ORAFOL Precision Technology Center Expands, Doubling Footprint in Greater Rochester, N.Y. RegionThe ORAFOL Precision Technology Center (OPTC) recently celebrated the grand opening of its expanded facility, increasing the footprint at the company’s Park Centre Drive location from 28,000 square feet to 76,000 square feet. The center is a wholly owned subsidiary of ORAFOL Europe GmbH, a German company that produces a wide range of refl ective and specialty optical products. ORAFOL acquired the Precision Technology Center in 2011 when it purchased Refl exite Corporation.

“When ORAFOL purchased Refl exite, there was an immediate need to increase our capacity to produce precision tooling,” said Bryan Parks, President of ORAFOL Precision Technology Center. “With ORAFOL’s worldwide presence, the decision to expand this facility is a testament to the expertise and excellence of our local workforce.”

Dr. Michael Foley, CEO of ORAFOL-owned Refl exite Energy Solutions, agreed.

“Rochester is second to none when it comes to optics and precision manufacturing infrastructure,” he said. “When it came time for Refl exite to expand our tool-making capabilities, the choice to build more facilities here in Rochester seemed quite obvious.”

The Precision Technology Center produces specialty tooling used in the manufacture of microstructured optical fi lms and plastic lenses. The 48,000-square-foot addition will house new machinery and specialized processes to make the tooling used to manufacture specialized microstructures that have a wide variety of uses, including refl ective tape, concentrator lenses used to produce electricity from sunlight, lighting diffusers and brightness fi lms.

“The team at OPTC has a great deal of trade knowledge built up with a high amount of seniority and tenure amongst the workforce,” said Dr. Holger Loclair, CEO of ORAFOL. “We are willing to invest here because we have confi dence in the team and we see a bright future for the ORAFOL group, with continued and growing

demand for their products.”

“The optics industry is one of the economic cornerstones for the Rochester area,” said New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy. “ORAFOL’s expansion will build upon the region’s capacity to be a leader in producing high-tech, quality products that are sold worldwide.”

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READ MORE ABOUT20 Companies Selected for New York State’s First Economic Gardening Program

READ MORE ABOUTInternational Games Innovation Conference 2012 held in Rochester, N.Y.

READ MORE ABOUTLiDestri Foods, Inc. Continues to Expand in Rochester Region

www.orafol.com

Left to right: Bryan Parks, President of ORAFOL Precision Technology Center; Dr. Michael Foley, CEO of Relexite

Energy Solutions; Dr. Holger Loclair, CEO of ORAFOL; and Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy.

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20 Companies Selected for New York State’s First Economic Gardening Program

In mid-September, Rochester, N.Y., hosted the IEEE International Games Innovation Conference 2012. In past years, the conference has been held in London and Hong Kong, and it is scheduled for Vancouver next year.

The conference, which took place at The Strong and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), attracted more than 300 industry leaders, including Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the Xbox and president of Innovative Leisure. Presentations about innovative research and the latest game technologies were given, and attendees received tours of RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media and The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, which includes the world’s largest collection of video games–more than 37,000.

“Hosting this conference shows Rochester is on the world map when it comes to the video game industry,” RIT Associate Professor of Interactive Games and Media Stephen Jacobs said. “The next step is to grow the successful companies we have here, like Second Avenue Learning, and create more companies that can benefi t from our talented workforce.”

RIT’s Interactive Games and Media is one of the top two graduate and top six undergraduate programs in the country, according to The Princeton Review.

Second Avenue Learning has developed an Electoral College app and is working with the National Science Foundation on the development of a four-year game for middle school science students.

After an overwhelming response, 20 companies representing all nine counties of the Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region have been selected to participate in New York State’s fi rst-ever economic gardening program. The GRE Economic Gardening Program, a transformational project outlined in the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council’s Strategic Plan and administered by Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), targets second-stage companies with a goal of further accelerating business growth and job creation.

“This initiative will serve as a pilot project that may be replicated by other regions of the state and potentially connect all of New York State’s economic development organizations,” said Danny Wegman, Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. “This is just another example of the Finger Lakes region being innovative and setting a positive example that all can follow. It also supports our region’s strategy to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and business retention and expansion.”

A team of national experts provided by the Edward Lowe Foundation will work with leaders from each of the 20 companies to develop a plan to further accelerate their business success. Participants will have access to a suite of high-end, high-speed technical assistance, including help identifying qualifi ed sales leads, mapping to facilitate targeted marketing efforts, reviewing core strategies related to commodity and niche markets, analyzing employee temperament to build strong management teams and recruit talent, examining social media utilization, and search engine optimization guidance.

A $200,000 grant awarded by the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council through Empire State Development, along with matching funds from GRE, allows this program to be offered to the selected companies at no charge.

Program partners include the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency, County of Orleans Industrial Development Agency, Edward Lowe Foundation, Empire State Development, Finger Lakes Economic Development Center, Genesee County Economic Development Center, Livingston County Development Group, Ontario County Industrial Development Agency, Orleans Economic Development Agency, Seneca County Industrial Development Agency, Wayne County Industrial Development Agency, Wyoming County Business Center and the Wyoming County Industrial Development Agency.

The following companies were selected for the GRE Economic Gardening Program:• Abtex Corporation • Applied Energy Solutions • Corrosion Products & Equipment, Inc. • CY Plastics • Danaren Dental Laboratory• eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. • Envative • Finger Lakes Technologies Group, Inc. • Framing Technology, Inc. • GS Plastic Optics/TEL-TRU

Manufacturing Co. • Hazlitt’s Red Cat Cellars • Legendary Auto Interiors, Ltd. • Once Again Nut Butter• OrCon Industries • PharmaSmart International, Inc. • R.S. Maher & Son Inc. • Savage IO • Sustainable Energy Developments, Inc. • Upstate Door, Inc. • Virtual Polymer Compounds, LLC

The conference, which took place at The Strong and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), attracted more than

“Hosting this conference shows Rochester is on the world map when it comes to the video game industry,”

20 Companies Selected for New York State’s First Economic Gardening Program

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEThe Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region is consistently recognized among the most innovative regions in the country, due to the caliber of our workforce, as well as the patents issued per worker. Earlier this year, The Brookings

Institution ranked our region as one of the most innovation-intensive metro areas in the country along with Boston, Minneapolis, San Diego and San Jose. Rochester was also noted by The Atlantic as one of the 35 innovation hubs in the United States, recognizing the number of new start-ups, volume of accepted patents and number of entrepreneurs per million residents.

From the advent of photography to the lens used in the Mars Rover mission, many transformative inventions were developed here. Our region’s economy is not limited to one or two sectors but rather includes many industries, from higher education and health care to food and beverage manufacturing. The infl uence of Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch + Lomb, combined with the Greater Rochester Region’s 18 colleges and universities, laid a strong foundation for a rich ecosystem of knowledge creation. These innovations have helped Rochester lead Upstate New York in private-sector job growth since the recession offi cially ended in 2009, regaining 98 percent of jobs lost.

We also have a long history of collaboration on health care planning. Rochester’s health care costs are among the lowest in the country. Our commercial insurance costs are 30 percent below the national average, according to a 2010 Milliman survey, an apples-to-apples comparison of what identical benefi ts cost in different markets nationwide. A Dartmouth Atlas study shows Medicare spending in the Rochester market is 21 percent below the national average. And the percentage of people in our region who don’t have access to health care is far lower than either the state or national averages. A report about Rochester’s health value is available at RochesterBiz.com/Living/Quality.

We believe our high-quality health care, long history of innovation and talented workforce set the Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region apart from other regions around the country.

LiDestri Foods, Inc. Continues to GrowIn July, LiDestri Foods, Inc., a premier food and beverage manufacturer headquartered in Fairport, N.Y., continued its expansion at Eastman Business Park (EBP) with the purchase of an additional 400,000-square-foot facility. This facility will be used to expand LiDestri’s warehousing footprint at EBP, allowing for a larger manufacturing footprint at the site.

In October 2009, with the support of both state and local agencies, LiDestri launched a major Rochester expansion project with the purchase of the former Kodak Building 642 (625,000 square feet) and relocated its Dundee, N.Y., and Pennsauken, N.J., operations to EBP. In 30 months, LiDestri transformed this vacant facility into a world-class spirits and sauce manufacturing plant. Additionally, LiDestri’s full-time employment in Monroe County grew from 425 to more than 675, exceeding LiDestri’s own estimates.

“LiDestri Foods has contributed greatly to our quality of life as they continue to create jobs and invest in our local economy,” said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. “Their $11 million investment will certainly bolster Monroe County’s reputation as a place where locally owned businesses can grow and succeed despite challenging times. I thank LiDetsri Foods for their dedication to our community, and to the residents of Monroe County.”

“Although the vast majority of investment came from LiDestri Foods, the support we received from state and local agencies was a critical factor in our decision to expand manufacturing at the Eastman Business Park,” said Giovanni LiDestri, President and CEO of LiDestri Foods. “What started as an $11 million investment has quickly grown to over $60 million, and over 1 million square feet of facility space at the EBP. I’m so grateful for our employees, as none of this would be possible without them.”

With the food and beverage industry segment in the Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region continuing to grow, LiDestri Foods is currently investigating additional expansion opportunities in Eastman Business Park.

Mark S. PetersonPresident & CEOGreater Rochester Enterprise

Best Regards,

“ They promised we would get all permissions within weeks. We couldn’t believe it.”

– Stefan Müller, Board Member, Theo Müller Group

Muller Quaker Dairy, a joint venture of PepsiCo and Theo Müller, will

invest more than $200 million in a new yogurt manufacturing facility in

the Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region.

Greater Rochester Enterprise Foundation, Inc.100 Chestnut StreetOne HSBC Plaza, Suite 1910Rochester, NY 14604

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CONTACT US

The Greater Rochester Enterprise team is here to help you grow your business in the Rochester, N.Y. Region. Call us at 585-530-6200 or email us at Info@RochesterBiz.com.

• Fast Company names Rochester one of “10 Underrated Hotbeds of American Innovation”

• Business Facilities ranked Genesee County one of the top fi ve regions for Metro Food Processing Industry Growth

• Kiplinger names Rochester the “Fifth Best Place for Families”

• The Brookings Institution reports Rochester is one of the most innovation-intensive metro areas in the country, joining Boston, Minneapolis, San Diego and San Jose

National Media Gives Rochester Top Marks

Rochester, N.Y., Named One of the Safest Weather Cities in the U.S.Hurricanes! Tornadoes! Flooding! While other parts of the country have grappled with these weather challenges and more, the Greater Rochester, N.Y. Region has remained stable. The Weather Channel named Rochester, N.Y., one of the safest weather cities in the U.S. after examining a number of climate-related statistics, including snow, lightning, fl ooding, tornadoes and tropical cyclones. This stability has proven to be an attractive quality to businesses that cannot afford to shut down due to Mother Nature.