The Westchester Coalition for Business Development, one of two private-sector task forces on economic development recently started in the county, has divided its work among subcommittees as it takes aim on a six-month target date for its report.
The task force, created by The Business Council of Westchester, plans to present specific strategies and recommendations to attract and retain businesses in the county to County Executive Robert P. Astorino and the county Office of Economic Development in June.
At a Jan. 20 meeting attended by nearly 30 coalition members, subcommittees were assigned particular areas of work. Business Council President and CEO Marsha Gordon said they would meet monthly and prepare a draft of their recommendations in May.
Christopher O”™Callaghan, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and immediate past board chairman of the Business Council, serves as task force chairman. Subcommittees and their chairpersons are:
Legislative: Joanne Fernandez, government affairs manager, Entergy Corp.
Workforce: William McGrath, senior vice president, Pace University.
Financial: Carl Capuano, senior vice president, Provident Bank.
Real Estate: John Fareri, president, Fareri Associates L.P.
Incentives: Ellen Lynch, president and CEO, Yonkers Industrial Development Agency.
Infrastructure: Ross Pepe, president, Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley Inc.
Positioning: Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson, partner, Thompson & Bender L.L.C.
Quality of Life: Yuval Marcus, partner, Leason Ellis L.L.P.
Gordon said each subcommittee will consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within their area for each of the county”™s hot economic sectors ”“ biotechnology, health care, professional services, information technology and green business. They will develop both short-term and long-term goals and recommendations for small, medium and large businesses.
On another economic development front, Gordon recently was appointed a director of the Committee to Save New York, an independent group formed to educate and engage the public on the importance of fixing the state economy and Albany”™s broken finances through its website, letsfixalbany.org, and media outreach. Gordon is among 16 business, civic, community and labor leaders on the CSNY board.
Supporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo”™s agenda for economic growth and fiscal reform, CSNY plans to mobilize public support for change in how New York deals with the issues of economic development, taxation and government spending. The grassroots group said it would support legislative reform of laws that impede the creation of new jobs, make it hard for small business to thrive and discourage new business investment.
“It”™s critical to look beyond the borders of our county to solve the regional issues that impact us in Westchester,” Gordon said of her appointment.
The county”™s other leading business advocacy group, the Westchester County Association, in December announced the formation of its own private-sector task force to recommend action steps and changes in public policy to rejuvenate the county”™s economic base. WCA President William M. Mooney Jr. at the time called it “foolish” for the WCA and Business Council not to merge their separate panels with the work of the county Office of Economic Development”™s own business advisory committee.
