Rochester is getting a federal designation that local officials say could lead to more manufacturing jobs in this region.
Rochester has been named by the federal government as one of the first dozen cities to be designated a "manufacturing community" for the new Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership Program.
The program is an initiative to spur communities to develop long-term development strategies that strengthen their competitive edge in attracting manufacturing companies and jobs.
Mayor Lovely Warren says this is a way to reclaim some of Rochester's past manufacturing glory.
"We were the home to Kodak, Bausch and Lomb and Xerox. This is a way for us to really revamp ourselves, once again to lead in these particular industries, the imaging, and optics and infotonics.”
The designation means that Rochester and the Finger Lakes region will receive preferential status when applying for an estimated $1.3 billion in future economic development grants.
