Site search

It's been 15 years since Steve Hyde first conceived of a massive, high-tech industrial park in Genesee County, and in 2023 Hyde is still focused on turning WNY STAMP into a fully realized mega site in the Town of Alabama even as the project faces its biggest legal challenges yet.

Hyde, the CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, and Jim Krencik, the agency's marketing director, spoke with The Batavian on Friday primarily to discuss a new $56 million round of funding from New York State.

The infusion of cash, Hyde shared in his unbowed enthusiasm for all things STAMP, will help take STAMP -- with two projects already being developed -- to the next level, making it more attractive to a new wave of site selectors.

Batavia City Centre is taking on a new shape and look, albeit gradually, but it’s an improvement from where it was a few years ago, City Manager Rachael Tabelski says.

With three new entrances and one entrance-turned-exit only that replaced those old, leaking, moldy silos; removal of the concourse stage and stained ceiling tiles; a grant in progress to extend the City Hall floor style into the concourse; and vacant properties being sold for future businesses, Tabelski and her colleagues are excited about every incremental change.