September Newsletter
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and Rep. Joe Morelle announced the expansion of the Monroe County-Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator program to include Erie and Niagara Counties in western New York.
The program will now serve 13 counties and the NY-SMART I-corridor, enabling seamless support for businesses across Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, strengthening the region’s semiconductor and defense manufacturing ecosystem in support of the DIB and GIB.
As part of the expansion, the program is being rebranded as the Monroe County-Upstate NY APEX Accelerator.
“Our APEX Accelerator has helped hundreds of local companies secure contracts with the Department of Defense, helping to grow their businesses and to support our nation’s military,” said County Executive Bello. “This expansion helps us bring this highly successful program to a wider geographic area, and solidifies our efforts to grow the NY-SMART I-corridor."
“We’re fortunate to have the Monroe County Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator based here in Rochester, helping businesses develop growth plans, secure funding, foster collaboration, and scale their success,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “By expanding their reach, the Accelerator will now have the resources to support innovation on a broader, more regional scale, something we’re no stranger to Upstate New York. Thank you to County Executive Bello, Director Anna Vulaj Fitzsimmons, and everyone at the APEX Accelerator for everything they do for our community, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.”
Morelle and Bello made the announcement at the headquarters of Rochester Optical Manufacturing, a minority-owned business that has benefited from the APEX Accelerator program. Rochester Optical supplies manufactures eyeglasses and other optical equipment for the U.S. military.