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Niagara Assembly MAG
Western New York
Issue One · Oct. 10, 2026 · News from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, 2026
 Stories by county: Erie 1 · Monroe 3 · Onondaga 3 · Tompkins 1 · Niagara 2. Green: completed. Yellow: announced. Grey: other news.
Issue One covers Western New York investment and industry news from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, 2026. Solstice Advanced Materials announced a $49M Buffalo R&D expansion and Goodyear said it will close its Niagara Falls chemical plant, while defense contracts touched Liverpool, Syracuse and Niagara Falls.
Reviewed news from the Niagara River to Syracuse: who is investing, building, hiring and starting up. Every story has passed Niagara Assembly’s source review, and each one carries our reading of it: how far along it is, and what is still unconfirmed.
 Story locations from the Niagara River to Syracuse. Green: completed. Yellow: announced. Hollow: in development, not yet built or confirmed.
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Dollar figures
Amounts as stated in the stories, grouped by kind of money. Each figure is its own kind of money; contract ceilings are excluded.
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$49M
Investment
announced
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$30.1M
Contract money committed
contract or award
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$37M
Award, as the company reports it
contract or award
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$75M
Purchase price
completed
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$1.4M
Grant
not counted: corridor news
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$6M
Proposed spending
not counted: in development
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Announced investment and committed contract money tied to work in the region
$49M announced investment + $18.9M committed contract money = $67.9M
plus an undisclosed share of an $11.2M contract (Liverpool, Lithuania)
Contract amounts come from a secondary listing; the original notice wasn’t accessed.
Coming up
Dated next steps in this issue’s stories, soonest first.
Jobs
Job figures as the sources state them. Where they disagree, the story shows each one.
Public support
Tax credits and other public awards; kept apart from the dollar figures.
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Investment and industry
Direct investment, contracts and closures.
| Announced |
$49M investment |
Expansion · Oct 9, 2026 · Peabody Street, Buffalo · Solstice Advanced Materials
Solstice will invest $49M to expand its Buffalo R&D center, adding 12 jobs, with up to $1.4M in state Excelsior tax credits. The governor's and company's announcements quote different spokespeople and name forms.
| Jobs |
12 added |
| Public support |
$1.4M tax credit (Excelsior Jobs Program) |
| Next |
12 new full-time jobs due, June 2027 |
| Stage |
Announced Oct. 9, 2026 |
Sources disagree on spokesperson: Ryan Hulse, Senior Director for R&D (Governor Kathy Hochul newsroom); Tom Isberg, Vice President, R&D (PR Newswire)
Sources disagree on legal name: Solstice Advanced Materials US, Inc. (Governor Kathy Hochul newsroom); Solstice Advanced Materials (Nasdaq: SOLS) (PR Newswire)
Sources: Governor Kathy Hochul newsroom (primary source); PR Newswire (company source)
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| Completed |
$75M transaction |
Acquisition · Oct 6, 2026 · Rochester (buyer HQ) · Constellation Brands
SpikedAde production location not disclosed.
| Next |
SpikedAde team moves into Constellation's Beer Division |
| Stage |
Completed Oct. 7, 2026 |
Production location not disclosed.
Source: Rochester Business Journal (news report)
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| Contract or award |
$37M award |
Contract · Oct 1, 2026 · Syracuse, Onondaga County · SRC, Inc.
SRC reports a $37M Air Force prototype award for its Ghost Mantis technology. No production commitment or local job count disclosed.
| Next |
Air Force prototype evaluation |
| Stage |
Contract or award Oct. 1, 2026 |
Company-reported; not independently confirmed.
Source: SRC, Inc. (news report)
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Closure · Sep 29, 2026 · Niagara Falls, Niagara County · The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear plans to close its Niagara Falls chemical plant, with production expected to end Oct. 31, 2026. Sources differ on jobs: about 85 across two sites (SEC filing) vs. 60 local (Niagara Gazette).
| Next |
Production ends; decommissioning follows, Oct. 31, 2026 |
| Stage |
Plan approved Oct. 1, 2026 |
Warn notice not disclosed.
Sources disagree on jobs lost: About 85 jobs across Niagara Falls and Bayport, Texas combined; no Niagara Falls-only figure (SEC EDGAR / Goodyear); 60 local jobs (Niagara Gazette via CNHI); Niagara Falls-only headcount not confirmed (WKBW)
Sources disagree on other site: Bayport, Texas (SEC EDGAR / Goodyear); Pasadena, Texas (Niagara Gazette via CNHI)
Sources: SEC EDGAR / Goodyear (primary source); Niagara Gazette via CNHI (news report); Spectrum News (news report); WBEN / Audacy (news report); Buffalo Toronto Public Media (news report); WKBW (news report)
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| Contract or award |
$18.9M obligated
Contract ceiling $1B |
Contract · Sep 28, 2026 · Liverpool, Onondaga County · Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems
An $18.9M change to an existing Air Force radar contract with work in Liverpool. The ~$1B figure is the contract ceiling, not new spending.
| Next |
Contract work expected to finish, June 30, 2029 |
| Stage |
Contract or award Sept. 28, 2026 |
Contract ceiling, not money committed or spent. From a secondary listing; original notice not accessed.
Source: Forth / War.gov mirror (news report)
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| Contract or award |
$11.2M obligated
Contract ceiling $64.5M |
Contract · Sep 28, 2026 · Liverpool, Lithuania · Lockheed Martin Global Inc.
An $11.2M radar-parts contract change with work in Liverpool and Lithuania; the Liverpool share is not disclosed.
| Next |
Contract work expected to finish, March 30, 2030 |
| Stage |
Contract or award Sept. 28, 2026 |
Regional share not disclosed. Contract ceiling, not money committed or spent. From a secondary listing; original notice not accessed.
Source: Forth / War.gov mirror (news report)
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In development
Announced plans and applications: not yet built or confirmed.
| Application only |
$6M proposed |
Expansion · Oct 6, 2026 · Salt Road, Penfield or Webster · Wilbert's Premium Auto Parts
Not an approved or under-construction project as of source date.
| Next |
Penfield Planning Board decision on the application |
| Stage |
Application only Oct. 6, 2026 |
Sources disagree on municipality: Salt Road, Penfield (Rochester Business Journal); 1272 Salt Rd, Webster, NY 14580 (Wilbert's Premium Auto Parts website)
Source: Rochester Business Journal (news report)
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Update · Oct 2, 2026 · Rochester, Finger Lakes · Gekko Photonics
Gekko Photonics says it has a Rochester office and plans local engineering hires and regional suppliers; no headcount or facility announced yet.
| Public support |
$1M accelerator award (Luminate NY (state-backed accelerator)) |
| Next |
Local engineering and support hiring (no headcount given) |
| Stage |
Stated intent Oct. 2, 2026 |
Company-reported; not independently confirmed.
Source: Gekko Photonics (news report)
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Corridor news
Regional news, not counted in production or investment totals.
| Contract or award |
$1.4M grant |
Grant · Oct 1, 2026 · Ithaca, Tompkins County · Cornell University
Research grant, not a production or hiring commitment: $1.35M over five years for programmable photonic chip research at Cornell.
| Stage |
Contract or award Oct. 1, 2026 |
Research funding, not a production or hiring commitment. Not counted in WNY production totals.
Source: Cornell Chronicle (news report)
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| Contract or award |
$14.3K obligated
Contract ceiling $38.8M |
Contract · Sep 28, 2026 · Niagara Falls, Niagara County · Criterion Corporation
Base maintenance and logistics contract at Niagara Air Reserve Station: $38.8M ceiling, $14,317 obligated so far. Contractor identity is still being confirmed.
| Next |
Contract work expected to finish, Nov. 30, 2031 |
| Stage |
Contract or award Sept. 28, 2026 |
Company identity still being confirmed. Being confirmed: contractor identity. Contract ceiling, not money committed or spent. From a secondary listing; original notice not accessed. Not counted in WNY production totals.
Sources: Forth / War.gov mirror (news report); HigherGov (news report); Womyn Owned (news report)
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More in the online issue
Issue One online also lists the people mentioned, the organisations these stories are about, and the stories by Congressional, State Senate and Assembly district.
Read about our news methods, or see all articles and news sources.
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Niagara Assembly (unincorporated) · office@niagaraassembly.com
This edition uses the Issue One export of 2026-10-10; the reporting and review status are those of the issue.
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