For Release: Immediate — October 20, 2015

Contact: Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations

(518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunycnse.com

Major Expansion Commemorated with Ribbon Cutting, Marking Effort by SUNY Poly CNSE, M+W and M+W Owned Gehrlicher Solar America Corporation to Create up to 400 Jobs Focused on Developing Solar Power Plants at SUNY Poly Sites Across New York State

Albany, NY – Highlighting Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s public-private partnership model and leading-edge clean energy initiatives for New York State, top leaders from SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) and M+W Group today took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of M+W Group’s U.S. Headquarters’ relocation to SUNY Poly CNSE’s $24 billion world-class Albany megaplex. Employment is currently ramping up at the new 30,000 square foot facility, located inside the $191 million Zero Energy Nanotechnology (ZEN) building, which will soon house 160 new and existing employees, as well as Gehrlicher Solar America Corporation (GSAC), a division of M+W U.S., Inc. As this high-tech, clean energy deployment effort gets underway, SUNY Poly, M+W U.S., Inc., and Gehrlicher will also kickoff an innovative partnership on a five year, $105 million solar power plant construction initiative which is expected to spur creation of as many as 400 jobs statewide.

“Governor Andrew Cuomo has championed New York State as the epicenter of economic growth opportunities and clean energy-based progress, and we are excited to see the results of his leadership which have directly led to globally recognized companies such as M+W investing, remaining, and expanding here,” said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, President and CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. “Today, as we mark the beginning of M+W’s expanded presence at SUNY Poly CNSE’s Albany campus, we tip our hats to M+W’s vast experience as a leader in advanced technology-focused engineering and construction. M+W has been a powerful partner to SUNY Poly, helping to transform the skylines of cities across New York State, and we are thrilled to welcome M+W’s U.S. headquarters to SUNY Poly CNSE where we will continue working hand-in-hand as Governor Cuomo’s high-tech initiatives catalyze even greater high-tech growth across New York State well into the future.”

“Today’s ceremony not only marks the opening of M+W Group’s U.S. Headquarters at SUNY Poly CNSE’s world-class facility, it also showcases the continued long-term partnership with SUNY Poly and our Capital Region and New York State customers, building on 12 years of meeting innovation-based challenges and developing critical technical talent as part of Governor Cuomo’s high-tech ecosystem,” said Georg Stumpf, Supervisory Board Chairman and M+W Group Owner. “With top corporations coalescing around New York State’s technology hubs, we are proud to play a central role in the growth that will continue to result from our partnership with SUNY Poly and our shared commitment to make New York State the innovation capital of the nation.”

“We are excited to continue our partnership and collaboration with SUNY Poly with the move of our U.S. Headquarters to the Zen building at the SUNY Poly CNSE campus,” said Ron Oakley, CEO, M+W Americas. “The campus, and particularly the Zero Energy Nanotechnology building that is now home to our headquarters, is a symbol of the technology and growth that our company strives to continue. We are proud to grow our presence at one of the most advanced technology hubs in the country.”

First announced in March 2015, M+W’s expanded headquarters and operations at SUNY Poly opens new avenues for greater collaboration based on the institution’s public-private partnership model which has attracted top tier technology corporations from around the world. Additionally, SUNY Poly’s unsurpassed educational offerings, its continued statewide expansion, as well as the resultant business spinoff, Governor Cuomo’s competitive business climate, and Albany’s proximity to key Northeast cities all make SUNY Poly CNSE’s Albany NanoCollege the ideal location for M+W’s expanded U.S. headquarters relocation.

As part of the relocation, the partner organizations will engage in a $105 million boundary-pushing solar power initiative to achieve research, demonstration, and deployment of an estimated 80 megawatts of distributed energy generation projects, including solar and energy storage systems, at SUNY Poly’s Albany and Utica campuses and its other facilities located across upstate New York. Gehrlicher Solar America Corporation, an M+W subsidiary, is a national leader in building and integrating commercial and utility clean energy systems, such as solar and energy storage systems, for developers, businesses, schools, non-profits, and government organizations at lower costs than they pay for carbon-based energy. SUNY Poly’s partnership with GSAC will leverage the company’s expertise, and, combined with SUNY Poly CNSE’s world-class resources and capabilities including its leadership in the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC), will make this bold initiative a model for clean energy implementation around the world. In the process, this collaboration will create up to 400 jobs, including project developers, project managers, on-site construction workers, electrical contractors, civil, structural and electrical engineers and operations and maintenance workers, in addition to current M+W U.S., Inc. employment totals in New York State that already exceed 2,000, including subcontractors.

In addition to the $105 million solar initiative, the ribbon cutting is the culmination of a robust business partnership stemming from a foundation of successful projects that include the design and construction of several buildings on SUNY Poly’s campuses in Albany and Utica, such as NanoFab South, NanoFab North, NanoFab East, NanoFab Central, NanoFab Xtension, and Quad-C. The expanded partnership also highlights the new M+W–SUNY Poly Research Alliance, which enables collaboration on joint business and economic development projects to bolster Governor Cuomo’s strategy for job creation and economic growth. In order to spur further high-tech business growth throughout New York State, SUNY Poly and M+W U.S., Inc. have also partnered to establish a first-of-its-kind Center for Construction Trades Training (CT2) where M+W will provide hands-on workforce training in partnership with SUNY Poly for the skilled trades.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $43 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 4,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, the Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua, and the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester where SUNY Poly also leads the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) at its Utica location and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

M+W Group. M+W Group GmbH, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of the leading global high-tech engineering companies. Established in 1912, the company now has operations in more than 30 countries. The M+W Group manages projects of all dimensions on behalf of clients from various sectors, including electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, energy and information technology — from semiconductor plants to nanotechnology research centers. The company offers a full range of services from concept and design to turnkey solutions. During the financial year 2014, the M+W Group generated sales of 2.46 billion euros with over 7,000 employees worldwide. For more information please click www.mwgroup.net.

Gehrlicher Solar.  Since being acquired by the M+W Group, Gehrlicher Solar America has leveraged the parent company's financial strength and global reach and built on its already solid reputation as one of the foremost engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance (EPC O&M) firms in the commercial- and utility-scale solar market. After more than doubling its annual project installation rate in 2013, Gehrlicher Solar continues on a robust growth trajectory in the U.S. and Latin America. Gehrlicher Solar is expanding its capabilities, taking a leadership role in the integration of energy storage, hybrid power generation, and grid stabilization solutions. For more information, visit www.gehrlichersolar.us.