(Tribune News Service) — Just weeks after obtaining nearly $700,000 in tax breaks from Genesee County, Batavia-based Graham Corp. is starting construction on a 28,867-square-foot manufacturing facility at its main campus, expanding its capacity and enabling it to speed up production for customers — particularly the U.S. Navy.

Graham is spending $17.6 million to build the plant, which is expected to be completed over the next 12 months, followed by the start of commercial operations in summer 2025.

Designed and built by Ciurzynski Consulting, Wolfe Architecture and Montante Construction, the new building at 20 Florence Ave. will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and includes sustainability features, in keeping with the company’s environmental goals. The project at 20 Florence Ave., is expected to create 24 full-time jobs, paying salaries of $75,000 to $85,000, on top of the company’s existing 367 workers.

Graham Corp. is expanding its Batavia operations with a new 29,000-square-foot manufacturing plant.

The goal is to reduce design and manufacturing costs, while improving the defense contractor’s ability to ship products for the U.S. military as a “strategic supplier” for the Navy.

“Our new facility will play a key role in enhancing our operational capabilities, providing the expanded capacity to accelerate production to meet our customers’ growing requirements, particularly the U.S. Navy,” said Graham President and CEO Dan Thoren.

Headquartered in Batavia since 1942, Graham designs and makes fluid, power, heat-transfer and vacuum technologies used by the defense, space, energy and process sectors. Its products include cryogenic pumps, condensers, heat-exchangers and other turbomachinery, and they are used by the Navy’s supply chain for its Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines and Ford-class aircraft carriers.

The project includes $8 million in construction costs and $9.4 million for equipment. Funding includes a $13.5 million “strategic investment” that it received a year ago from “one of the company’s valued customers,” with the rest coming from Graham.

The company was also approved by the Genesee County Economic Development Center — the county’s industrial development agency — for $383,546 in sales-tax breaks and a property-tax abatement totaling $298,427 over 10 years.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised the company’s work as “integral to supporting our nation’s national defense,” and commended Graham for “setting sail to reach new horizons not only in this company’s growth but in support of our national defense.”

“I’ve been proud to secure vital federal funding for the U.S. Navy’s Submarine and Aircraft Carriers Industrial Base supply chain that the Navy relies on to purchase technology and equipment made right here in Batavia,” he said in the news release. “This not only supports these local jobs, but enables the new 24-job $18 million expansion.”

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