Wayne County technology firm to expand R&D operations, add 35 jobs

ONTARIO, N.Y. — Optimax Systems Inc., a technology firm based in in the town of Ontario in Wayne County, is expanding its research and development operations.

The expansion will enable the company to create 35 new jobs and retain 271 existing positions, Empire State Development (ESD) said in a news release.

To encourage Optimax Systems to expand in the Finger Lakes region, ESD offered the company a grant of up to $250,000 in return for job-creation commitments.

Those commitments include the creation of 35 new jobs by 2019 and the retention of the existing jobs.

Optimax Systems will invest more than $3 million of its own money in the project, ESD said.

The company competes with firms worldwide in the precision-optics market, Mike Mandina, president of Optimax Systems, said in the ESD release.

“By investing in and developing state of the art capabilities, we are able to provide high-end solutions to our customers. This investment has enabled Optimax to grow in spite of regional and global economic headwinds. We are thankful for the ESD support that has helped make this $3 million expansion possible.”

Founded in 1991, Optimax Systems has focused on technologies that include fiber-optic telecommunications, solid-state lighting, digital photography, displays, and diagnostic medicine.

ESD’s investment complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s plan that one was one of three winners chosen in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s economic-development contest held in 2015, according to the agency.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com