Dutchess County Development Chief Sets Sights on Canadian Solar

The nameplate on the president”™s door has changed, but the challenges for Dutchess County”™s Economic Development Corp. remain the same: retaining and attracting business in an uncertain economic climate.

Catherine Maloney, the former director of business attraction, became interim president/CEO after John MacEnroe”™s departure and is currently searching for a replacement for her former position. “I expect to have someone in my former position by March 1,” she said.

Maloney has also got a new cohort: Ron Hicks, former president/CEO of Rockland County”™s Economic Development Corporation, initially lured back to his home county to become part of county executive Marcus Molinaro”™s transition team. In mid-January, after the transition, Hicks was appointed to the newly created position of deputy commissioner for strategic planning and economic development.

Hicks was executive director of the Mid-Hudson Empire State Development Corporation under Gov. George Pataki, relocating to Florida after Eliot Spitzer was elected to work for the City of Fort Lauderdale”™s economic development corporation. He came back north in 2009 to lead Rockland”™s EDC and Industrial Development Agency.  “I”™m excited to be working with Ron,” said Maloney. “He brings a wealth of knowledge to the table in a personable and effective manner.”

Maloney”™s already set her first priority: putting together an offer enticing enough to keep the new owners of Spectrawatt”™s extensive inventory, Canadian Solar, in Dutchess.

Expectations soared when solar cell manufacturer Spectrawatt leased 100,000 square feet of space at IBM”™s Fishkill campus, opening its doors in May 2010.  With nearly $90 million in private capital invested, and a promise of millions more in state and federal aid, Spectrawatt was expected to create several hundred high-tech jobs in the county.

But the enthusiasm vanished when Spectrawatt filed for bankruptcy a year later, the plant”™s physical contents bought by Canadian Solar for $4.495 million in September 2011 and its intellectual property picked up three months later by Pacific Technologies for $30,000, according to Spectrawatt spokesman Ron Haig.

Concurrent with Spectrawatt”™s sale, China”™s Linuo Solar Group bought IBM”™s 157 acre Fishkill Campus for $4.5 million. This is Linuo”™s first foray into the U.S. market, and the company plans to invest $100 million to refurbish the property and have up to 1,000 employees working  there by 2014.

Linuo focuses on manufacturing, research and development, as well as the distribution of solar thermal glass tubes. The company, involved heavily in foreign trade and logistics, is the largest producer of borosilicate glass in the world, a key ingredient in solar cell manufacturing. It employs more than 13,000 people globally, according to its website.

Mahoney said Dutchess County”™s economic team is meeting with Linuo”™s executives this month to discuss moving forward with its newest production/research and development facility.  “We have a wealth of highly skilled workers here in the mid-Hudson,” said Maloney. “I don”™t think they are going to have any problem finding quality employees to fill those jobs.”

Buffalo-born Maloney is in tune with the state”™s economic challenges, particularly in the small business community. Before becoming coordinator for the Kingston/Ulster Empire Zone, a position she held for 12 years before coming to Dutchess”™ EDC in 2008, Maloney owned a candy shop in Kingston. “It was an experience,” said Maloney wryly, “but it certainly left me with a much better understanding of the challenges small businesses face.” She said she”™s excited about her new position, as well as working with Hicks and Molinaro on building the county”™s rateable base.

Another round of economic development grants is included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo”™s 2012-2013 budget. The 10 regional economic development councils put together last year will be working together again to obtain more money for capital improvements and to attract business.

Of the $67 million the Mid-Hudson Empire State Development Council got in the first round (a pot sweetened by $800 million), Dutchess received $2.739 million for several projects:

$320,000 to restore Calvert Vaux”™s Hoyt House in Staatsburg; $1.8 million to Birchez Associates for the construction of 72 units of affordable senior housing in Fishkill; $400,000 for the installation of an elevator on Walkway over the Hudson; $195,000 to the town of Amenia to rehabilitate three commercial and eight residential units in mixed use-buildings and to upgrade streetscapes on Main and Mechanic Streets; and $12,000 to Dorsey Metrology in Poughkeepsie  for an employee training program for computer-aided design and tool control technologies.

Maloney said she has no doubt Dutchess County”™s members of the Empire State Development team will work on securing more funding in the next round.