Program will help three area businesses

    FINGER LAKES (Aug. 28, 2012)—Three area companies in the Finger Lakes will receive help to grow their business from the Greater Rochester Enterprise Economic Gardening Program.
    A total of 20 companies were announced, Thursday, Aug. 23. The GRE Economic Gardening Program, a project outlined in the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council’s (FLREDC) Strategic Plan and administered by Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), targets second-stage companies with a goal of further accelerating business growth and job creation. A $200,000 grant awarded by the FLREDC through Empire State Development, along with matching funds from GRE, allows this program to be offered to the selected companies at no charge.
    The three area businesses are: Abtex Corporation (produces application-specific abrasive filament power brushes and systems in Dresden), Premium CoPack (packages and ships snack food products in Dundee) and Hazlitt’s Red Cat Cellars (beverage manufacturer in Naples, but owned by the Hazlitts in Hector).
    A team of national experts provided by the Edward Lowe Foundation will work with leaders from each of the 20 companies to develop a plan to further accelerate their business success.  Participants will have access to a suite of high-end, high-speed technical assistance, including help identifying qualified sales leads; mapping to facilitate targeted marketing efforts; reviewing core strategies related to commodity and niche markets; analyzing employee temperament to build strong management teams and recruit talent; examining social media utilization; and search engine optimization guidance.
    “Approximately 80 percent of our economic growth comes from businesses that are already located here,” said GRE President and CEO Mark S. Peterson. “The GRE Economic Gardening Program is critically important because it helps local businesses expand and add jobs in the Greater Rochester Region.”
    “This initiative will serve as a pilot project that may be replicated by other regions of the state and potentially connect all of New York State’s economic development organizations,” said Danny Wegman, Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. “This is just another example of the Finger Lakes region being innovative and setting a positive example that all can follow. It also supports our region’s strategy to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and business retention and expansion.”