GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 2

Project Need (problem)

Upstate New York has a rich tradition of manufacturing and innovation dating back over 150 years ago with founding of companies such as global powerhouses General Electric and IBM. However, over the past 20-30 years the traditionally robust manufacturing company base of upstate New York has been reduced to just a few as these industries have become globally mature and increased competition and substantially reduced production costs from overseas countries have forced industries out of upstate New York.

In the wake of massive job layoffs, corporate closures, population decreases and manufacturing relocations, leaders across government, academia and the private sector recognized in the early 1990s that the upstate economy needed a paradigm shift towards leading edge high value added technology industries that would transform and drive the economic resurgence for the next 30-40 years. Consequently, studies performed identified 5 key industries as viable next generation opportunities for upstate New York based upon existing infrastructure and asset base: Advanced Materials, Bio/Life Sciences, Energy, Information Technology and Nanotechnology/Semiconductors.

The Region was branded “Tech Valley” and initiatives to attract investment, prepare our communities, and grow our economic vitality began at every level. Based upon the Region’s growing asset matrix in the Nanotech/Semiconductor industry and in order to affect positive long-term economic growth for the Region, the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), and our economic development partners, initiated a global outreach program that has since been branded “NY Loves Nanotech”.

Upstate NY needed a proactive, robust and collaborative marketing and outreach campaign to communicate a compelling message to the industry that New York, particularly Upstate, has emerged as one of the nanotech/semiconductor centers of the world. Additionally, the communication/education component was necessary to reverse an unfavorable view of New York as a home for expansion and investment opportunities. CEG’s “NY Loves Nanotech” initiative filled this void.

Project Solution

Recognizing the need to transform the regional economy, the CEG initiated efforts on multiple levels to create an “enabled” environment capable of supporting investment and innovation in the nanotechnology/semiconductor sector, punctuated by the global marketing campaign “NY Loves Nanotech”. Through a model of regional collaboration the CEG and our many partners developed an aggressive multi-year global industry attraction campaign which includes tradeshow participation, targeted industry specific marketing collateral, prospect generation, sales calls and special events. In addition to regional and state wide education/communication programs, designed to heighten local and statewide awareness and support, the initiative’s principal objective is to demonstrate to the global nanotech/semiconductor community that New York, particularly Upstate, has emerged as a nanotechnology powerhouse capable of supporting innovation, manufacturing and investment.

The initiative, dating back over 12 years, has generated a database of over 15,000 industry contacts, produced a global symposium for 5 years, yielded over 100 prospect discussions, initiated over 30 targeted visits to Tech Valley and made over 300 sales calls (the first sales call ever made was to at the time Advanced Micro Devices…now GLOBALFOUNDRIES). With significant long-term funding from National Grid, our aggressive global outreach and industry attraction campaign continues today to enhance the competitiveness of New York’s Tech Valley by providing a global audience with a better understanding of the area’s capabilities and existing resources.  Since GLOBALFOUNDRIES announced their intentions for New York State, the CEG has worked closely with senior management to ensure their smooth transition towards success on the global stage.

Whether it is through the efforts to recruit the industry “supply chain”, collaborating on workforce development programs or leading community forums and educational sessions, the CEG is proactively advancing its agenda of transformational economic development for Tech Valley.