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Congressman Tom Reed announced that Western New York will become home to the nation's first high tech manufacturing hub following the passage of his Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act or "RAMI." This new investment is expected to bring jobs and new industries to the region.

"The passage of RAMI was a tremendous legislative victory for the people of Western New York. Pieces of legislation like this don't often get passed into law, even after 30 years of career legislative service.  This was a great accomplishment and I'm very proud to have sponsored this bill," said Reed.

The new site is a culmination of a multimillion dollar investment from public, private and non-profit entities from around the region including Corning Inc., Alfred University, University of Rochester, and United States Department of Defense.

Although the specific location of the facility has yet to be determined, the investment is expected to be made in the greater Canandaigua area, bringing numerous jobs and other training opportunities with it.

Tom Schryver, Executive Director of Southern Tier Startup Alliance and Center for Regional Economic Advancement at Cornell University said, "The Southern Tier has a long history of both innovation and manufacturing. New technologies are enabling 'reshoring' of manufacturing back to this country, and the presence of R&D leaders such as Corning, Binghamton, Cornell and Alfred position our region to be a future leader in advanced manufacturing. This is why the Southern Tier Startup Alliance has taken on an emphasis on helping entrepreneurs develop companies around new physical products, including new programs funded by the Small Business Administration and Economic Development Administration. I applaud Congressman Reed for writing the law that enables such a significant public investment in the manufacturing capacity of upstate New York."

The investment is aimed at developing and advancing the field of "photonics," which manipulates and studies different frequencies of light waves, which can be used for fiber optics, medical technology and lasers.

"Its investments like these that are going to be replicated around the nation and bring about America's manufacturing resurgence and spur job creation," Reed continued.

Last year, Reed's RAMI legislation was signed into law, cutting across party lines with roughly 100 co-sponsors, and was eventually signed into law by President Obama as part of the "cromnibus" package.

The bill requires the Department of Commerce, and other agencies, to develop high tech manufacturing hubs to encourage innovation and economic development.  The ultimate aim of the law is to create the jobs of the 21st century domestically and revitalize America's manufacturing industry.

"The workforce of Western New York is second to none. With such a rich heritage in the manufacturing, it only makes sense that we bring this first of its kind facility right here," said Reed. "Sites like this one will ensure that we can 'make it here, and sell it there' once again."

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