The nonprofit Think Dutchess Alliance for Business, headquartered in Poughkeepsie, is designed to get businesspeople to do just what its name implies: think about Dutchess as a place to do business.
“We are tasked with business attraction, business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship support and marketing the county as an ideal place to work, live and enjoy,” Sarah Lee, CEO of the organization, told the Business Journals. “We are more of a referral service, where businesses can contact us when they have a business-related question and we can connect them with the right program or person.”
Established in 2016, Think Dutchess has as its mission reducing underemployment, increasing employment and providing assistance and financial incentives for the formation, retention, expansion and attraction of not-for-profit and for-profit businesses to improve the economic vitality of the county.
“For retention and/or expansion we can help businesses hire, retain or upskill their workforce,” Lee said. “We can connect businesses to funding opportunities and connect businesses to each other.”
Working with businesses of all sizes, from the solo entrepreneur to large corporations, including family-owned businesses, agricultural enterprises and creative firms, Think Dutchess Alliance is a one-stop shop that can help identify space for a relocation or expansion and provide technical assistance for business support, including in areas such as workforce, financing and incentives. Think Dutchess collaborates with Empire State Development (ESD), an organization that facilitates business growth and job creation across New York state, and more than a dozen other agencies for local business development needs and activities in Dutchess County.
“We work together on business attraction projects and we often provide the technical assistance for local business for state programs related to business,” Lee said. “We”™re fortunate to have I-84, the Taconic and the Thruway nearby as well as a commuter rail and Amtrak. We also have a highly educated population and a diverse business community. For the small business and entrepreneur, we can be a low-risk alternative to being in New York City or another metropolitan area. The cost of doing business is lower than the city while still having access to investors and the New York City market.”
Lee pointed out that as a result of the pandemic, Dutchess County has seen a growth in the small-business sector.
“We saw an influx of new residents moving to Dutchess County, many to do remote work from here but some people are choosing to start a business rather than go back to the office or have found an opportunity to start a business from where they love to live,” Lee said. “While most of our programs are tailored to for-profit businesses, we are able to provide some assistance to nonprofits.”
One for-profit example is Crepini, a Brooklyn-based family-owned food manufacturer that moved to a state-of-the-art facility in Fishkill that allowed them to grow their business both in terms of revenue and units produced.
“Initially the business needed help to facilitate incentives in New York state as a manufacturer. There were logistic needs as well ”” hiring over 100 new employees and retaining the employees who moved up here from Brooklyn. We needed assistance in many areas of our business and Think Dutchess Alliance along with the county executives and the ESD were very welcoming and responded to our every need,” Paula Rimer, CEO of Crepini, told the Business Journals. “We received New York state ESD job credit and equipment credit incentives up to $2.5 million, which we have already been taking advantage of since 2020. We have been introduced to the area”™s Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Industry, organizations which have helped with hiring as well as other incentives.”
Rimer expressed appreciation for all Hudson Valley has to offer.
“We love being in East Fishkill for its proximity to major highways and we have saved money on logistics and utility rates which are second-to-none,” said Rimer. “We love having access to the area”™s hardworking people who live nearby and to the area”™s culinary gourmet restaurants and many parks and hiking trails. We feel right at home here.”
Lee sees great potential for businesses to prosper in Dutchess County.
“While we are still impacted by national economic trends, we have a diverse business environment made up of several industries of different sizes that cushion us from dramatic swings,” Lee said. “For example, if one industry or employer is on a downturn there are many other industries that can help keep Dutchess County”™s economy stable. Also, as a result of our business attraction program, more businesses are recognizing the benefit of having a location in Dutchess County, so we are seeing more and more interest in our county.”
