PPC Broadband, Cornell Ag and Food Tech Park, JCTOD Outreach awarded state funding

PPC Broadband, Inc. in DeWitt; Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corporation in Geneva; and JCTOD Outreach Inc. of Utica are among the organizations awarded state funding under New York’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

The office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding awards on Monday.

Regional award details

PPC Broadband, Inc. of DeWitt has plans to expand its operations in a $7.3 million project. In her visit to PPC on Monday, Hochul announced the firm planned to add 100 jobs.

The company will use a $1.2 million grant from Empire State Development (ESD) and $1.2 million Excelsior Jobs tax credit part of that effort, Hochul’s office said.

PPC Broadband’s project will involve the expansion of its operations at two facilities in DeWitt. The expansion will enable PPC to design, develop, manufacture, and distribute systems that facilitate broadband expansion and deployment, specifically in fiber products.

Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corporation (CAFTPC) in Geneva will use a $1.4 million ESD grant to help construct a multi-tenant light manufacturing facility on a 5-acre site within its Technology Farm.

In addition to providing manufacturing and food-processing space for businesses accessing the resources of Cornell AgriTech, the new facility will provide space for those companies that have outgrown the CAFTPC’s existing incubator facility, Hochul’s office said.

JCTOD Outreach Inc. of Utica will use a $500,000 ESD grant to finish building the Johnson Park Green Community Center (JPC). JCTOD will complete the community center by building out the 2nd floor to house the current JPC children’s program called Head, Hand, and Heart (HHH), as well as the Head Start program.

The Johnson Park Green Community Center (JPC) is part of JCTOD’s latest project that addresses poverty, homelessness, and economic instability within the Johnson Park-Cornhill neighborhood of Utica.