Optimax to expand facility, add 59 jobs

Optimax Systems Inc. plans to expand its Wayne County facility with a 60,000-square-foot addition.

The $21.7 million expansion will allow Optimax to raise the bar when it comes to supplying optics for its customers and will help the company solidify its brand and credibility in the worldwide optics manufacturing community, officials said Tuesday. As a result of its continued growth, Optimax plans to create 59 new jobs over the next five years and retain 291 positions.

The expansion project is expected to be completed in 2024.

To encourage Optimax to expand in the Finger Lakes, Empire State Development will provide $700,000 through a Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative Grant and up to $1.5 million in Excelsior Tax Credits in return for job creation commitments and retention of hundreds of existing jobs.

“New York State’s strategic investments have supported the Finger Lakes Region’s growth as an optics, photonics and imaging hub, and our commitment to workforce development and 21st century jobs means that companies like Optimax Systems can continue to grow here, with a pipeline to the tech talent they need,” said ESD President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky in a statement.

Optimax was founded in 1991 and has been ahead of the curve in progress in technologies as diverse as fiber optic telecommunications, solid-state lighting, digital photography, displays and diagnostic medicine. The company has worked on key programs in aerospace, government research and defense.

“We are excited that as we grow we can continue to be a part of the great community in Wayne County and do this expansion in New York State. Optimax has made its home in Ontario, N.Y. since 1993,” said Optimax President Mike Mandina. “Constructing this new expansion enables us to build a state-of-the-art facility that can support our technological and employee growth as the largest high-precision optics manufacturer in the United States. We’d like to thank Governor Cuomo and Empire State Development for their support and assistance enabling us to reinvest in upstate New York and build on Optimax’s growing success.”

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer