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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Leather Footwear-Orthopedic Products Manufacturer PW Minor To Expand In Batavia, New York

08/15/2014
PW Minor, a manufacturer and international distributor of leather footwear and orthopedic products in Batavia, New York, will remain open and retain more than 50 manufacturing jobs, as well as create 17 additional jobs. PW Minor was scheduled to close on July 31, but will instead remain open under new local ownership and management.

The new owner of PW Minor is Batavia Shoes LLC, headed by Andrew Young and Peter H. Zeliff. PW Minor, which was founded by two brothers in 1867 shortly after they returned from fighting in the Civil War, is one of a few remaining shoe manufacturers in the United States and the oldest company in Genesee County.

Andrew Young said, “Our goal is to not only keep the company open but to grow the business and create new jobs. We would not have been able to make this transaction without the assistance from Empire State Development. It’s just another example of the public and private sectors coming together to not only keep a home grown company where it belongs, but also to create new jobs and economic development for the city and region.”

Peter H. Zeliff said, “Andrew and I are very committed to our community and this was an opportunity where we could team up and use our entrepreneurial skills to continue the operations of a manufacturing facility with extremely deep and historical roots in Batavia and Genesee County. We are confident that our business plan will create a new history for this iconic world-wide brand.”

“The new ownership of PW Minor will keep an historic and valued company in Batavia, just where it belongs,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “Our top priority is not only to attract new businesses to New York, but also to ensure that the ones already here will be able to grow. I thank PW Minor for making Western New York their home, and welcome their continued growth and success.”

Batavia Shoes LLC will be purchasing the assets of the company for $2.85 million. Empire State Development will provide up to $449,505 in performance-based Excelsior Job Program tax credits in return for the new owners’ job creation commitments.

Kenneth Adams, President/CEO/Commissioner of Empire State Development, said, “New York State and two local investors stepped in to save PW Minor and it’s the best possible outcome for the more than 50 employees who were set to lose their jobs. ‘Made in America’ products, like the hand-crafted quality shoes made by PW Minor employees for nearly 150 years, will continue to be a source of pride for Genesee County for years to come.”

City of Batavia Council President Brooks Hawley said, “PW Minor has been an iconic company in Batavia for well over 100 years and it would have been a tremendous loss to see the business close its doors and lose good jobs in our community. Thanks to the Empire State Development for the State’s incentives and to the commitment of new, local owners, Andrew Young and Peter Zeliff, PW Minor is opening its doors again and growing.”

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