BATAVIA, NY – Following a record-setting year of projects, Site Selection Magazine has ranked Batavia and Genesee County as the fifth most active micropolitan in the United States for business growth. Batavia and Genesee County continue to be recognized for financial investment and job commitments and economic impact at the region’s various shovel-ready sites.

Site Selection Magazine noted that the GCEDC assisted many businesses who made significant financial investments at its shovel ready sites across the county in 2021, including the Gateway II Corporate Park, Apple Tree Acres Business Park, Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, Buffalo East Tech Park and Western New York Science & Technology Advance Manufacturing Park (STAMP).

Among the projects sited by Site Selection Magazine were Plug Power’s $232 million financial investment at STAMP. Plug Power has commenced construction at the 1,250-acre mega site on North America’s largest green hydrogen project. The project is targeting to create 68 new jobs and will generate the largest contributions toward local municipalities and infrastructure of any commercial-industrial project in Genesee County.

"The Site Selection Governor's Cup Rankings once again confirm that Genesee County continues to build a strong and diverse economy,” said GCEDC Board Chairman Pete Zeliff. “I am proud of the work of our board and hard-working staff at the GCEDC to be once again recognized by Site Selection Magazine."

“Genesee County continues to demonstrate that our community is a great place to work, live and recreate through the significant financial investments being made by the private sector,” said Genesee County Chair Shelley Stein.

Projects assisted by the GCEDC in 2021 resulted in $343.5 million in financial investment and 171 new jobs being pledged. These projects are estimated to result in an economic impact of $645 million in Genesee County.

“Site selection professionals are increasingly seeing the Buffalo-Rochester Tech Corridor's talent, low-cost 100% renewable electricity, and sites like STAMP as a competitive combination of assets,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde.  “The efforts by Governor Hochul and the New York State Senate and Assembly to commit funding to making sites like STAMP even more shovel-ready will make us even more competitive both nationally and internationally.”

This is the seventeenth consecutive year that Batavia and Genesee County have been recognized as the top micropolitan for business growth in the northeast U.S., and as a top 5 micropolitan in the U.S for the 11th time since 2005.