Mentorship in orange

At the Satin Fine Food facility in Chester, from left: Giovanni Smith, Tyler Plaster II, Nicholas Chimienti, Bryan Granados, all from Monticello High School; Alan Standish, general manager of Satin Fine Foods; Chibueze Dim, Monticello H.S.; Amanda Dana, Orange County Partnership; Cameron Marker, University of Scranton; Susan Bahrenburg, Monticello H. S.; Brian Bezkorowajny and Zachary Menendez, Advance Testing; Ryan Wing and Anthony DiMartino, Newburgh H.S.; Larissa Lewis, Orange County Partnership.

Even though it”™s August, students from Monticello High School and Newburgh Free Academy participated in a daylong session that informed them on the economic growth and development philosophy of Orange County. It was part of a mentorship program developed by the Advanced Testing Co., for which the Orange County Partnership (OCP) was recruited to teach a session on the importance of economic development in the county.

The day began with a comprehensive presentation on the services offered by the OCP, including how it markets the county and attracts new business through site selection assistance, identification of available incentives and demographic research. The presentation also touched on the wide-ranging tools employed by OCP to retain and expand existing businesses and how the financial support of local businesses supports its mission.

A tour of the Orange County Emergency Services Center (911 Center) was followed by an in-depth roundtable discussion that included Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus; Larry Gottlieb, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.; Maureen Halahan, president and CEO of OCP, Dawn Ansbro, executive director of the Orange County Arts Council; and Christine Little, a representative of LEGOLAND NY.

The day concluded with a tour of Satin Fine Foods in Chester.