Page 14 - 2024 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

OED Overview
Here For You
Westchester offers resources, assistance and expertise to help businesses across diverse sectors to thrive.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT www.westchestercatalyst.com
e Westchester County Office of Economic Development attracts and retains businesses and talent, offering business resources and financial assistance through the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the Local Development Corporation (LDC) and a range of business services.
Westchester Office of Economic Development Director Bridget Gibbons highlights current initiatives geared towards supporting Westchester’s economy and business community.
Westchester Office of Economic Development Director
Bridget Gibbons
What are the top priorities
for the Office of Economic Development in for 2024? Given its growing importance and impact, quantum computing will be a key focus area in 2024. Last year, we convened our first Quantum Consortium gathering and began building valuable connections
and collaboration among research institutions, academia, training programs, businesses, and government entities, Deborah Novick, director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the Office of Economic Development, has played a pivotal role in driving these efforts. Building on existing strengths, such as SEEQC and IBM, the goal is to work towards
a thriving quantum computing sector in Westchester, that fosters economic growth, job creation, and technological advancement.
What’s the latest with the Life Sciences Sector.
We’re in the middle of our fih
cohort of the Westchester County BioSciences Accelerator program, which comprises 12 startups. And back by popular demand, on May 1, we’ll
be hosting our second Life Sciences “Road Trip” (Showcase) where key stakeholders in New York City and Westchester will visit several significant life sciences destinations here in
the County, such as Westchester Medical Center, BioInc@ NYMC and Regeneron. e event will conclude with pitch competitions and a reception at Kanopi in White Plains.
Talk about the latest on the Advanced Manufacturing front. We’re excited to partner with the Manufacturing and Technology Enterprise Center in Newburgh,
to help develop our strategies and
gain deeper insights to offer greater value to Westchester’s Advanced Manufacturing community. We’re also building an Advanced Manufacturing Accelerator program, which will offer startups mentoring and training resources to strengthen their
business. We’re currently developing the curriculum but expect that the program will culminate with a pitch competition and prizes for participants.
What’s happening on the Clean Energy front?
Clean Energy is a huge focus for us, as it’s critically important to economic growth, but also the survival of our planet. rough our partnership
with Sustainable Westchester, we’ve made substantial progress this
year in building key relationships and asking important questions that can help us identify areas we can support. Resoundingly, these
companies indicated the need help hiring qualified employees. To address this need, we’re identifying training programs and funding sources to help ensure Westchester residents are trained for opportunities in this sector. To that end, we were also excited to host a Clean Energy Job and Resource Fair.
How is the Technology programming progressing? We continue to push forward with great work on multiple fronts, including new cohorts for our Element 46 and Launch1000 programs. (Learn more about these programs on page 18.)
Anything else you’d like to share?
Please reach out to us! We’re just a phone call away. Call me at 914-995- 2900 and we can discuss how we and our partners can help you.
OTHER ENTITIES
THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY www.westchestercatalyst.com/ Programs-Incentives
Created to promote and encourage economic development in the County, e IDA is an agency focused on helping to create and retain high-quality jobs, by offering mortgage recording tax exemptions, sales tax exemptions and taxable or tax-exempt bonds.
Annually, the IDA supports projects which account for hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment in housing, Life Sciences, mixed-use development, historic building renovation and reconstruction. e IDA has financed nearly $6.2 billion in projects and created approximately 28,000 jobs since 2010.
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE