Richard M. Struck has been named president and CEO of Rockland Economic Development Corp. in Pearl River, the nonprofit agency”™s board of directors announced on Tuesday.
Struck, who served Orange & Rockland Utilities Inc. as economic development director for nearly 30 years, had served as interim president of REDC since last October following the resignation of Michael DiTullo as president and CEO to take a similar post in North Carolina.
Rockland Economic Development Corp. Board Chairman Stephen A. Coyle in the announcement said Struck “has provided REDC with great energy, insight and stability during his five months as interim leader of the organization. We look forward to Rick continuing his collaborative, focused style of leadership.”
At Orange and Rockland, Struck helped attract or expand more than 150 businesses that created 18,000 new jobs, filled 16 million square feet of industrial and office space and added more than $24 million in annual business tax ratables throughout the utility”™s three- state, six-county service territory, according to REC officials.
“Rockland needs a united front to bring new businesses and jobs here in a very competitive metro New York region,” Struck said. He said the agency he leads will work closely with Rockland County and local officials, the Rockland Industrial Development Agency, Rockland Business Association, Orange & Rockland, and Empire State Development “to attract positive attention to Rockland County. We have a great pro-business team in Rockland and together we can make a great future for the people and businesses here.”
Struck has served as a director of the Rockland Business Association, the Workforce Investment Board, the Rockland IDA, the Rockland Center for the Arts, the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., and Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, among other organizations.
In addition to providing economic development services to attract new businesses and retain and expand existing businesses to stimulate job growth in the county, REDC houses the U.S. Small Business Administration”™s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which assists area businesses in obtaining government procurement contracts.
