BUFFALO, N.Y. -- IBM has opened up shop in downtown Buffalo. The company's new Innovation Center sits in Fountain Plaza and employs 11 people.
Company officials say by the end of the year, they will have 50 employees, and in five years, they'll reach 500.
IBM Microelectronics General Manager Michael Cadigan is a Lackawanna native. He said he's seen reason for optimism downtown over the last few years.
"I feel a difference when I come back here. The energy, the excitement and the attitude is very different," Cadigan said.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says with projects like IBM and Solar City coming in, Buffalo is receiving a high number of desirable jobs.
"We're not talking about 300 jobs in a call center paying minimum wage. We're talking about jobs that are related to the latest informational technology. Cloud computing, Watson technology, everything that, you see the ads on television and you hear, is the future, and that future is going to be here in downtown Buffalo," said Poloncarz, D-Erie County.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul says it means a lot for a company with IBM's reputation to choose to invest in the Queen City.
"It's a statement that people, world class businesses like IBM have discovered that we've known the last few years that this is the place if you want to innovate," said Hochul, D-New York.
The project is operated in the Key Center, and will look to generate IT software to assist discoveries in molecular research, genomics, energy efficiency development and defense.