Tagged: centerstate

All but a done-deal - just not quite, was the message from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) as he tries to build hype over the possibility of a high-tech chip manufacturer landing in central New York.

APIC Corp. of California proposes it will create 200 jobs, building the chips, at a site just north of Syracuse.

But the region landing its first nanotechnology firm hinges on APIC first securing a contract with the Defense Department.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is using his political weight to land a next-generation chip plant in central New York.

But the creation of the Syracuse-area nanotech facility largely depends on landing a contract from the Department of Defense, which is facing a budget cut.

On Wednesday, Schumer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging him to strike a deal with APIC Corp. of California. Such a deal could pave the way for the new chip plant.

Schumer says the plant would create 200 new jobs and could open by year’s end.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nominee to lead the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) will have a chance to clarify his off-the-cuff remark about taking those who pursue nanotech ventures in Syracuse to the woodshed.

Ken Adams, the incoming chief of the organization, will have to testify in front of the state Senate’s finance committee before he’s confirmed. The chair of that committee is Syracuse-area state senator John DeFrancisco; his office says the senator knows what Adams meant by the remark, but intends to ask him about it during the hearing.