Page 52 - 2019 Westchester Economic Development Guide

A New Vision
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Here For You
Support. Guidance. Tax Incentives. Whether you’re looking to start, relocate or expand your business, Westchester’s got what you need.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (OED) www.westchestersmart.com
Office of Economic Development Director Bridget Gibbons discusses the role of the OED in supporting Westchester’s business community and overall economy.
Westchester Office of Economic Development Director Bridget Gibbons
Talk about the mission of the OED.
The Westchester OED attracts and retains businesses and talent. We offer business resources and in- centives through our Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the Local Development Corporation (LDC) and a range of related services.
What’s your background?
Earlier in my career, I was a technology consultant, managing global projects for clients like Chase, Accenture and IBM. Later, I founded a successful so- cial media business. I joined the OED in early 2018 and it’s been incredibly gratifying supporting Westchester’s richly diverse business community.
What are your top priorities?
Along with the County Executive, the OED works to nurture and sup- port our relationships with large, Westchester-based companies, such as Regeneron, MasterCard and Pep- siCo. But it’s important to remember that the vast majority of Westches- ter’s businesses are small or mid-sized businesses. We’re equally supportive of businesses of all sizes, including our non-profits.
What’s in store in 2019?
We’re working to efficiently rollout 5G technology throughout the County and high-speed broadband in areas where this is lacking – we call this the digital divide.
We’ll also continue to amp up our pro- grams to position Westchester County as an innovation hub that will attract millennials, startups and business tal- ent.
Finally, we’ll continue to work close- ly with our biotech sector partners to support the establishment of a bio- tech/life sciences cluster in the County.
What’s your primary message
to businesses and talent
considering Westchester? Westchester is in the midst of another renaissance, highlighted by the recent signing of the North 60 lease and our transit oriented development County-wide. West- chester is a great place to build a business and a life.
What’s the best way to
seek assistance?
It’s easy! Call me at 914-995-2900 and we can discuss how we - and our partners - can help you.
OTHER ENTITIES
THE WESTCHESTER
COUNTY INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY www.westchesterida.com
Created to promote and encour- age economic development in the County, the IDA is a public ben- efit corporation laser-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 mil- lions of dollars in private investment in housing, biotech, mixed use devel- opment, historic building renovation and hospitality, as well as renovation and reconstruction.
Recent projects supported by the IDA include: substantial new rental housing developments; an $80 million renovation of a county airport han- gar; and the construction on Danone’s new U.S. headquarters.
THE WESTCHESTER LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION (LDC) www.westchesterldc.com
Provides low-cost, tax-exempt bond financing for non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2014, it has:
• Provided more than $800 million in tax exempt financing to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, libraries and social service agencies.
• Helped to renovate critical infra- structure expansion for non-profits, which has created more
than 1,500 permanent and construction jobs.
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE