big Brick Productions, agrees. “The projects we take on typically have some benefit or meaning beyond just developing something,” he says. “Manchester has been a thriving city many times and has stumbled many times largely because of microeconomic factors and that brings people down. But New Hampshire is a very resilient place and very innovative.”
Their new development, called Queen City Center, will occupy the 30,000-square-foot former Lew A. Cummings Building at 215 Canal St. It is scheduled to open later this year. The $6.25 million project, directly behind the DoubleTree hotel and expo center, will be anchored by the employee-owned Harpoon Brewery, which will use 12,000 square feet for a beer garden, experimental brewery, and lounge.
Travis York’s television and video studios, relocating from Massachusetts, will take up another 7,500 square feet. Other tenants include a fitness studio called Barre Life, Union Coffee, a members-only simulated golf club called City Club Golf, a pop culture shop named Wicked Joyful, and Studio A, a 2,500-square-foot entertainment venue.
The city of Manchester has discontinued West Central Street adjacent to the development, and that area will be developed as a gathering space for artists and vendors. “The idea is, all of the folks behind these businesses are like-minded and want to create a really cool environment in downtown Manchester,” says Travis York.
The project capitalizes on the business success and civic commitment that the brothers, NH natives who grew up in Bedford, have already demonstrated. In addition to multiple investments in Manchester, the two have a real estate fund that invests in multi-family housing, and they have properties in Nantucket and South Carolina, among other locales. The York brothers own the former R.G. Sullivan Cigar Factory, which houses GYK Antler and other businesses, next to the proposed Queen City Center.
Travis York’s GYK Antler is a marketing and advertising firm whose clients include government agencies like the NH Lottery and the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs, as well as brands like Green Giant, Sallie Mae, Cedar’s Foods and the Boston Bruins. Big Brick Productions produces content for some of the same clients, among others.
“One of the proudest moments of my career was to refresh the image of New Hampshire and promote it loud and proud, with partners at the state,” he says of his work on endeavors like the “Visit NH” campaign. “If you look at the performance of those partners and groups, we’ve had tremendous success.”
Kyle founded York IE, which works with tech startups helping them with strategic growth and invests in early-stage software businesses. He was chief revenue officer for Dyn, an internet performance management company that was acquired by Oracle Corp. in 2016. “When I saw the opportunity to build a one-stop resources hub for technology, that’s what I wanted to create,” he says.
The brothers envision their work as a way to reverse what both see as an economic inferiority complex the state has suffered for years.
“I hear people so often say Manchester has so much potential,” says Travis. “Build them, don’t just wish for them. I see myself as somebody who can lead by example and inspire people to recognize we’re very capable collectively.”
Kyle agrees, saying, “I think the state has always thought of itself as second fiddle to Massachusetts. I think there’s a huge opportunity for us to be an alternative option for people to live and work that requires a little more self-confidence than has traditionally been the case.”
“Everything we’ve done in real estate investing in Manchester, the financial side is maybe tertiary,” he adds. “The heritage and legacy in our community is probably number one. The other one is uplifting the community and making it a more vibrant and creative place to live and work. Third, there is the financial aspect but it’s different from traditional real estate. It’s very long-term. If you can uplift the community and make Manchester more attractive, of course it will appreciate. A rising tide raises all ships. It will all come around if we try to do the right things.”
Current Issue - May 2024