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LIA in the News - 2010
LIA & LIRPC Luncheon Features Keynote Dennis Mullen, Empire State Development Corp.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMelville, Long Island, NY July 22, 2010 CONTACT: Heather Shivokevich 631.493.3036 Gary Wojtas 631.493.3020
 Nearly 200 Long Island leaders representing business, education, labor and government gathered at the Long Island Association (LIA) and Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) co-sponsored luncheon featuring keynote speaker Dennis Mullen, chairman and CEO of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), and special guest Mark Peterson, president and CEO of the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) on Monday at the Long Island Marriott Hotel in Melville. The event concluded with a panel discussion hosted by Kevin Law, LIA president-elect, and Michael White, executive director, LIRPC. "It was an interesting presentation by Chairman Mullen," said Dan Perkins, LIA vice president of Government Affairs. “At a time of dwindling resources, it’s encouraging to see our State government cut spending and develop a program that hopefully does more with less. I think we all want to see the Excelsior Jobs Program succeed and create badly needed jobs here on Long Island," he continued. “We in government have to get more focused,” said Mullen. He added that the state’s new Excelsior Jobs Program – replacing the Empire Zone Program – creates a solid foundation for New York State to retain and attract companies. Mullen highlighted three pillars of the ESDC’s overall strategy: 1) a mission statement including both jobs and capital investment components; 2) a strategic direction aligning partnerships in business, labor, and education; the new ability for “micro-loans to help Main Street;” investment funds for research and development in green-, bio-, nano-technologies, and more; and 3) a strategic trust with incentives for business leaders to “create economic success.” Mullen cited job creation incentives and, to meet the needs of business, the program would eliminate zones and increase access and speed- to-market explaining the new application process would take five weeks versus the current five month process. Mullen believes the robust program when implemented “will be at a greater spending level” and proceeded to review and compare the tax credits within the two programs. For more on the Excelsior Jobs Program visit: http://www.empire.state.ny.us/BusinessPrograms/Excelsior.html For more on the Small Business Revolving Fund Loan Program visit: Following Mullen, guest speaker Mark Peterson brought a unified approach to economic development and reflected on the “passion in the morning’s discussions as positive.” Rochester’s attraction tactics include a seamless approach for companies to work with issues such as zoning, planning boards, etc., and positions the GRE as a “non-profit marketing organization to make our region both attractive and easy to work with,” Peterson said. Peterson stressed the importance of a regional collaborative effort. To foster cooperation, he suggests inviting everyone to the table for a dialog with a consensus building process to “agree on what you can and move on.” In addition to bridging education and business, Rochester includes a broad base of support. From the local water authority to relationships with Ontario, Canada, GRE’s marketing approach highlights “convergence” opportunities for businesses utilizing regional strengths for R&D. Peterson closed with a concise two-minute video message that promotes Rochester as a unified, progressive region with the resources and relationships to attract world-class businesses and talent. To view Peterson’s presentation, click here. To view Rochester’s promotional video, click here. To view photos of Facebook, click here.
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