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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

GreenLight Biosciences Selects Eastman Business Park in Monroe County, New York for Pilot Plant

02/26/2020
Bioperformance company GreenLight Biosciences will construct a pilot plant at Eastman Business Park in Monroe County, New York.

According to Empire State Development, the project will create up to 30 new jobs that will support the production of GreenLight’s RNA-based solutions for the agriculture and healthcare industries. This latest project builds on the continued success story that is the rebirth of EBP in Monroe County. The repurposing of the business park remains a top priority of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. GreenLight Bioscience expects the project to be completed by the end of 2020.

“New York State’s strategic investments help position cutting-edge science for commercialization and economic growth,” said Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate Eric Gertler. “GreenLight Biosciences and its partners are working to create the next generation of environmentally innovative products, which will create jobs and drive economic activity in Rochester and throughout the region.”

The pilot plant will enable GreenLight to bring GreenWorX, its cell-free biomanufacturing process, to market in order to produce low-cost, high-quality RNA. RNA is a natural molecule found in all living organisms, animals, plants, fungi and humans, that facilitates virtually every biological process of life.

The production of RNA through GreenWorX will help farmers grow food in a way that is natural and safe by targeting specific pests without harming other species or the environment. GreenLight’s innovations can also be used to accelerate the discovery and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies.

“We are disrupting the industry by bringing nature and technology together to develop sustainable, precise biocontrol solutions, and it’s critical that we continue to build a workforce that can carry these innovations forward,” said Carole Cobb, COO at GreenLight Biosciences. “Eastman Business Park is particularly attractive to us because of the access to talented scientists and manufacturing experts in the Rochester area as well as the the extensive infrastructure and capabilities of EBP.”

ESD is supporting the project with up to $600,000 through the Excelsior Jobs Program in exchange for job creation commitments. The total project cost has been placed at $16.6 million. Monroe County and Greater Rochester Enterprise also assisted with the project.

EBP, the site where Kodak began manufacturing photographic film and paper more than a century ago, is being reinvigorated and is a significant attraction for businesses of the Finger Lakes region. Today, the campus supports over 114 companies, employing over 6,000 people. EBP is home to Kodak operations and to innovative companies like DuPont, Plug Power, BEST Test and Commercialization Center, LiDestri Food and Drink and Clearwater Organic Farms among several others.

Eastman Business Park President and Kodak CFO Dave Bullwinkle said, “We are thrilled that GreenLight Biosciences chose to build their pilot plant here and that they plan to expand operations on the site as they grow. Our resources are a perfect fit for their fermentation operation, with virtually unlimited water, steam, chilled water and industrial sewer capacity.”

Matt Hurlbutt, President and CEO, Greater Rochester Enterprise said, “The exceptional talent in advanced materials and life sciences, coupled with unmatched infrastructure available at Eastman Business Park, made Rochester, New York, the right location for GreenLight Biosciences. Rochester also offers an affordable cost of doing business, which is a competitive asset when compared with more expensive high-tech markets such as Boston.”

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