Page 50 - Westchester - 2017 Relocation Guide

BUSINESS
ThWe Hudson Valley IS AN ECONOMIC DREAM
ith thousands of thriving businesses, the Lower Hudson Valley has a reputation as one of the country’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, profes- sional services, and construction.
A stone’s throw from New York City, this region benefits from the skilled labor force available from some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. Local governments create business- friendly environments with prosperous, inviting communities.
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, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Richard- son Consulting Services, and TR BIO. Healthcare is also expe- riencing rapid growth, 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 and beverage, information technology, advanced manufacturing and research & development. Learn about state programs, including the Excelsior Job Program, START-UP NY, industry-specific tax incentives and funding through the Consolidated Funding Ap- plication system.
Each county also has its own incentive program. In Orange, incentives focus on real-property tax abatements, mortgage-re- cording tax exemption, and sales-tax exemption. In Putnam, the Industrial Development Association offers businesses incentives including bonds, the elimination of mortgage-recording tax, and property- and sales-tax abatements. The Rockland Economic Devel- opment Corporation provides incentives in Business Development, Business Retention and Expansion, the Procurement Technical As- sistance 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 it- self, including IBM, Regeneron, Westchester Community College, MasterCard Worldwide, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester, and Montefiore. The BCW is the largest and most influential business-membership or- ganization 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). County Executive Robert
FOTOLIA
Astorino has announced five new projects, creating more than 3,700 jobs, including 600 permanent ones. The projects include a major residential/retail complex (White Plains), a biotech head- quarters expansion (Tarrytown), an affordable-housing project (Chappaqua), a new hotel (Dobbs Ferry), and a radical expansion of Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla).
The IDA works with large and small businesses, as well as non- profits. It has supported a number of firms with fewer than 25 employees and incomes of less than $20 million. Further eco- nomic incentivization is provided by IDAs that are specific to many of Westchester’s cities.
Many are realizing, “If you build it, they will come.”
RESOURCES
Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation
New Windsor, 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
40 | LIVING IN WESTCHESTER AND THE HUDSON VALLEY | RELOCATION & MOVING GUIDE