Page 53 - The Business Council of Westchester - 2018 Relocation Guide

The Hudson Valley
IS AN ECONOMIC DREAM
BUSINESS
With thousands of thriving businesses, the Lower Hudson Valley has a reputation as one of the coun- try’s best places for companies and industries of
all kinds. Westchester County alone employs some 400,000 workers and has shown robust growth in retail, construction and professional services, including biotech and healthcare.
Westchester benefits from a skilled labor force available from some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. Local govern- ments, along with the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, cultivate relationships and collaborative initia- tives with local colleges and universities, to entice their gradu- ates to launch their careers here in Westchester.
Some of the world’s leading research institutes call the Hudson Valley home. The region serves as an industry cluster for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Regeneron, Curemark and the Bioincubator at New York Medi- cal College. This robust activity has led to the region getting dubbed the BioHud Valley. Healthcare is also experiencing a boon here, creating the fastest-growing job sector.
The Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation works with companies considering relocating to or expanding within the region. Sectors of growth include semiconductors/ microelectronics, biotech, medical-imaging devices, food & beverage, information technology, advanced manufacturing, R&D and construction & housing — thanks to massive transit- oriented-development projects currently underway throughout the region, being driven by elite developers like GDC and RXR. Learn about state programs, including the Excelsior Job Pro- gram, START-UP NY, industry-specific tax incentives and fund- ing through the Consolidated Funding Application system.
Each county also has its own incentive program. In Orange, incentives focus on real-property tax abatements, mortgage- recording tax exemption, and sales-tax exemption. In Putnam, the Industrial Development Association offers businesses incentives including bonds, the elimination of mortgage-record- ing tax, and property- and sales-tax abatements. The Rockland Economic Development Corporation provides incentives in Business Development, Business Retention and Expansion, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and the Revolving Loan Fund Program.
The Business Council of Westchester (BCW) does similar work to build bridges for businesses and create economic growth. Board members are as varied as the businesses in the county itself, including IBM, Regeneron, Westchester Com- munity College, MasterCard Worldwide, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, YMCA of Central and Northern Westches- ter, Montefiore, NewYork-Presbyterian and Northwell Health.
FOTOLIA
The BCW is the largest and most influential business-membership organization in Westchester County.
The county supports nonprofits with low-cost and tax-exempt financial assistance from its Local Development Corporation. Economic development is encouraged through the County’s In- dustrial Development Agency (IDA). The IDA works with large and small businesses, as well as nonprofits. It has supported a number of firms with fewer than 25 employees and incomes of less than $20 million. Further economic incentivization is pro- vided by IDAs that are specific to many of Westchester’s cities.
The bottom line is that Westchester and the Hudson Valley are growing by leaps and bounds, with dozens of exciting new projects creating thousands of new jobs.
RESOURCES
Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation
Goshen, 845-220-2244; www.hvedc.com
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
The Business Council of Westchester
White Plains 914-948-2110; thebcw.org
Westchester County Office of Economic Development
White Plains 914-995-2963; business.westchestergov.com
ORANGE COUNTY
Orange County Chamber of Commerce
Montgomery 845-457-9700; orangeny.com
Orange County Partnership
Goshen 845-294-2323; www.ocpartnership.org
ROCKLAND COUNTY
Rockland Business Association
Pearl River 845-735-2100; www.rocklandbusiness.org
Rockland Economic Development Corporation
Pearl River 845-735-7040; www.redc.org
PUTNAM COUNTY
Putnam County Chambers of Commerce
Mahopac 845-228-8595; www.putnamchamberny.org
Putnam County Economic Development Corporation
Carmel 845-808-1021; www.putnamedc.org
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LIVING IN WESTCHESTER AND THE HUDSON VALLEY | RELOCATION & MOVING GUIDE