Intergrow will expand in Webster, add 100 jobs

File photo by Tom Rivers – Dirk Biemans is co-owner of Intergrow Greenhouses, which built its first 15-acre greenhouse in the Town of Gaines in 2003. The company has done multiple expansions to 55.5 acres under glass in Orleans County. Today, Intergrow announced plans to expand in Monroe County.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that agricultural company Intergrow Holdings, Inc. will expand its operations to Webster, creating 100 new jobs in the Finger Lakes Region.

The expansion will include building two new, 25-acre state-of-the-art commercial greenhouses to grow produce year-round for the Northeast market.

Intergrow began operations in the Town of Gaines in 2003 with an initial 15-acre greenhouse. It has expanded to 55.5 acres at its site on Route 98.

Dirk Biemans, CEO of Intergrow Holdings said: “We continue to see a growing demand for locally grown, year-round produce from our customers and are excited to stay in Western New York where we have found an opportunity in Webster for a greenhouse project to produce this product.”

Intergrow will build two new, 25-acre greenhouses at the intersection of Salt and State Roads in Webster. The produce grown will provide local, year-round, hydroponically-grown tomatoes, an alternative to produce that requires warmer, distant climates. The greenhouses will utilize state-of-the-art and sustainable growing practices, and product packaging will be performed on site. Construction of the first greenhouse is scheduled to be completed next fall. The second greenhouse is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

The first 50 employees at the Intergrow site in Webster are expected to be hired by July 2018; the remaining 50 employees will be hired before June 30, 2021, according to the Governor’s Office.

“Our strategy to drive economic growth across New York has focused on investing in regional potential,” Governor Cuomo said. “By expanding its operations in the Finger Lakes, Intergrow is driving job growth in a vital sector of our economy while offering New Yorkers greater access to high-quality, locally grown produce.”

Empire State Development, New York State’s economic development agency, will provide up to $750,000 in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits and a $750,000 capital grant in return for job creation commitments. Rochester Gas & Electric will be providing a $400,000 grant to help offset electric infrastructure costs. Farm Credit East is providing a farm credit loan. The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency has offered mortgage and sales tax abatements, as well as a 10-year standard PILOT.