Behind The Numbers - Photonics & jobs in Rochester

IN ROCHESTER AND THE SURROUNDING REGION, A LOT OF HOPES ARE BEING PINNED ON PHOTONICS. IT WAS ANNOUNCED LAST YEAR THAT ROCHESTER WOULD BE HOME TO AN INTEGRATED PHOTONICS MANUFACTURING HUB. IT’S ALL PART OF A 6-HUNDRED MILLION-DOLLAR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH FEDERAL, STATE AND PRIVATE FUNDING. BUT....WHAT IS PHOTONICS? AND WHAT COULD ITS ECONOMIC IMPACT MEAN FOR OUR REGION AND BEYOND? INNOVATION TRAIL REPORTER SASHA-ANN SIMONS EXPLORED THESE QUESTIONS IN A SPECIAL REPORT. VIDEO: WHAT IS PHOTONICS? THE PARTICLE OF LIGHT IS CALLED A PHOTON, THAT’S WHY THE TECHNOLOGY IS CALLED PHOTONICS. WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF THE WORD PHOTON AND ELECTRONICS? (BALLENTINE) PHOTONICS IS CAN BE CONSIDERED TO BE THE SCIENCE AND APPLICATION OF LIGHT PHOTONIC APPLICATIONS USE THE PHOTON IN THE SAME WAY THAT ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS USE THE ELECTRON. LIGHT CAN MAKE DEVICES LIKE COMPUTERS, MOBILE PHONES AND MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS FASTER AND MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT. OPTICS IS THE LIGHT MOVING THROUGH SPACE AND THE LENSES. PHOTONICS IS WHEN THE LIGHT HITS THE SOLID AND IS TURNED INTO ELECTRONICS AND DIGITAL SIGNALS. AND THEN IMAGING IS MORE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT INFORMATION IS CAPTURED AND DIGITIZED. COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE, APPLE AND FACEBOOK RELY HEAVILY ON IMAGING. INTEGRATED PHOTONICS ALONG WITH PHOTONICS AND OPTICS WILL ENABLE NEW IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES AND IMAGING IS REALLY WHERE THE FUTURE IS AT. ONE OF THE REASONS WHY PHOTONICS IS THE FUTURE IS THAT LIGHT MOVES FASTER THE ELECTRICITY. THERE’S A BIG NEED TO MAKE THINGS FASTER, LESS ENERGY, SMALLER AND MORE CHEAPLY. AND REPLACING ELECTRONS WITH PHOTONS DOES ALL THAT. PHOTONICS HAS MANY APPLICATIONS. IT HAS LASERS, LIGHT EMITTING DIODES, PHOTOVOLTAICS; IT HAS INTEGRATED PHOTONICS AS ONE OF THEM. ROCHESTER WILL BE AN INTEGRATED PHOTONICS MANUFACTURING HUB. IT’S PART OF A MORE THAN SIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO BOOST MANUFACTURING INNOVATION. ROCHESTER HAS THE PEOPLE, THE SCHOOLS, AND THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO ATTRACT THESE MODERN IMAGING COMPANIES AND REALLY BUILD THE FUTURE OF THE ROCHESTER ECONOMY. WE LEARNED THIS MONTH THAT TWO PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY FIRMS WILL BE COMING TO ROCHESTER - INCLUDING ONE FROM SILICON VALLEY. GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO WAS IN TOWN TO MAKE THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. HERE’S A BRIEF LOOK AT WHAT HE HAD TO SAY, PLUS LOCAL PHOTONICS EXPERT, PAUL BALLENTINE WEIGHS IN ON THE JOBS IMPACT. (CUOMO) ANOMIE PHOTONICA, BETWEEN THE TWO COMPANIES, A ONE POINT SIX BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT, FOURTEEN HUNDRED NEW JOBS COMING TO ROCHESTER! (BALLENTINE) AT FIRST THERE WILL BE ONLY A FEW AND THEY WILL BE HIGH LEVEL JOBS, AND WHEN I SAY A FEW I MEAN A HUNDRED OR LESS THAN A HUNDRED. AND THEY’LL BE BACHELORS, MASTERS, PHD, A FEW TECHNICIAN JOBS. (HELENE) JOINING ME TO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE ON THE JOBS BEHIND THE NUMBERS, A REALISTIC TIME-FRAME FOR GROWTH, AND THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF PHOTONICS ON ROCHESTER AND MUCH MORE IS: KENT GARDNER - PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF ECONOMIST WITH THE CENTER FOR GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH, HEIDI ZIMMER-MEYER - PRESIDENT OF THE ROCHESTER DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND MATT HURLBUTT - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR GREATER ROCHESTER ENTERPRISE. WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. SO NO DOUBT THIS IS VERY EXCITING NEWS, THERE’S A REASON WHY EVERYONE IS “A BUZZ” ABOUT THIS, JUST SEEING HOW ROCHESTER IS BEING UTILIZED IN TODAY’S EMERGING, WITH TODAY’S EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. WE KNOW IT’S A BIG DEAL BUT THERE’S ALSO CONFUSION. AND FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, WHEN WE HEAR THE GOVERNOR SAY FOURTEEN HUNDRED JOBS, 1.6 MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO I JUST WANT TO START OFF BY GETTING A SENSE AS TO WHAT KINDS OF JOBS CAN COME FROM THESE TWO PHOTONICS COMPANIES COMING TO ROCHESTER? (MATT HURLBUTT) WELL I THINK IT STARTS WITH ENGINEERING, SOME ARE GOING TO BE PHD LEVEL RESEARCHERS, SO THEY’LL BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE OF THE SUNY POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, R.I.T, SO THOSE WILL BE STARTING IN CLEAN ROOMS, DOING SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING AND THEN MOST OF THOSE JOBS WILL BE AT THE TECHNICIAN LEVEL WHICH IS WHY YOU SEE THE IMPORTANT CONNECTION IN THE TALK ABOUT MCC BUILDING OUT ITS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IT HAS WITH OPTICS AND IT’S TRADITIONALLY A STRONG OPTICS PROGRAM. (HELENE) SO THAT’S HOW WE START OFF. AT WHAT POINT – I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DID NOT SEE IN THE VIDEO – BUT WITH PAUL BALLANTINE HE SAID THAT LATER ON WE WILL SEE THAT THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITY FOR MIDDLE SKILLS JOBS, SUCH AS FACTORY POSITIONS, BUT IS THERE A SENSE AS TO WHETHER ROCHESTER RESIDENTS OF ALL DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUNDS, EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS, WILL FIND A NICHE, A HOME IN PHOTONICS OR ARE WE TALKING PREDOMINATELY HIGH LEVEL JOBS? (KENT GARDNER) THE IMPORTANT POINT HERE IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. WE ARE INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY HERE, AND HAVING A FOOTHOLD IN THIS TECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR NATION, IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THIS STATE, IT’S IMPORTANT FOR ROCHESTER, AND IT IS GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A LOT OF THE STRENGTHS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY ALREADY. BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT ELECTRONICS, AND THE TREMENDOUS VARIETY IN THE KINDS OF FIRMS THAT MAKE USE OF WHAT WE THINK OF AS ELECTRONICS, THERE ARE VERY LABOR INTENSIVE, YOU KNOW, VERY LOW TO MEDIUM-SKILLED JOBS IN THOSE ELECTRONICS FIRMS, THERE ARE VERY HIGH END FIRMS THAT AREN’T DOING ELECTRONICS AND PHOTONICS IS REALLY NO DIFFERENT. SO THE KINDS OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT WILL BE SPUN OUT IN AN EMPHASIS IN PHOTONICS IS REALLY UNKNOWN SO IT’S DIFFICULT TO SPECULATE. YES, THERE MAY BE SOME COMPANIES THAT COME OUT THAT WOULD HAVE A LOT OF WORKERS INVOLVED, AND A LOT OF WORKERS WITH LOW-MEDIUM SKILL NEEDS, OR THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME FIRMS THAT ARE MORE RESEARCH FOCUSED, WE’LL BE USING THOSE PHD RESEARCHERS AND THAT’S GREAT TOO BECAUSE THOSE PHD RESEARCHERS WILL PRESUMABLY BE EARNING HIGHER SALARIES, THEY WILL USE THOSE HIGHER SALARIES TO GO OUT AND BUY GOODS AND SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY, THOSE GOODS AND SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED BY PEOPLE PERHAPS WITHOUT THOSE HIGH END SKILLS. BUT THERE’S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY RIGHT NOW. (HURLBUTT) AND THE INTERESTING PART ABOUT AIM PHOTONICS IS THAT IT IS BASED ON TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH THAT IS VERY CUTTING EDGE. SO AS THE ADVANCES HAPPEN, IT MAY BRING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AROUND THE MARKET THAT THEY’RE SEEKING AND THAT CAN BE DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY OF SOME OF THE COMPANIES THAT WERE NOTED IN THE VIDEO AS WELL AS OTHER USES THAT THEY HAVEN’T IMAGINED YET. SO THAT’S WHERE IT IS CHALLENGING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IN FIVE YEARS WHO’S GOING TO BE HERE GROWING AND BUILDING WHAT, IT’S GOING TO DEPEND A LOT ON WHERE THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS HAPPEN. (GARDNER) THE OTHER PIECE OF THE HYPE THAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT CAREFUL OF IS IT’S NOT AS THOUGH IN A TWENTY YEARS’ TIME, 50% OF THE ROCHESTER WORKFORCE IS GOING TO BE WORKING ON PHOTONICS. THIS IS GOING TO BE A NICHE INDUSTRY. IT’S GOING TO BE IN TWENTY YEARS’ TIME – IF IT SUCCEEDS – TREMENDOUSLY, IT’S STILL GOING TO BE A RELATIVELY SMALL EMPLOYER. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT MOST OF THE ECONOMY OF TWENTY YEARS IS THEY ARE GONNA BE IN THE SAME INDUSTRY AS THEY ARE TODAY. THE CORE ECONOMY ISN’T GOING TO CHANGE ALL THAT RADICALLY. WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE CAN KEEP A TOEHOLD IN SOME OF THOSE NEW AREAS. BUT IT’S NOT AS THOUGH PHOTONICS JOBS ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER ROCHESTER’S ECONOMY. (ZIMMER-MEYER) I THINK ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS WE’RE WRESTLING WITH AS A COMMUNITY NOW IS THAT WITH THE DECLINE, IN TERMS OF ITS IMPACT ON A LOCAL ECONOMY OF OUR BIG THREE COMPANIES - AND THE FACT THAT THAT’S ALSO GENERATED A VERY TALENTED AND EDUCATED PORTION OF OUR WORKFORCE, IS THAT WE NEED TO BE FAR MORE DIVERSE THAN WE WERE THEN, AND I THINK THOSE ARE THE GREAT STRIDES WE’RE MAKING AS A REGION, IS TO GUARANTEE THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE DEPENDENT. BASED ON WHAT KENT IS SAYING, THAT’S A WISE MOVE. WE’VE GOT A VARIETY OF AREAS THAT ARE NOW PUSHING. WE HAVE TALENT. WE HAVE A LOT OF INNOVATION HAPPENING IN THOSE SECTORS. IT’S A SMART WAY OF APPROACHING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE OTHER TWO PIECES THAT ARE BIG ARE THAT ULTIMATELY, WE’RE GOING TO NEED A LOT OF MID-TECH AND LOW-TECH JOBS AND COMPANIES TO PROVIDE SERVICES AS OTHER PARTS OF THE ECONOMY PUMP, INCLUDING PHOTONICS. WE NOW HAVE GOT TO CHANGE FROM BEING A REGION THAT’S BEEN IN DECLINE FOR DECADES AND TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT EVERYTHING AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO WE’RE PUSHING VERY HARD TO CREATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING THAT’S ANTICIPATORY. IT CREATES PATHWAYS INTO THAT AND ALSO I HAVE TO TELL YOU – A LOT OF US ARE CONCERNED – IF IN FACT WE DO SUCCEED, NOT ONLY IN PHOTONICS BUT IN OTHER AREAS, TO CREATE LET’S JUST SAY 5-10,000 NEW JOBS IN VARIOUS SECTORS, WHO'S GOING TO FILL THEM? WE’VE GOT TO STILL BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE. WE ATTRACT THE WORKFORCE, WE KEEP PEOPLE, AND WE TRAIN PEOPLE PROPERLY. THEN YOU HAVE THE WHOLE PART OF OUR DEMOGRAPHIC WHERE PEOPLE HAVEN’T HAD THE KINDS OF PATHWAYS TO PROSPERITY – AND THAT’S THE PHRASE WE’RE USING – TO GET INTO THE NEW ECONOMY. WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT NOW AND TO CREATE A ROBUST SYSTEM TO SUPPORT THAT AS WELL. THAT’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. (HELENE) HOW DIFFICULT WILL SOME OF THESE JOBS BE TO FILL? (HURLBUTT) WELL, IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO THE EARLIER QUESTION: WHAT WILL THE JOBS BE? SO IF THEY’RE PH.D. LEVEL, THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, RIT, HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF RECRUITING PH.D. RESEARCHERS TO THE AREA. ENGINEERING IS SIMILAR. WE’VE WORKED ON A LOT OF BUSINESS ATTRACTION PROJECTS WHERE WE SHOW A VERY ROBUST ENGINEERING PIPELINE. WE HAPPEN TO BE IN A GREAT SPOT BECAUSE WE ARE ALSO AN HOUR AWAY FROM BUFFALO AND SYRACUSE, SO WE OFTEN HAVE GRADUATES FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THOSE COLLEGES WHO COME HERE AND WORK FOR OUR TECHNOLOGY FIRMS. THEN IT GETS INTO THIS TECHNICIAN LEVEL WHERE WE DO NEED TO WORK ON THE TALENT PIPELINE SO THAT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND EVEN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF THE ABILITY TO GET JOBS AT TECHNICIAN LEVEL, OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE DECENT SALARIES IN THESE EMERGING OCCUPATIONS. MOST PEOPLE – IF YOU SURVEY HOUSEHOLDS – HAVE NO IDEA WHAT OPTICS IS, OR PHOTONICS, AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AT LOCAL COMPANIES RIGHT NOW IN THAT SPHERE LET ALONE WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW WITH TECHNOLOGY. SO THAT’S THE CHALLENGE: INFORMING. AT THE PIPELINE THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK AT THE REGIONAL COUNCIL LEVEL WITH MCC, R.I.T, U OF R AND OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM SO THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE OVER 100 OPTICS-RELATED COMPANIES IN THE AREA, AND THEY’RE PROJECTING 5-7% GROWTH. SO THEY HAVE JOB OPPORTUNITIES NOW, LET ALONE WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH PHOTONICS. (HELENE) KENT, WXXI’S SASHA SIMON HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOU FOR THIS PHOTONICS SERIES. AS YOU SAID JUST NOW, IT’S HARD – WE CAN’T PREDICT THE NUMBER OF JOBS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU SAY, ‘WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE A CHAIN REACTION’. I WAS INTERESTED IN THAT. EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT AND HOW DOES IT HAPPEN EFFECTIVELY? (GARDNER) I THINK SOMETIMES WE TEND TO THINK NAIVELY THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THIS EASY THING, THAT THERE’S THIS FORMULA – YOU PUT MONEY IN THE FORM OF THE MACHINE AND THEN OUT THE OTHER END OF THE MACHINE COMES ALL THESE JOBS. BUT ALL YOU CAN REALLY DO WITH CERTAINTY IS TO EMPLOY PEOPLE. SO IF YOU’RE AT THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND YOU WANT TO GUARANTEE THAT YOU’RE GOING TO EMPLOYEE PEOPLE. THAT’S WHY PEOPLE SAY ‘OH, LET’S BUILD SOMETHING’. YOU CAN BUILD SOMETHING AND GUARANTEE THE NUMBER OF JOBS YOU’RE GOING TO CREATE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF BUILDING SOMETHING. BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IN THIS CASE IS WE WANT TO CREATE – THE CURRENT BUZZWORD IS ‘ECOSYSTEM’ – THIS NETWORK OF FIRMS THAT ARE ALL CONNECTED AND ALL RELATED TO THE SAME TALENT POOL, AND BENEFIT FROM BEING AROUND ONE ANOTHER. SO NEW IDEAS WILL BE SPUN OFF OF THOSE FIRMS. SO MAYBE IT STARTS WITH A GROUP OF 5 FIRMS AND THOSE 5 FIRMS MAYBE SPIN OFF AND MAYBE THERE ARE 7 OR 8 FIRMS THAT COME AWAY FROM THE 5, AND THAT’S NEW IDEAS THAT ARE CREATED FROM THERE AND THEY GROW SOME MORE. THAT’S THE KIND OF CHAIN REACTION IDEA. IF WE’RE REALLY SUCCESSFUL HERE, WE’LL START THAT CHAIN REACTION AND WE’RE HAVE THIS BENEFICIAL CYCLE AND WE’RE CREATING MORE AND MORE JOBS. BUT IT’S NOT EASY TO DO. WE’RE PART OF A GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND STATE ECONOMY. EVERYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO BE THE HOST FOR THOSE JOBS TOO. WE’RE FORTUNATE, IN FACT WE’VE GOT THE HEADQUARTERS OF PHOTONICS AND WE WOULD HOPE THAT BECAUSE WE’RE THE HEADQUARTERS AND THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT HAPPENING HERE, THAT WHEN THAT INITIAL JOB CREATION HAPPENS, WHEN THE CHAIN REACTION OCCURS – IF IT DOES – THAT A LOT OF THE JOBS WILL ACTUALLY BE LOCATED HERE. BUT THERE’S NO GUARANTEE. SO WE NEED TO CREATE A PLACE THAT, AS HEIDI SUGGESTED, IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, A GREAT PLACE TO RAISE FAMILIES. SO WHEN PEOPLE SAY ‘I’M GOING TO ADD TO MY COMPANY, I’M GONNA HIRE MORE ENGINEERS, I’M GONNA CREATE A SALES OFFICE’… THEY’RE GOING TO WANT TO DO IT HERE RATHER THAN DOING IT SOMEPLACE ELSE. THEN THAT BECOMES A CHALLENGE. (ZIMMER-MEYER) I THINK THE OTHER CHALLENGE IS THE MILLENNIAL TALENT BASE AND THAT THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR THIS PARTICULAR DEMOGRAPHIC. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DOWNTOWN INNOVATION ZONE, THAT’S WHAT’S FILLING THOSE JOBS. IT’S PARTLY ABOUT OLD-FASHIONED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DOING EXACTLY WHAT KENT AND MATT ARE TALKING ABOUT, BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT CREATING A PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE, AND THAT COMPETES WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE – PART OF WHAT GOT US THE $500 MILLION, WHICH IS THROUGH A DIFFERENT SOURCE IN PHOTONICS – IS THAT WE ALSO HAVE AN ANTI-POVERTY SIDE TO THIS. AND FRANKLY, WE’RE GOING TO NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE TECH, PHOTONICS AND OTHER TECH JOBS, BUT ONE OF THE CHIEF ECONOMISTS AT M&T BANK SAYS THAT EACH ONE OF THOSE JOBS WILL SPIN OUT ROUGHLY 4.5 LOW-TECH JOBS. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WHOLE PIPELINE IS SEATED AND ENRICHED, AND THE ECOSYSTEM IS SET UP IN A WAY THAT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES AND DOES THE KIND OF WORKFORCE TRAINING THAT MATT IS TALKING ABOUT – THAT IT’S AIMED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE’VE GOT TO THINK VERY 360 DEGREES; MORE ABOUT GROWTH NOW. AND IT TAKES A NEW WAY OF THINKING TO REALLY DO THAT WELL. WE’RE KIND OF AT THE FRONT OF THAT PROCESS. (HURLBUTT) THE OTHER INTERESTING POINT ESPECIALLY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THAT BRINGING COMPANIES HERE IS CERTAINLY OUR FOCUS AT GREATER ROCHESTER ENTERPRISE. IT’S GREAT. WE LOVE TO WIN THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. BUT THE IMPORTANT PIECE IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE HUNDRED COMPANIES THAT ARE ALREADY IN THIS INDUSTRY, AND ARE IN THIS SPACE THAT HAVE TECHNOLOGY TO TOUCH A LOT OF DIFFERENT SECTORS: FOOD AND BEVERAGE, SENSING, IMAGING, AND OTHERS. HOW DO WE STAY HERE AND HELP THEM GROW? SOME OF THAT IS SUPPLYING THE WORKFORCE, BUT IT’S ALSO CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE HEIDI’S TALKING ABOUT WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY HERE AND GROW, AS WELL AS OTHER POLICIES THAT HELP THEM STAY HERE AND GROW. OTHER STATES ARE HERE TRYING TO RECRUITED THEM FROM US, SO IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHO’S ALREADY HERE AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME TOOLS AND CONNECTIONS THAT WE’RE OFFERING TO THOSE THAT WE’RE TRYING TO BRING HERE. (GARDENER) MATTHEW MAKES A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT. IT’S AN OLD RULE IN SALES THAT IT’S A WHOLE LOT EASIER TO KEEP A CUSTOMER THAN IT IS TO GET A NEW ONE. (HELENE) THANK YOU TO MY GUESTS FOR YOUR TIME AND INSIGHT TODAY. I APPRECIATE IT. THIS IS CERTAINLY A TOPIC WE’LL BE EXPLORING FOR QUITE SOME TIME HERE ON WXXI. YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE SPECIAL INNOVATION TRAIL PHOTONICS SERIES BY W-X-X-I REPORTER AND PRODUCER SASHA-ANN SIMONS ONLINE AT: INNOVATION-TRAIL-DOT-ORG.