CommunityLink

Geneva, NY

Business & Industry

With a population of roughly 17,000 people, the Geneva area is a surprisingly dynamic center of business and industry. Rob Gladden, president and CEO of the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, aptly states, “Economic activity is amazing given the small base [here].” And it keeps getting better.

Geneva is home to major employers like Finger Lakes Health, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station. International corporations include Guardian Industries, Zotos International, CCN International and others. Its proximity to major transportation routes, such as NYS Thruway Interstate 90, NYS Routes 5 and 20, Route 14, and Route 96, gives manufacturers and distributors access to points around the state, country and world.

Tourism has always been a vital part of the economic picture here. In particular, the wine industry is growing. Visitors and residents can enjoy wine trails, tours and tastings. In Geneva, the tourist season is almost year-round. Geneva’s natural gifts — the lake and the waters of the Erie Canal — foster boating and water sports. Tourist-based business — hotels, resort-like hotels, restaurants and shops — continue to bloom and thrive across the region.

The City of Geneva’s Department of Planning and Economic Development plays a proactive role in attracting and retaining businesses in the Geneva area. According to the City of Geneva’s Web site, www.geneva.ny.us, the Department of Planning and Economic Development “is responsible for ensuring coordinated and comprehensive planning and development services throughout the City of Geneva. The Department provides assistance to new and existing businesses through a variety of state, federal and local assistance and grant programs, and administers the NYS Empire Zones Program, which offers a wide array of incentives for business development. The Department also solicits and administers grants from the State and Federal government for infrastructure improvements and other economic and community development programs. The Department also takes the lead in active recruitment and retention of businesses in order to expand the job base and quality of life for Genevans.”

Valerie Bassett, director of planning and economic development, says that they actively recruit and retain by staying in close contact with Geneva businesses. “We try to come up with programs or packages to help businesses stay here,” Bassett explains. “We dedicate a staff member to a project and meet with the [company’s] principals on a regular basis to keep the project on track — whatever it takes to keep a project moving on track, and on schedule.”

Is it working? Bassett certainly thinks so. “I believe people are satisfied with our services,” she says. “We take a project and see it through to completion. We like to work closely with the businesses, with the BID and with the Chamber.”

Another benefit for area businesses is the Cornell Agriculture & Food Technology Park (CAFTP). Its mission is two-fold: “To serve as a financially self-sustaining entity to foster the creation, retention, and expansion of agriculture, food, and bio-based research enterprises for the benefit of state and local economies, and to strengthen the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station by fostering partnerships between the Experiment Station and firms seeking commercial applications of research discoveries related to agriculture, food, and bio-based technologies.” CAFTP is affiliated with Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.

Ground was broken for the Cornell Agriculture & Food Technology Park in April 2004, and at full build-out, the facility is expected to generate 1,000 new jobs in the next 10 to 15 years.

“CAFTP is an exciting economic development initiative led by Cornell University, the City of Geneva and Ontario County,” explains Dan Fessenden, executive director of CAFTP. “The Park is attracting to Geneva a broad range of enterprises ranging from startup and emerging companies to large, multi-national organizations, each seeking to take advantage of Cornell’s world-class agricultural-, food- and life-science-based research.”

In the early stages of development, the park has already provided business opportunities for many regional construction firms. In the years ahead, the park’s development will create new opportunities for many other businesses that seek to support the research and development work carried out by firms in the park.

With such beneficial programs and services available in Geneva, it’s no wonder the future of business in Geneva looks brighter and brighter each year.