Page 22 - Westchester County - 2018 Economic Development Guide

NEWS YOU CAN USE BCW
THE BUSINESS COUNCIL OF WESTCHESTER
Making Things Happen to Promote Economic Development
As Westchester County’s largest and most influential business or- ganization, The Business Council of Westchester is breaking new ground with a series of innovative initia- tives that address key issues of importance to the economic vitality of Westchester and the Hudson Valley region. These ongoing initiatives were the focus of high-level programs and conferences in 2017.
TAKING THE LEAD ON ADVOCACY
Advocacy, which has long been a signature program of the BCW, was taken to a new level in 2017 with the launch of the new Legislative Enhanced Advocacy Program (LEAP) that provides BCW members a full-time government relations advocate in Albany.
The BCW’s Political Leadership Series provides members with a unique oppor- tunity to hear from some of the state’s top political leaders on issues of importance to the business community. In 2017, the pro- grams featured State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. In the county’s preeminent business event of the year, the BCW’s An- nual Fall Dinner in November featured the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton. And in December, County Executive-Elect George Latimer addressed the BCW in one his first public speaking engagements in his new role as the county’s chief executive at the BCW’s KeyBank Speakers Series.
One of the BCW’s top priorities has been construction of a new bridge to replace the deteriorating Tappan Zee Bridge. That dream became a reality in 2017 with the opening of the new Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge. “While others in the business community sat on the sidelines, we proudly led the charge over ten years as major advocates for the largest in- frastructure project in the nation,” said BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.
PROMOTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Gordon has played a key role as a member of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Devel- opment Council, which delivered more than $90 million to the Hudson Valley region in
BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon and BCW Chairman Anthony Justic present the Westchester Global Leadership Laureate Award to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
2017 as the top winner in the State. Gordon actively meets with businesses throughout the year to encourage participation in the state’s funding process.
REIMAGINING OUR
URBAN CENTERS
Responding to the unprecedented devel- opment in the county’s four major cities – White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon – the Business Council an- nounced the Urban Centers Initiative, an on- going program that seeks to bring together city officials, leading real estate developers and planning experts to find ways to take ad- vantage of new opportunities and sustain the momentum of economic growth.
The BCW kicked off this initiative with two highly informative programs. A KeyBank Speakers Series program featured a distin- guished panel of leading developers who dis- cussed their residential projects in the four urban centers. Following up on the success of this program, the BCW held a symposium on emerging trends in urban development with a panel of urban planning experts and key- note speaker Hugh Kelly, a world-renowned economist and author of 24-Hour Cities.
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TOP TALENT
The challenge of attracting and retaining top talent is the focus on another major BCW initiative which featured a high-level conference focused on talent recruitment as a key issue for businesses. The confer- ence included a panel of HR experts who said corporate culture, a willingness to consider employees with non-traditional backgrounds and a clear vision of your busi- ness’ mission are some of the key factors to building a great workforce.
“We stand apart from other business organizations by making things happen. We’re proud to have helped build the coun- ty’s economic growth with our initiative to promote and encourage the revitalization of Westchester’s urban centers. Our workforce development initiative helped to enlighten businesses on how to attract and retain top talent. Our advocacy programs, which are recognized throughout the state, represented the interests of our members at all levels of government. And the historic opening of the Mario Cuomo Bridge was a major triumph for our organization,” said Gordon.
To learn more about the BCW and the many benefits of membership, visit thebcw.org.
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE