WWW.RBJ.NET FEBRUARY 16, 2018 High Tech Rochester now Nextcorps

sible to bring downtown Roches- By GINO FANELLI ter back in a way any of you want Amid an influx of major tech without finding a new purpose for undertakings around the city of this building.” Rochester, High Tech Rochester Nextcorps’ work is far from has rebranded itself under a new done. Luminate, a centerpiece title: Nextcorps. for the new face of the compa- It’s a change that makes sense ny, still has another year left in its following a big year for Next- two year funding, and the current corps which saw them drastically residents of the incubator space transforming both their programs have another three and a half and location. In 2017, the com- months left in their stay. The top pany packed up and moved from companies leaving the incubator their former home in Henrietta will walk away with another $2 to a 1 million-square-foot space million total. in the Sibley Building. Then in “We should be excited about January, the 10 startup teams tak- Photo by Gino Fanelli this space,” Mayor Lovely War- en into the Luminate incubator Arovia CEO Alex Wesley with one of the company’s collapsible ren said. “Be excited about what program moved in. The rebrand projection screens. development has done to this old, historic structure. Take a look defines the next step in Roches- a good deal to do with that. In a debt of gratitude to Empire around this place and the invest- ter’s tech future; a step that falls 2016, Slaughter helped secure State Development as well. ESD ment we were able to make out on unfamiliar ground, a differ- an Economic Development Ad- is the architect of of private and public partnerships ent economic landscape and, ul- ministration grant to assist in the Forward, the regional upstate for residents in our community. timately, a different Rochester first phase of the construction of revitalization initiative aimed at Both high-income and low-in- from the days when and Nextcorps’ Finger Lakes Busi- breathing new life into Greater come housing, both businesses led industry in the region. ness Accelerator. The project was Rochester, of which High Tech as well as working with our com- On Feb. 16, leaders from the ultimately awarded $2.5 million Rochester was a recipient. Led lo- munity, providing, this is what Rochester community and New from the EDA. cally by regional director of ESD we’re talking about when we talk York government gathered in the “It is wonderful to be back here Vinnie Esposito, the initiative about changing Rochester, and Sibley Building for Nextcorps’ in Sibley’s, I think the last time I secured $500 million in funding making it a place our children and ribbon-cutting. was here was for breakfast with from Gov. Andrew Cuomo over our community can be proud of.” “Think Peace Corps, or Marine Santa Claus,” Slaughter said. “All the course of five years. The repurposing of the Sib- Corps, or whatever corps you can clothes bought here for prominent “This project, maybe more than ley Building is, by all metrics, think of, but the idea is banding occasions, including weddings, any other in the region that I can a massive undertaking. But offi- together and moving forward to was right here at Sibley’s. I have think of, really hits on your real- cials are confident on the returns, better this community and our re- a feeling that even the Sibley ly important, strategic objectives, that the new face of Nextcorps gion,” said Peter Robinson, who family would be happy to see the as well as the governor’s,” said holds promise for the future of an is vice president of government repurposing of this store, which Howard Zemsky, president and economically vibrant Rochester. and community relations at Uni- has served as an anchor not just CEO of ESD. “We talk about re- “You’ve heard me say it a mil- versity of Rochester and also for Rochester, but all of Monroe vitalization, which is one of the lion times before: if it can’t be chairman of Nextcorps. County…I can think of no bet- four pillars of economic develop- done in Rochester, it can’t be do- The new Sibley Building loca- ter way to repurpose this space ment as we think of it, and here ne,” Slaughter said. tion puts Nextcorps at the heart of and welcome a new generation of we have this wonderful, over gfanelli@bridgetowermedia. a growing economic landscape in state of the art small businesses.” 1 million-square-foot histori- com/(585) 653-4022 downtown Rochester. U.S. Rep. A large chunk of the happen- cal building right in the heart of , D-Fairport, had ings at the Sibley Building owe downtown Rochester. It’s impos-