Business in Yates County
Yates County isn’t just a beautiful place to live — it’s a community where people and businesses thrive. Whether you’re an entrepreneur launching a startup, a company looking to expand, a remote professional seeking a lifestyle change, or someone exploring a new career, Yates County offers the resources, connections, and opportunities to succeed.
The Finger Lakes Economic Development Center (FLEDC) provides guidance at every stage, from relocation support and access to funding to business mentorship, workforce connections, and strategic partnerships.
With thriving industries like manufacturing, craft beverage, agriculture, healthcare, and tourism, a skilled local workforce, and a location within easy reach of major markets, Yates County combines small-town charm with big opportunities. No matter your path, FLEDC and the Yates County community make it easier to grow your business, build your career, and enjoy a high-quality lifestyle in a place you can proudly call home.
Entrepreneurship in Yates
YATES COUNTY SMALL BUSINESSES
The FLEDC believes that small businesses drive the economy and have made Yates County a veritable hub for entrepreneurship. We have helped hundreds of small businesses — from retail shops to manufacturers to artisan workshops — get off the ground via low-interest loans, grants, low-cost space, and business planning assistance.
The FLEDC has helped facilitate:
New Attractions and Start-Ups:
150
Business Expansions:
400+
Jobs Created:
2,000+
Company Investments:
$500M+
Grow Your Business
EXPAND IN YATES COUNTY
The FLEDC has the resources you need to move to or expand your business in Yates County. From local financial assistance to help in navigating state and federal funding to our collaborative roles with regional and state economic development organizations, the FLEDC are experts in developing solutions tailored to the needs of your business.
With Yates County as your base, you are located within 500 miles of one-third of the U.S. and Canadian populations, including New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.
33 Colleges and Universities surround Yates County, putting 187,000 students at your doorstep. The region is No. 1 in the United States for STEM-related degrees, including physical sciences and mathematics, No. 3 for degrees in engineering, and No. 5 in degrees for computing and information sciences.
Nearby transportation includes the Penn Yan Airport, the location of Seneca Flight Operations’ fleet of private jets, Penn Yan Aero, the world’s oldest independent airplane engine overall facility, and Performance Aviation, a helicopter service and repair operation, as well as rail service through the Finger Lakes Railway and convenient access to the New York State Thruway, Interstate 390 and New York State Route 17 (I-86).
Yates County is only an hour from both the Greater Rochester International Airport and Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Over the past decade, more than 125 new businesses have called Yates County home, alongside nearly 300 business expansions, totaling over $300 million in capital investments. With thriving industries from manufacturing to craft beverage, healthcare, and agriculture, Yates County combines opportunity, support, and accessibility for all types of businesses. Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, Yates County is the place where you will succeed.
Build Your Business Here
At FLEDC, we believe small businesses drive the economy. We help entrepreneurs launch businesses of any size or industry by providing access to tailored financing solutions, mentorship, and resources. From custom funding programs to guidance on navigating local, state, and federal grants, FLEDC supports your business every step of the way.
Expanding businesses can take advantage of a variety of tax incentives and low-cost financing options designed to reduce project costs. Whether you need assistance with building renovations, equipment purchases, or startup capital, FLEDC connects you with programs to help your business succeed.
A Ready and Willing Workforce
Yates County offers a highly skilled and accessible workforce, with 650,000 workers within a 45-minute drive. Wage and benefits packages are competitive, with entry-level skilled workers earning $12–$16 per hour.
The Yates County Department of Workforce Development One-Stop Center, in partnership with Finger Lakes Works, provides programs for job seekers and employers alike. Workforce initiatives like SkillUP Yates offer free online training with over 5,000 courses for residents and employees. FLEDC also partners with local schools through Discover Yates, giving students hands-on experience in real businesses to build a pipeline of future talent.
Relocate Your Business
CONNECT WITH CONSUMERS
Yates County isn’t just a place to grow your business — it’s a place to connect with customers. From farmers’ markets to local festivals to Main Street businesses, there are endless opportunities to reach consumers. Our vibrant tourism and craft beverage sectors further amplify visibility, drawing residents and visitors to local shops and services.
The county’s location places it at the center of the Rochester, Syracuse, and Ithaca metro areas, giving access to over 1.8 million people. Local retail demand totals $330 million annually, with $144 million currently unmet — an ideal opportunity for new businesses.
Business Parks
Yates County offers flexible spaces to fit a variety of business needs:
Horizon Business Park – Shovel-ready and ready for development
Keuka Business Park – Multi-tenant facility with 25 tenants, including manufacturers, retailers, and nonprofits
Penn Yan Industrial Park – Currently sold out
With fast permitting, modern infrastructure, and support from FLEDC, these business parks make it easy to launch or expand your operations.
Rent or Lease
For businesses seeking retail or office space, Yates County’s Main Streets provide charming, high-visibility locations. The Downtown Revitalization Initiative in Penn Yan has created spaces perfect for startups, small businesses, and independent retailers.
From storefronts to loft-style offices, leasing options allow businesses to establish themselves in a vibrant community while connecting directly with local and visiting consumers.
Careers in Yates County
FIND LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES
Yates County is the perfect location to build your career, offering a multitude of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities across multiple sectors, leading the Finger Lakes nine-county region in total job growth, manufacturing job growth (29%), and tourism revenue per capita since 2000. Manufacturing, health care, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, and public and higher education are the fastest-growing sectors in Yates County.
Immense natural beauty, affordable cost of living, and access to multiple airports make it an appealing locale for an increasing telecommuter population as well.
Career Opportunities
With one of the fastest-growing manufacturing bases in New York, Yates County offers careers in high-tech manufacturing, including engineering, machinists, assemblers, and more.
Yates is also home to nationally leading health care organizations with careers ranging from on-the-floor nursing and physician roles to social work to advocacy and everything in between.
There are 33 colleges and universities representing 187,000 students surrounding Yates County. Keuka College is located on Keuka Lake, right in Yates County and numerous world-class universities, including Cornell University, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Eastman School of Music and University of Rochester, are all within one hour’s drive.
Working Remotely
This is an exciting time to settle in Yates County, as people across a variety of professions and experiences are choosing to call Yates home, resulting in a veritable creative collision.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “live where you vacation,” you won’t be surprised that visitors who fall in love with Yates County end up moving here. Yates County is home to a rapidly increasing telecommuter population.
Offering a balanced lifestyle of a unique blend of world-class destination amenities and four seasons of activities with a low cost of living and charming small towns, Yates County is establishing itself as a central hub for telecommuters and remote workers. Many private shops and public spaces offer free WiFi, and dedicated co-working spaces are becoming more popular.
Leading Industries
AGRICULTURE & MANUFACTURING HUB
With fertile land and fresh water, Yates County has always been attractive to farmers and currently leads the state in the organic agriculture sector. Additionally, Yates County continues to flourish as a manufacturing hub, with a mix of manufacturers from different industries, including some that have called Yates County home for over 200 years.
Many manufacturers call Yates County home thanks to the county’s very low costs of doing business. Yates County manufacturers have access to many services and incentives that help them remain competitive in today’s business environment.
Agriculture
Yates County is unique in the proximity of three different lakes, the number of wineries it possesses, its extensive organic industry, and the diversity of farm products it grows.
Yates County is central to an ever-growing wine and organic industry, and more recently, local entrepreneurs have founded a number of microbreweries and its first distillery. As of 2014, there were 130 wineries in the Finger Lakes region, with Yates County accounting for 35 and growing. Lesser known is the fact that Yates County is home to 40+ of the more than 100 organic farms and businesses in the region.
Agribusiness
Yates County is one of the very few places in the country where the number of farms is increasing. In 2012, there were approximately 919 farms in Yates County generating sales of approximately $117 million, up from 722 in 2002, generating approximately $50 million. This is an increase in farm revenue of over 130% over 10 years. These farms purchase and maintain a large amount of farm equipment, and overall, these enterprises spend over $40 million annually in products, services, labor, utilities, and feed, in addition to requiring lots of nonagricultural support services.
The 35 wineries that call Yates County home are responsible for employing more than 750 people and contribute more than $30 million in annual economic impact in Yates County. With the more recent addition of 4 microbreweries, numerous growers of hops, and a distillery, Yates County is becoming a real player in the fast-growing craft beverage industry.
Viticulture
With over 1,700 acres of vineyards, Yates County is the largest wine grape and second largest total grape growing region in New York, despite being the State’s smallest geographically.
The Yates County economy boasts some of the most highly regarded winery operations in the United States and the world. We have 35 wineries and two wine trails, numbers that cannot be matched by any other area in New York. A quick snapshot from 2010 is sure to impress:
35 International and National award-winning wineries
$17.9 million in estimated 2010 retail wine sales
$41.1 million estimated economic impact of wine sales on the county
More than 800 full- and part-time employees in the industry
Organic
Despite its small size, Yates County is growing more organic products than any other county in New York and was dubbed New York’s organic capital by former New York Governor Spitzer.
Organic farming has reached a critical mass in Yates County with over 40 organic farms and businesses growing hay, grain, milk, berries, vegetables, and other products for sale to buyers inside and outside of the region.
In addition to production and dairy farms, Yates County houses lavender farms, wineries, and numerous food storage and processing facilities that are all certified organic. There continues to be a number of local outlets that carry organic goods, including wholesale bulk food stores, many wineries, the Finger Lakes Produce Auction, and The Windmill Farm and Craft Market.
Manufacturing
Yates County has among the fastest-growing manufacturing sectors in the Northeast, growing nearly 30% since 2000. Low-cost utilities, a stable and productive workforce, and access to markets are part of the reason our manufacturers are continuing to grow.
We are very proud of the local companies that have been growing within our County for as long as 200 years. This sampling of our local manufacturing base gives you a great view of the diversity of companies that call Yates County home:
Manufacturing Companies
Abtex Corporation, located on Route 14 in Dresden, has been designing and manufacturing application-specific abrasive nylon deburring brushes and automated deburring systems since 1980. Nearly all Abtex products are custom-designed and built locally.
Birkett Mills, the world’s #1 producer of buckwheat products for more than two centuries, has been in continuous operation at the site of its original location in downtown Penn Yan since 1797.
Coach & Equipment, a manufacturer of small- and medium-sized buses, has been manufacturing in Yates County since 1895. Their continued success is evidenced by their move in 2000 to their new state-of-the-art 85,000-square-foot facility located in the Horizon Business Park in Penn Yan.
Dudley Poultry Company Inc. is nestled in the scenic Middlesex Valley. Dudley has manufactured, marketed, and distributed fine-quality poultry and related products since its inception in 1963.
Ferro, a leading global producer of technology-based performance materials for manufacturers, is the world’s largest supplier of electronic materials for passive components used in the manufacturing of multilateral ceramic capacitors; specialty glass and colorants; ceramic glaze frit and stain technology; and porcelain enamel frit. Their Dresden, New York, plant is part of their electronic materials system division and develops, manufactures, and markets high-purity powders, pastes, and tapes for many electronic applications.
KanPak LLC, a family-owned dairy company based in Arkansas City, Kansas, acquired its Penn Yan facility at the end of 2014 and has been expanding ever since. The plant, which has liquid aseptic processing as well as yogurt capabilities, services the North East region and is one of the largest employers in the area.
Penn Yan Aero has been remanufacturing and improving upon piston aircraft engines in Penn Yan since 1945. Today, Penn Yan Aero is a global leader in remanufacturing and reciprocating engines and engine components for single and twin-prop driven aircraft and small helicopters. Penn Yan Aero also builds new engines for the “experimental” general aviation market.
Remee Casting Inc., headquartered in Penn Yan, is known throughout the Northeastern United States as the premier manufacturer of cultured marble, granite, and other solid bath products.
Healthcare
Yates County is home to one of the nation’s leading telemedicine organizations, Finger Lakes Community Health. With local hospitals and within an easy commute of nationally and internationally renowned medical schools, teaching hospitals, and veterinary schools, there is ample opportunity for either a burgeoning or established career in medicine or veterinary medicine.
Keuka College is expanding its nursing program by partnering with Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing in Geneva, bringing a dual degree (Associate’s Degree and Bachelor of Science) in nursing to Keuka College’s home campus. Keuka College is exploring possibilities to increase the number of students by utilizing a building owned by Finger Lakes Health near the local hospital, Soldiers and Sailors, in Penn Yan, and using the hospital for clinical work. Keuka College is focusing on rural health and on educating local students who desire to stay and work in the area.
Tourism
Yates County is at the epicenter of the Finger Lakes Region that sees more than 20 million visitors spend over $2.2 billion on an annual basis. Our tourism industry continues to expand with new venues, events and attractions and an ever-increasing focus on the area from vacation and tourism publications. With the recent addition of two new hotels downtown, there are now nearly 1,500 rooms for overnight guests within the county.
Renowned for our beautiful scenery and world-class wines, visitors come to the region every year to visit our local wineries, tour and shop at our organic farms and farmer’s markets, vacation on one of our three Finger Lakes, hunt and camp in our forests and parks, stroll through our historic villages, hike along the outlet trail or purchase some of the many high-quality handcrafted goods produced by our local Mennonite families. With so much to do, there is little reason to doubt the economic impact of tourism in Yates County now and in the future.
Tourism by the Numbers
THE AVERAGE YATES COUNTY VISITOR STAYS THREE DAYS AND SPENDS NEARLY $500 A DAY
3 FINGER LAKES (KEUKA, CANANDAIGUA, AND SENECA LAKES) PROVIDE VENUES TO BOAT, SAIL, SWIM, AND DIVE
35+ AWARD-WINNING WINERIES DRAW NEARLY 500,000 ANNUAL VISITORS THAT GENERATE $14 MILLION IN ANNUAL RETAIL SALES AND AN OVERALL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OVER $26 MILLION, WHICH ALLOWS OUR LOCAL WINERIES TO INVEST IN OVER $30 MILLION IN RECENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
MORE THAN 100 WINERIES WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE
THE WINDMILL FARM & CRAFT MARKET HOUSES OVER 200 VENDORS ON 31 ACRES OF PROPERTY AND GENERATES BETWEEN 8,000 AND 10,000 SHOPPERS EVERY WEEKEND
ONE OF THE LARGEST MENNONITE POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES ACCOUNTS FOR A LARGE PORTION OF LOCALLY PRODUCED FURNITURE AND CRAFTS, AVAILABLE BOTH ON-SITE AND AT THE VARIOUS FARMER’S MARKETS AROUND YATES COUNTY