Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) and Canalside Management Group (CMG) invites the public to its eighth Annual Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting at Canalside from 3 to 10 p.m. on Friday, November 30.  This year’s celebration takes place at The Ice at Canalside presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. The celebration will feature live music, children’s activities, local food vendors, an on-ice skating performance and more. The evening’s highlights are the lighting of the beautiful Canalside holiday tree and a visit from Santa Claus, both courtesy of Manpower Group and Mayer Brothers. “As a Western New Yorker, I know that the best part of Canalside is that it is a year-round destination, with activities for every season,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “The holiday season is indeed a very special time at Canalside, with the ice rink open for skating and winter sports, the holiday artisan market, and the tree glowing bright on our magnificent waterfront. I look forward to another great winter season at Canalside, and I can’t wait to put on the skates and try out the ice.” ​ “The holidays are a time when Canalside truly shines,” said ECHDC Chairman Robert Gioia. “On behalf of Governor Cuomo, I invite visitors from near and far to enjoy all our waterfront has to offer during the beautiful winter season.” “Holiday fun for the whole family is a fast-growing tradition at Canalside,” said Rich Entertainment President Jon Dandes.  “The waterfront comes alive with activity each winter as skaters circle the ice, music fills the air and thousands of lights create a winter wonderland in the heart of Buffalo.” Santa Claus will arrive at the corner of Marine Drive and Main Street at approximately 6 p.m. to light the tree and will stay on site for visits with good little boys and girls until 9 p.m.  The 45-foot Canalside Holiday Tree will be lit at approximately 6:30 p.m.  It will be decorated with more than 6,000 lights along with gold, silver, white and blue ornaments.  The tree will be surrounded by a festive holiday landscape that will create a picture-perfect setting for skaters and others looking to enjoy the season.  A variety of food and beverages will also be available for purchase from local food vendors. "Skating at Canalside has become a beloved winter tradition here in Western New York," said Julie R. Snyder, Vice President, Corporate Relations, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. "We are thrilled to welcome our community back to the Ice as we kick-off our fifth season as the official health plan of the Ice at Canalside." Open ice skating will be available until 10 p.m.  The cost is $6 for ages 13 plus, $4 for ages 6-12 and free for 5 and under.  Skate rental is $4.  Ice Bumper Cars can be rented for $7 for 7 minutes. Those who bring a new winter clothing item for the Buffalo City Mission will receive a $1 discount on skate admission. More information on the schedule of events, parking and updates can be found at http://www.canalsidebuffalo.com.  Visitors are encouraged to take the NFTA Metro Rail to the Erie Canal Harbor Station stop. Parking is also available in adjacent parking ramps and lots surrounding Canalside and the KeyBank Center. The Ice, created under the leadership of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, provides visitors with a skating surface that is bigger than two NHL rinks, with three unique bridges, and more than 20,000 square feet of pedestrian towpaths.  This season winter visitors once again be able to enjoy curling, ice bikes and other winter activities. Ice at Canalside Hours of Operation for 2018-2019 season: 3 to 7 p.m.: Wednesday/Thursday 3 to 10 p.m.: Friday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Sunday Rates for the 2018-2019 season: Ice Admission, Adult (13+) - $6.00 Ice Admission, Child (6-12) - $4.00 BCBS Ice Admission - $5.00 Skate Rental - $4.00 Season Pass, Single - $59.00* Season Pass, Family of 4 - $139.00* Curling - $10-$15 per person – depending on time   *BlueCross BlueShield members can receive $1 off admission and skate rentals by showing their insurance card.   **Please note hours may change during school breaks and on holidays, as well as during inclement weather.  Visit Canalside’s website or facebook and twitter accounts for the most up-to-date hours.** About Canalside Canalside is a growing regional destination and entertainment district, situated on 21 historic acres along downtown Buffalo’s emerging waterfront on the Buffalo River. Canalside earns its name from its storied past when the Erie Canal Harbor was built in 1825 as the western terminus of the Erie Canal. Until ten years ago, the land was barren and inaccessible, but the area has been reclaimed by the state’s Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and developed with millions of dollars in public and private investment. With more than 1,000 yearly events and nearly 1.5 million annual visitors, Canalside is fast becoming the go-to place for in- and out-of-towners of all ages to learn, play and relax. Contact: Pamm Lent (Governor’s Office) | pamm.lent@esd.ny.gov | (716) 846-8309  Erin Marra (Canalside) | erin@canalsidebuffalo.com | (716) 807-8090

A portable electric vehicle charging unit that can be delivered on demand via Uber, Lyft or AAA. A smart insole that can monitor the foot’s physiology for early ulcer detection and preventative care for diabetics. A tabletop greenhouse for the sustainable foodie. Mobile technology to help people with autism or cognitive special needs to learn life skills for greater inclusion and independence. A mobile test for fast, accurate nutrition deficiency.  These are just some of the devices and products that emerged as winners in two New York State competitions this fall – 43North and the FuzeHub Commercialization Competition—which highlight entrepreneurship and innovation in New York State and are among a host of competitions statewide across industries and regions. 

Tech, innovation and advanced manufacturing are coming to New York State and growing here, thanks to a deep and diverse talent pool and to a statewide, strategic approach to economic development that is building the innovation economy and creating jobs all around the state.  From Amazon and Bausch and Lomb to Datto and Velan Studios, this fall’s company announcements are a mix of national and global companies growing in New York and New York-grown companies expanding both at home and beyond.    Amazon’s NYC HQ Home: Amazon announced earlier this month that it has chosen Long Island City, Queens, as the site for a new corporate headquarters. The headquarters will create 25,000 good-paying jobs–with an average annual salary of more than $150,000–over the next decade, with potential growth of up to 40,000 jobs over the next 15 years. The project, the largest economic development project in NYS history, is projected to deliver $186 billion in economic impact over the next 25 years and includes plans for onsite workforce training, publicly accessible waterfront space and infrastructure improvements as well as a new school. An environmental review, planning, design and approvals process will include public meetings and a Community Advisory Committee advisory body to the project.Bausch + Lomb Expanding in Rochester:  The global eye health company plans to grow its contact lens manufacturing business in Rochester and the addition of production lines that support manufacturing of the company’s disposable silicone hydrogel daily wear contact lenses. This month’s announcement noted that the company, which currently employs more than 1,000 people at its North Goodman site, is expected to begin expansion of that facility later this year. The growth of the Rochester site will create 100 new jobs. Applied Materials and NYS Advancing R&D: Applied Materials, a leader in materials engineering, is partnering with New York State to establish the Materials Engineering Technology Accelerator (META Center)—an advanced R&D facility for high-tech research and further growing the Capital Region as a global materials engineering research hub. ESD and the State University of New York (SUNY) announced the public-private partnership earlier this month. ESD will provide a five-year, $250 million capital grant for the SUNY Research Foundation to purchase and install tools at the facility, on the SUNY Polytechnic Institute campus in Albany. The partnership is an inaugural project for the recently announced New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology Engineering and Science (NY CREATES).  Applied Materials will pay more than $100 million in leases to develop the facility, part of their $600 million investment in the campus. Applied’s venture capital arm will also co-invest $20 million with partners to support early-stage businesses in Upstate New York.   IDEX Health & Science Optical Center of Excellence: The Finger Lakes region’s growth as an optics, photonics and imaging hub is building with this month’s opening of IDEX Health & Science’s new Optical Center of Excellence in Henrietta, which will support the company’s life science, semiconductor and defense businesses. The company made the decision to grow in the Finger Lakes rather than move out of the area, meaning retention of 186 jobs and creation of at least 34 new full-time jobs.  IDEX Health & Science installed high-tech machinery, clean room space and equipment at the new 100,000-square-foot-site as part of its expansion project.

Optics, Photonics, and Imaging Innovation is Centerpiece of “Finger Lakes Forward” – The Region’s Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy The New York State Photonics Board of Officers (NYS Photonics Board) met today at the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics’ (AIM Photonics) Test, Assembly, and Packaging (TAP) Facility in Rochester, NY, located at On Semiconductor at Eastman Business Park. The state-of-the-art facility is now occupied. Staff have been operating at the newly renovated facility since August and work preparing the cleanrooms for tool deployment has been completed, with installation of the TAP facility’s advanced toolset already underway. AIM Photonics officials today also updated the board on the consortium’s recent annual membership meeting and on its customer pipeline. Currently the organization has more than 100 total members; potential customers now include companies that range from startups to those which are large and established. Some of these companies will begin working with AIM Photonics to utilize the TAP facility as soon as December 2018. AIM Photonics officials today also provided a guided tour of the innovative space to see the progress underway. New York State Photonics Board of Officers Chairman John Maggiore said, “The innovative AIM Photonics TAP Facility builds upon Rochester’s leadership in the optics, photonics, and imaging industries, which are central to the success of the locally designed Finger Lakes Forward economic development plan. The Photonics Attraction Fund will also serve to further support the economic momentum that is building regional momentum.” The Empire State Development Board of Directors recently approved $30 million in operating expenses for the consortiums’ continuing operating budget for years three through five. The funding had been previously approved by the NYS Photonics Board of Directors in March of 2018, bringing the total approved New York State funding for the project to $247 million of the committed $250 million, which also includes funding for the $30 million Photonics Attraction Fund as outlined by Governor Cuomo in January of 2018. The fund is being administered by the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council and is aimed at attracting integrated photonics companies to set up manufacturing operations in the greater Rochester area. Thanks to the world-renowned AIM Photonics consortium, the Finger Lakes is already a leader in photonics research and development, and this additional State funding will help leverage this unique asset to bring the businesses and the jobs of tomorrow to New York State. Find out more about the Photonics Attraction Fund at a newly created website located at https://esd.ny.gov/photonics-attraction-fund. The budget for the overall AIM Photonics initiative includes federal government award of $110 million, with the State of New York and other parties, including private sector companies, providing additional funds. Overall, the capital budget also includes $15 million for education and workforce development efforts, as well as research and development initiatives conducted in conjunction with the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology. First announced by Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Cuomo in July 2015, AIM Photonics will help secure the nation and region’s leadership in emerging technology research, development, and manufacturing.  Optics, photonics, and imaging is one of the three industry clusters that are identified as industries that are key to enabling "Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s successful Upstate Revitalization Initiative plan, a comprehensive strategy to grow the economy. One of 14 Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, with three of the fourteen institutes headquartered in New York State, AIM Photonics is an industry-driven public-private partnership that focuses the nation’s premiere capabilities and expertise to capture critical global manufacturing leadership in technologies that are both essential to national security and positioned to provide a compelling return-on-investment to the U.S. economy. For more information about AIM Photonics, visit http://www.aimphotonics.com/jobs/. About the New York State Photonics Board of Officers The New York State Photonics Board of Officers coordinates New York State’s significant financial investments with AIM. The board of officers consists of seven members who represent a wide array of business, programmatic, and technical expertise. The Governor of New York State appoints the Chairman and two additional members; SUNY Polytechnic Institute appoints two members; and the Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester each appoint one member. The Photonics Institute Board of Officers is comprised of: John Maggiore, Chair, Governor appointee; Anne Kress, Governor appointee; Bob Megna, Governor appointee; Bahgat Sammakia, SUNY Poly appointee; Jeff Cheek, SUNY Poly appointee; Ryne Raffaele, Rochester Institute of Technology appointee; and Rob Clark, University of Rochester appointee. Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward  Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $6.1 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Rochester, Batavia, and Canandaigua as a destination to grow and invest in. Now, the region is accelerating Finger Lakes Forward with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State’s $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion – and the region’s plan, as submitted, projects up to 8,200 new jobs. More information is available here. ​     Contact: Shari Voorhees-Vincent (ESD) | Shari.Voorhees-Vincent@esd.ny.gov | (585) 399-7055 ESD Press Office | PressOffice@esd.ny.gov | (800) 260-7313