By James McCandless
Reporter – San Antonio Business Journal
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Quadrant Biosciences, a New York-based health care technology company, announced it would move the headquarters of one of its subsidiaries to the Rand Building at 110 East Houston Street. As You Are — services for children with autism via a telehealth model, will occupy 6,000 square feet for more than a dozen employees.
At a time when larger businesses have made the decision to shrink their downtown spaces or leave for another submarket altogether, smaller companies that want to focus on the activity and amenities a central business district has to offer have started to make the shift to be part of the tech ecosystem.
Richard Uhlig, founder and CEO of Quadrant, said after narrowing down options on where the firm would want to expand the growing As You Are subsidiary, San Antonio climbed to the top of the list.
“As we were looking at a number of different cities that had a big biotech presence as well as a medical presence, we zeroed in on a number of cities including San Antonio,” he said in an interview with the Business Journal. “Once we got here, it was obvious that this is where we wanted to be and where we should be.”
He added the decision to move downtown, specifically, aligns with his company’s mission and culture.
“Because we’re so mission-based…the type of people that we attract want to be around things that are cool and fun,” he said. “That’s the definition of downtown San Antonio.”
As You Are provides a number of services for children with autism, including early diagnostics and referrals to supplemental resources. Uhlig said as the company expands, around 30 to 40 employees will be housed in the Rand Building.
The building, home to Geekdom and other firms, is owned by real estate company Weston Urban. David Robinson, Jr., the company’s development manager, told the Business Journal smaller companies emphasize their bottom lines and what fits the needs of their employees.
“I think San Antonio is really competitive for the companies that are trying to scrap and are looking at ‘Where is the biggest value for my dollar or where is the biggest value for my employees,'” he said. “I think San Antonio competes really well there versus Austin, Nashville or some of these higher-priced markets.”
Like Uhlig, Robinson argues being downtown is especially fruitful for those in biotech, medicine and tech in general.
“I think a lot of companies are going to want to be around that for the proximity,” he said. “I think that’s the strongest appeal.”
