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Sydor Optics will invest more than $32 million to expand its Rochester manufacturing operations, building a new 100,000-square-foot facility. The project is expected to create up to 36 jobs over the next five years while retaining 92 existing positions.
Empire State Development announced the project Thursday, saying the family-owned optics manufacturer will construct the new building at its Chili location on Jet View Drive to accommodate growing customer demand and increase production capacity. The company expects the facility to be operational by fall 2027.
To support the expansion, ESD will provide up to $450,000 in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits. The incentive is tied to Sydor Optics creating the new jobs and retaining its current workforce.
Monroe County and Greater Rochester Enterprise are also assisting with the project.
“This project represents another big step for our company as we continue to grow to better serve our customers,” said Matthew Sydor, president of Sydor Optics. “This world-class facility here in Rochester is critical for our company’s future and we are incredibly grateful to Empire State Development and all of our local economic development partners for their continued support.”
Founded in 1964, Sydor Optics has grown into a global supplier of precision optical components and custom-engineered products used in the aerospace, defense, semiconductor, biomedical, energy and entertainment industries. The company specializes in both low-volume custom optics and high-volume production of plano optics—including wafers, windows, filters, mirrors and optical flats—and operates what it describes as the largest collection of double-sided polishing machines in North America.
The expansion follows another major milestone for the company. Earlier this year, Sydor Optics acquired Victor-based Vertex Optics, its first acquisition since the company was founded. The deal expanded Sydor’s capabilities into precision curved optics while adding Vertex’s roughly 20-person workforce, positioning the combined company to serve increasingly complex aerospace, defense, semiconductor, medical, energy and automotive customers.
The company has also invested in developing the region’s optics workforce. The Sydor family recently pledged $3 million toward Monroe Community College’s new Advanced Technology Center, which will bear the company’s name and is expected to open this fall with hands-on training programs in optics, precision tooling and other advanced manufacturing fields.
The Finger Lakes region is one of the nation’s largest optics, photonics and imaging hubs, with more than 150 companies employing roughly 19,000 workers, according to ESD. The ecosystem includes the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Monroe Community College and Luminate NY, an accelerator for optics and photonics startups.
Hope Knight, ESD president, CEO, and commissioner, said that Sydor’s expansion reflects the state’s continued investment in advanced manufacturing and the region’s skilled workforce.
“Sydor Optics’ decision to continue to grow its operations in Monroe County represents the importance of Gov. Hochul’s commitment to innovation, and to the strength of the local workforce, backed by the region’s reputation as a global photonics industry leader,” Knight said. “This public-private partnership will create high-quality jobs in advanced manufacturing, generating new economic growth throughout the Finger Lakes region.”
County Executive Adam Bello said that the project reinforces Monroe County’s manufacturing base and the region’s leadership in optics and photonics.
“Sydor Optics has been a cornerstone of our community’s manufacturing legacy for decades, and this major expansion is a testament to the thriving optics and photonics ecosystem we’ve built here in Monroe County,” he said.
James Sydor, the company’s chairman, is scheduled to be inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame later this year. He previously served as president of the American Precision Optics Manufacturing Association and earlier this year received the SPIE President’s Award for his contributions to the optics industry.
Will Cleveland is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer.
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