If you are exploring where to locate your distribution/warehouse facility, we know that factors such as transportation costs, an ample supply of qualified workers, low utility rates, and access to large markets are all keys to being successful and operating efficiently. Below you will find that there are a number of economic incentives to operate a distribution/warehouse facility in Genesee County.
- Genesee County at a Glance
- Apple Tree Acres Corporate Park
- Gateway II Corporate Park
- Pembroke Commerce Park
There are numerous incentives available to businesses looking to locate or expand operations in Genesee County.
Local Incentives:
Financial Assistance/Capital Formation
- Empire Zone
- Tax Abatements/Exemptions
- Sale Lease Back Agreement
- Low Cost Financing(Revolving Loan Fund, Bonds, Grants)
State and Federal Incentives:
To find out more information on financial assistance programs and opportunities, please visit the Product Portfolio and Support Services section.
Significant Savings Potential: In addition to the aggressive financial incentives highlighted above, your company can experience additional significant cost savings including:
- Lower distribution/transportation costs: The NYS Thruway (I-90), which bisects the county, is the heaviest traveled expressway in the State, providing easy access for growing and expanding businesses. With three interchanges in Genesee County, the average driving distance to the I-90 from any of our corporate parks is less than 1 mile, presenting huge distribution and transportation savings potential for companies.
- Low Cost Electricity: Certain GCEDC parks are located where companies can receive some of the lowest cost electric rates in the country! These rates are as low as 2.5 cents/Kwh versus the Northeast average of 15 cents/Kwh.
Genesee County has an abundance of low cost, highly skilled labor within easy commuting distance.
Low cost labor pool: Labor costs are on average 20% lower than regional averages, making operating a business in Genesee County more cost effective than the surrounding counties.
Abundant, well-educated workforce An abundance of highly skilled and educated workforce gives our companies the ability to keep pace with ever increasing technological demands. Over 30 colleges and universities (including Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, and University of Buffalo) educate and enhance the skills of an excess of 200,000 students across the region, ensuring a continuous supply of qualified labor.
- 84.4% of population ages 25 and higher have high school degrees or higher
- 28.3% of population ages 25 and higher have college degrees
- 2.2 million person workforce within a 60 mile radius of GC
- Genesee County is home to Genesee Community College (GCC), which is experiencing strong growth and currently maintains an enrollment of more than 5,000 full-time and part-time students.
Workforce Development Services With the changing demands of the market, it is necessary for all employees to receive the skills training needed to keep up and carry the business into the future. Genesee County offers a multitude of organizations dedicated to equipping your workforce with the training that they need to succeed.
See the Workforce Development section for more information on other support services offered for employee training.
The GCEDC partners with organizations that are dedicated to providing the support that your business needs in order to succeed. Whether it is employee recruitment, employee skills training, conference facilities, financial assistance or general consulting that your business needs, Genesee County houses an organization that can help.
To find out the organizations in Genesee County that provide support services, please see the Support Services section.
Other Benefits:
Location - Centrally Located, Short Distance & Travel Times to Major Economic Hubs:
- Genesee County is located in the heart of a population of 2.2 million people midway between the Buffalo and Rochester Metro regions
- NYS ranks 3rd in 2001 "Top states for new and expanded facilities" by Site Selection Magazine
- Over 9 million people are located within a 2 hour drive of Genesee County, including the Canadian border less than an hours drive away, making Genesee County a prime location for Canadian businesses seeking a US location or US businesses seeking easy access to the Southern Ontario market.
- Ample supply of land in our Corporate Parks that offer Empire Zone Benefits for new or expanding facilities.
- With 6 corporate parks strategically located along the County's Expressway and Interchange exits of the NYS Thruway (I-90) and I-490 - an excellent supply of shovel-ready, fully infrastructured building sites are available to businesses interested in new construction and easy transportation/commuting patterns.
- Maximum 30 minute drive time to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (one of the lower cost airports in the Northeastern USA) and the Rochester International Airport.
- The Genesee County Airport is a full service airport facility with a recently extended runway measuring 5,500 ft. capable of handling most business jet aircrafts.
Easily Accessible International and Large National Markets
- According to the Buffalo/Niagara Enterprise, WNY is responsible for 18.5% of the trade between US and Canada with $61B in trade going through customs and freight forwarders annually.
- 70% of the Canadian manufacturing firms in the Greater Toronto area are within a days drive.
- The GCEDC has partners that can help your business secure the necessary licenses, permits, and documents needed to trade between the US and Canada.
- 2 major international airports within a 30-minute drive (Buffalo Niagara International and Rochester International) make traveling internationally convenient.
- Less than a 6 hour drive to reach 9M consumers in New York City.
| City | Miles |
|---|---|
| Buffalo | 35 |
| Rochester | 35 |
| Albany | 250 |
| NYC | 330 |
| Boston | 410 |
| Ottawa | 325 |
| Philadelphia | 380 |
| Chicago | 500 |
| Pittsburgh | 225 |
| Cleveland | 220 |
| Quebec | 551 |
| Detroit | 270 |
| Hamilton | 110 |
| Baltimore | 350 |
| Montreal | 370 |
| Toronto | 135 |
Industry Leader - Agriculture and Emerging Industry Markets
- Genesee County is the New York leader in terms of production agriculture output with an annual average of $124.9M worth of agricultural products sold.
- Leading research institutions in the Upstate NY triangle of Buffalo (University of Buffalo), Rochester (University of Rochester), and Ithaca (Cornell University) invest $450M annually in Bio-Medical research which will offer Genesee County, with its prime location and workforce, the opportunity to participate in the commercialization of Bio-Medical firms.
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