The lake resort town of Canandaigua, New York is expected to emerge as one of New York's Centers of Excellence in fiber optics and MEMs technology.  In addition, the

New York State, Ontario County, private companies, institutions of higher learning and others plan to work together to create business synergy.  Canandaigua's Infotonics will be a leader in investigating, helping to secure funding and participating in manufacture of innovative products.

Ontario County will be the home for two of New York's Centers of Excellence.  

In preparing a report for the Ontario County Office of Economic Development, Peter Fairweather, of "Fairweather Consulting, noted that the presence of these new research and development centers in Ontario County will require new approaches to economic development, which he has identified."  (See http://www.ontariocountydev.org/ontario/publish/Mike_s_Message_10_03.shtml)

"According to Fairweather, the update of the economic development strategy comes down to one question: "What must Ontario County do to harvest the new opportunities so that industries stay and grow in Ontario County, rather than drifting to existing high-tech locations elsewhere." It is a question he addresses through a five-step process: 

(1) a review of conditions that are benchmarked against other technology-led centers, 

(2) an assessment of the County and its economic development efforts, 

(3) the recommendation of a strategic position for the County to take in competing in this new arena, including the industries it should target for attraction, retention and expansion, 

(4) identification of the programmatic elements that should be involved in that response, 

(5) options for structuring the County's ED programs."

http://www.ontariocountydev.org/ontario/uploads/ontario_county_map.jpg

Beyond the County, the State of New York must strive to create 100,000 new jobs in Western New York in order to fuel the economic development engine.  While many large corporations are considering new directions for the future, small corporations are not in a position to make up for the jobs lost by the regional powerhouses.  Government and business support agencies are meeting to address the issue of new jobs creation and incentives for growth.

Metropolitan Rochester, New York has the third highest percentage of broadband users in America.  While the Time Warner service is a clear leader, other cable companies, DSL providers, and other ISPs allow for a significant market penetration.  Service offerings from Time Warner and Frontier (the area Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) have been available since the late 1990s.