A new startup company founded by Syracuse University students is breathing fresh air into the local economy and it’s not running out of steam anytime soon.

Auxygen, the creative powerhouse that started in the basement of the Theta Chi fraternity house last spring, has been growing its business rapidly and recently made the move downtown to its new office in the Galleries of Syracuse on Salina Street.

“We were meeting with big name clients in the basement of our frat house last spring, and it got to the point where we realized that we had the potential for something special, so we wanted to secure an actual office as soon as possible,” said Adam Day, an Auxygen co-founder.

The move to the new office was finalized in August, and the Auxygen team has made the space its own. For a company whose mission is to provide design-based solutions to help clients big and small, the office succeeds in giving the impression that this team of SU students and freelancers know what to do and do it well.

A lot of Auxygen’s work deals with website development and brand management for clients, but the team made it clear that it’s not really competing with companies who do similar work. Instead, it’s carving a new mold and offering a comprehensive solution for businesses that also need experts in videography, photography and social media.

With digital platforms becoming increasingly important to the success of any business, Auxygen debuted the new Aux Package for the price of $1,999. The package includes creating a new website, with professional videography and photography, and social media integration for clients who want an affordable solution.

“The Aux Package is an initiative to help small businesses get noticed and compete with corporate brands and big box retailers,” said Auxygen’s CEO, Marcus Baron. “Small businesses are what this country is built on, and we want to be accessible to anybody who wants to grow their company.”

Though it has only been around for less than a year, Auxygen is already expanding its company into the Syracuse community. The team has worked with Hilton Doubletree, SU professor and entrepreneur Carl Schramm and even helped rebrand Syracuse University’s Living SU campaign. The team itself is steadily continuing to expand its network by refining and strengthening its own brand.

“We all came together as a group of people centered around a core nucleus of design, and everybody brought their own contacts and individual expertise together, which has really helped us build our client base,” said Pat McGowan, another Auxygen co-founder.

In addition to growing the client base, the team behind Auxygen has also focused on new ventures like the Ponix Future Farm technology. Baron describes Ponix as a “modular farming system,” and its innovative design could potentially revolutionize the agriculture industry.

The farming system allows its users the ability to “grow food, anywhere, in any climate, at any time,” and its convenient design allows for produce to be grown on shelves that can be stacked on top of one another to utilize space efficiently.

“We’re looking to get a spot in the New York State Farm Show next month at the State Fairgrounds to display our Ponix system to a huge audience and really spread the word about this new technology,” Baron said.

The diversity of skills and expertise that each member of Auxygen brings to the table has allowed them to pursue new ventures like Ponix and to secure a platform to bring their creative services to clients with endeavors like the Aux Package. There are eight main players on the team: Baron, McGowan, Day, Michael Choi, Drew Osumi, Rachel Samples, John Zell, Ousman Diallo and Baron’s younger brother Daniel.

Baron, Auxygen’s CEO, is an architecture student and the builder on the team; McGowan is a designer and plays the role of the craftsman; Day comes from a fine arts background and has filled the office with impressive paintings as part of his work as the team’s artisan; Michael Choi, a contributing videographer for The Daily Orange, is the producer on Auxygen and is the team’s expert videographer.

Photographer Drew Osumi; videographer Rachel Samples, the enthusiast; John Zell, programming and web developer; Ousman Diallo as the big picture thinker; and Baron’s younger brother Daniel, the realist, round out the team with individual attributes. Osumi and Diallo are both also photographers for The D.O.

Looking to the future, Baron expressed his plans to keep up with the team’s momentum and further refine the Auxygen brand.

Said Baron: “We want to continue to build a brand that is accessible and that is known for design-based problem solving. Ultimately, we want to inspire and motivate others, and that includes recruiting hungry, talented students to join the team.”

Published on January 22, 2014 at 12:32 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu