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Monroe Entrepreneurs Are 'Perched' For Success In 'Everything Off Campus'

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y. -- Got a college kid looking for off-campus housing? Perch'n can help.

Perch'n Co-Founder Jonathan Kossar of Monroe.

Perch'n Co-Founder Jonathan Kossar of Monroe.

Photo Credit: Submitted

The new company -- it launched in 2016 -- was built with the mission to be "everything off campus." Its main form of doing that: allowing customers to search off-campus housing listings for free. Log in, create an account and start reaching out to local landlords, match with roommates and more.

Co-Founders Jonathan Kossar and Rhona Bork, both from Monroe, began software development in early 2016, spearheaded by Chief Technology Officer Steve Glassen. The business was incorporated in April and by the end of 2016, Bork said they had a handful of property listings, which took off with exponential growth into 2017.

"The listings continue to climb, with hundreds added each day," she said.

What makes perch'n different is the fact that she and Kossar are property owners who put together a successful website.

"We formed perch’n as an internet business driven solely to address this exploding off-campus marketplace recognizing that housing brings many other needs, such as furnishing, renters’ insurance, and off-campus dining options," she said.

There are currently about 20 million students, undergraduate and graduate, enrolled in higher education study in the U.S. and these numbers are expected to increase in coming years, she explained.

"Dormitories are not able to meet the expected demand. And even if they were, students, especially upper classmen, generally prefer to live on their own, off campus."

Added to the sheer volume of housing needed are the special circumstances posed by millions of people seeking housing each year. Using the perch’n platforms, students, property managers and colleges now have tools to help them more effectively manage in this dynamic marketplace.

The internet company, she added, was "hatched" in the Hudson Valley, with students from Marist College in Poughkeepsie and SUNY New Paltz as the first users.

Now, perch’n has listings near more than 100 campuses in eight states. There is also a soon-to-be-released mobile app.

Go to www.perchn.com for more information.

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