Stacey Duncan, CEO, Leadershp Alliance

With Micron’s recent groundbreaking outside Syracuse, the headlines understandably focus on the size of the project: billions of dollars, tens of thousands of jobs and a global company putting centering itself on Upstate New York.

But for me and for many others down the road in Broome County, the question these headlines leave unanswered is what can this moment mean for us?   For decades, our region has worked hard to develop deep manufacturing experience, strong educational institutions and a workforce that leads. Yet too many families still lack sustainable jobs, and too many young people grow up believing that success means having to leave home — issues the Micron project promises to address to our north.

Micron and U.S. government officials broke ground at White Pine Commerce Park in Clay, NY as Micron advanced to the next step for its $100 billion megafab investment in the state of New York on Friday, January 16, 2026.

We have to seize the moment in Broome County, too

We must seize this moment to change the pattern here at home, too.

Semiconductor manufacturing depends on an entire network of suppliers and partners. Testing and packaging or specialized equipment companies need large sites, reliable infrastructure and a skilled workforce. And just as importantly, they need communities that are ready to grow with them. The good news here in Broome is that there isn’t nearly enough space to locate next door every supplier Micron — or for that matter, GlobalFoundries in Albany or Wolfspeed in Utica — needs to be successful.

Through a combination of legacy manufacturing sites like the Huron Campus in Endicott — as well as new proposed developments like the Broome Technology Park, which would be large enough to support a cluster of complementary high-tech industry leaders — we’re well-positioned to support the state’s long-term growth plans.

This isn’t hyperbole or speculation. In the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to tour advanced manufacturing and semiconductor facilities throughout Germany, as well as in Bromont, Quebec. This was foundational in understanding how co-located businesses can feed off each other, the infrastructure and workforce development needed to support them, how to bridge economic growth with environmental stewardship and, most importantly, how these types of developments can positively impact the communities around them.

What’s clear is that if New York wants Micron’s investment to deliver long-term value, it must think beyond one site and one workforce pool. It must bring multiple regions along, just as those regions must be open to accept new growth or else risk getting passed over.

But land and buildings are only part of the equation. What really determines whether an investment changes lives is whether people can access the jobs it creates.

Advanced manufacturing is a powerful engine for upstate

Advanced manufacturing can be a powerful engine for upward mobility. Businesses don’t just need engineers with advanced degrees. They need technicians with certifications from community colleges, machinists, operators, maintenance workers with on-the-job-training, and skilled tradespeople who can build their literal foundation and help them further expand.

Through partnerships with Binghamton University, SUNY Broome, local school districts, trade unions and workforce organizations, we are aligning education and training with the industries that are coming. New York as a whole, Broome County included, has to grow its talent from within. When workforce systems are built with access and inclusion in mind, and when they’re paired with sites ready for development, investment reaches further.

Micron’s investment creates demand. Regions like ours can help meet it, but only if we’re included intentionally and early and we’re willing to participate. If New York gets this right, the result won’t just be a single megaproject with success measured in the number of chips rolling off the assembly line. It will be a network of communities connected by opportunity, each playing a role in a shared economic future. And success will be measured in families who found stability, in communities that regained confidence, and in young people who no longer feel that leaving home is the only path forward.

Broome County is ready to be part of that future.

Stacey Duncan is executive director of The Agency, the economic development driver in Broome County; president and CEO of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce; and director-at-large board member of New York State Economic Development Council.