Community partners, business leaders and Rochester's Mayor, Lovely Warren, gathered at Eastman Business Park to celebrate New York Finger Lakes Region's designation as a "Manufacturing Community" by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP). Our region is one of twelve communities nationwide awarded with a designation and it's priority status opens the door to $1.3 billion in federal economic development funds to revitalize manufacturing in the Rochester area, especially at EBP.
This region's proposal focused on key technologies and supply chains in the photonics, optics and precision manufacturing clusters. Willie Taylor, Regional Director of the Economic Development Administration, from the U.S. Department of Commerce remarked that these types of jobs utilize clean technology and pay good wages.
The City of Rochester's Commissioner of Neighborhood & Business Development, Dr. Del Smith, spoke about the grant process and the open collaboration between private-public partnerships. He mentioned their key components of the their manufacturing strategy include:
- Enhancing training programs to fill middle-skill manufacturing jobs
- Reinventing the region's supply chain networks to attract new end users of our locally manufactured components
- Expanding research and innovation programs
- Revitalizing Eastman Business Park for new and expanding businesses
- Expanding international trade and foreign investment opportunities through the Start-UP NY program, and others
- Identifying new sources of capital for new and expanding businesses
Mayor Lovely Warren called this designation a "game changer" for our region. We believe it to be too!
Jay Williams, Assistant Secretary @CommerceGov meets with #ROC Mayor @LovelyAWarren at @followEBP. #IMCP #FingerLakes pic.twitter.com/Y8evBmerFn
— #ROC Chief of Staff (@room207A) July 24, 2014
Revitalizing @followEBP will be a key priority in economy moving forward
— City of Rochester NY (@CityRochesterNY) July 24, 2014