Page 31 - Westchester County Economic Development Guide 2013
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Westchester economy,” he says, “and all
businesses are under tremendous pressure to
shift part of their healthcare costs onto their
employees. Helping those firms get better
control over their healthcare costs benefits
all concerned.”
WestMed, with administrative
offices in Purchase, is an accountable
pay organization under the Medicare
Shared Savings program. Thus, “if we
are successful in helping our 13,000
members, everyone comes out ahead,”
Schwartz says. To that end, WestMed
works with local hospitals to decrease their
number of admissions and lengths of stays,
while also preventing re-admissions for
which Medicare would impose penalties.
Therefore, along with helping patients
retain or regain good health, “we now have
a real financial incentive to work together
to improve the quality and efficiency of
care,” Schwartz explains.
WestMed also appreciates that
Westchester has a large volume of
specialized medical organizations.
Cooperation among these groups allows for
strategic planning. “Via this centralized
strategic planning – and negotiations
with our hospitals and physician groups
– we directly, and positively, impact large
numbers of patients,” Schwartz says.
Foodservice &
Hospitality
Describing the benefit of clusters to
Westchester’s food and beverage industries,
Peter Herrero Jr., founder and President
of New York Hospitality Group and
Caperberry Events in White Plains, uses an
old restaurant analogy: “You want to be the
only one in the game, or you want to be on
restaurant row.”
Herrero opts for the “restaurant row”
approach since it improves opportunities
for everyone, attracting customers and
supporting businesses alike.
Dan Conte, President of the Westchester
Hotel Association and General Manager
of the Westchester Marriott Hotel in
Tarrytown, agrees. “It’s good when everyone
does well,” he says. “Businesses that
prosper are businesses that travel. And
Westchester’s wide range of quality lodging
options makes it even more appealing for
those considering expansion or relocation.”
Heineken USA has spent nearly two
decades in White Plains, home base
for coordinating the distribution of its
imported product. Heineken is also a
founding member of the Hudson Valley
Food and Beverage Alliance, which
is associated with the Hudson Valley
Economic Development Corporation.
Senior Vice President of Corporate
Relations Stacey Tank says these groups
provide a fine platform for discussing
ideas ranging from strategies for coping
with social media to sharing best business
practices. “We also enjoy a lot of great
ideas that originate and incubate within
smaller companies,” Tank says. “Often,
that information has proven to be quite
valuable.”
At the Captain Lawrence Brewing
Company in Elmsford, Scott Vaccaro, owner
and award-winning head brewer, recognizes
that being located so close to major food
and beverage firms attracts valuable
attention. “With Coca-Cola right across the
street from us, we draw reps from all kinds
of different companies such as salesmen of
adhesives, labeling or packaging,” Vaccaro
explains. “Having them here expands
our scope of new contacts and raises our
visibility. It’s definitely helped us on our
production side.”
Such positive feedback from the likes of
Captain Lawrence, The Dannon Company,
Regeneron, NewYork-Presbyterian
Hospital and others is music to the ears
of Westchester Economic Development’s
Laurence Gottlieb. “By working together
in such tough economic times rather
than going it alone, business owners
draw strength from each other, and their
combined resiliency ensures greater success
for all,” he explains. “Equally, government
entities are always looking to bolster
regional economic efforts rather than
investing limited resources in one company
at a time; therefore, clusters tend to attract
more resources, which are then spread out
among the individual firms.”
Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO
of The Business Council of Westchester,
adds, “Clustering provides an opportunity
for businesses to cross-fertilize in terms
of ideas, innovation and cutting-edge
technology. You develop a location where
people with education and skills want
to locate because the resources are there.
It encourages entrepreneurs in an area
that is ripe for growth and has all the
ingredients necessary: business resources and
people, intellectual capital, quality of life,
business-friendly policies and an educated
workforce.”
And the fact that clusters lead to job
growth not only within their respective
industry but in others as well is just one
more bonus.
“A big part of our business has become
the biotech industry,” says Renee Brown,
President and CEO of C.W. Brown Inc.,
a general contracting and construction
management company in Armonk. “We’ve
built labs and biotech space, and we’ve
noticed there’s a growing number of
companies coming to Westchester. We’ve
been able to target that market, and it helps
everybody.”
C.W. Brown has also worked with the
food and beverage cluster. “Each of these
clusters benefits those particular sectors, but
they benefit all of us,” Brown says. “They
benefit the entire economy of Westchester.”
RESOURCE BOX
Look here for more information
about organizations featured in
this section.
■
Acorda Therapeutics
■
Caperberry Events
■
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
■
ContraFect Corporation
■
C.W. Brown Inc.
■
The Dannon Company
■
Heineken USA
■
Hudson Valley Economic
Development Corporation
■
New York Hospitality Group
■
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
■
NY BioHud Valley
■
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
■
Westchester Marriott Hotel
■
WestMed Medical Group
Westchester County Economic Development Guide |
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