Investing in Manufacturing Community Partnerships

INVESTING IN ROCHESTER’S FUTURE, GROWING TOGETHER

Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) program’s goal is to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing and create a competitive climate for communities to attract manufacturing jobs and investment. The IMCP encourages communities to devise comprehensive economic development strategies that strengthen their competitive edge in attracting global manufacturers and their supply chains.

In selecting Rochester, The White House wrote that “With over 120 photonics manufacturers and more than 500 photonics patents last year alone, the Greater Rochester region, led by the City of Rochester, is bringing new life to manufacturing business parks and expanding its workforce development efforts to maintain its historic lead in precision machining and optics, photonics and imaging.”

The Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes manufacturing revitalization strategy will advance and strengthen its existing advanced manufacturing clusters of precision manufacturing and optics/photonics/imaging. The strategy builds on the region’s historic leadership in advanced manufacturing, its strong higher educational system and training programs and its extensive physical infrastructure. It includes strategies to incubate new companies, grow existing small and medium manufacturers, and attract new foreign companies to the region.

Key components of the regional manufacturing strategy include:

  • Enhancing the region’s nationally recognized training programs to identify and train qualified high school graduates who can fill middle-skill manufacturing jobs through the Multiple Pathways to Middle Skills Jobs Initiative, the NYS Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH), and development of the Finger Lakes Regional Center for Workforce Development;
  • Reinventing the region’s supply chain networks to attract new end users to our locally manufactured components, and to develop linkages locally that take advantage of our strong industrial clusters in precision manufacturing and optics, photonics and imaging;
  • Expanding investments in the region’s world renowned research and innovation programs to foster the creation and growth of early stage companies and promote greater academic-industry partnerships that transform research and innovation into results oriented processes for manufacturing businesses;
  • Revitalizing and enhancing the Eastman Business Park and developing other shovel-ready sites for new and expanding manufacturing businesses;
  • Expanding international trade and foreign investment opportunities by strengthening our global connections through promoting incentives such as the START-UP NY initiative, participating in national and international trade shows, and improving linkages of company marketing and expansion efforts with state resources and global market data;
  • Identifying and leveraging new sources of capital to spur the development of new businesses and the expansion of existing small businesses through creation of a business expansion fund, development of the proposed Finger Lakes Business Accelerator Cooperative, expanding the Finger Lakes Regional Photonics Cluster Industry Lab, and developing an investment fund which promotes the links between the region’s higher education system and industries exploring emerging markets.

What's Next? 

The City of Rochester will be aggressively working with program officials to learn the "next steps," and how our partners can take full advantage of upcoming grant opportunities as they become available.  Details will be shared to the Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes Consortium members as they are provided.  The City will be encouraging partners to work together through strong collaboration as the grant opportunities arise.  IMCP is a time-limited opportunity - at this time, planned to be in place for two years.  We encourage you to start planning now so you are prepared to move expeditiously when the right grant proposal "fit" comes around.  Looking ahead, the City anticipates forming a team consisting of its consortium members, to review grant proposals from each applicant and potentially grading them on the following:

a.  Impact upon the manufacturing base

b.  Financial capability

c.  Readiness to administer the grant

d.  Qualified project team

e.  Return on investment

The federal government is still in the process of rolling out the program details.  We expect to be at the forefront of receiving this information. Complete details will be provided to Consortium members and posted to this page as known.

Additional Information

If you have questions, please call Thad Schofield, 428-7848, or email schofiel@cityofrochester.gov

Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes IMCP Consortium Partners

• University of Rochester
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Monroe Community College
• Finger Lakes Community College
• Genesee Community College
• Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers Enterprise
• Monroe #2-Orleans BOCES
• Orleans - Niagara BOCES
• Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES
• Monroe County
• Genesee County
• Livingston County
• Ontario County
• Orleans County
• Wayne County
• Wyoming County
• Yates County
• Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
• Greater Rochester Enterprise
• Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster
• Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association
• GLOW WIB (Genesee-Livingston-Orleans-Wyoming Counties WIB)
• Finger Lakes WIB (Ontario-Seneca-Wayne-Yates Counties WIB)
• Rochester Works (Monroe County WIB)
• High Tech Rochester
• Kodak’s Eastman Business Park
• Excell Partners, Inc.
• City of Rochester

U.S. Department of Commerce IMCP web site  http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp/