Already, 2022 is off to an incredible start. Our economic-development pipeline remains strong, and our team has been exceptionally busy working with partners to align resources to projects that will transform our community. Our Syracuse Surge partners and Economic Inclusion team is kicking off several training programs to connect talent to in-demand jobs. Our Racial Equity and […]
Already, 2022 is off to an incredible start. Our economic-development pipeline remains strong, and our team has been exceptionally busy working with partners to align resources to projects that will transform our community. Our Syracuse Surge partners and Economic Inclusion team is kicking off several training programs to connect talent to in-demand jobs. Our Racial Equity and Social Impact portfolio is leading numerous training sessions with local businesses that are ready to strengthen their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations. Likewise, our Research, Policy and Planning team is busy providing data and analytics to support these efforts, while also tracking the development of federal and state proposals, policy changes, and budgets.
Notably [recently] our Innovation and Entrepreneurship team took center stage when we welcomed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to The Tech Garden for a roundtable discussion as part of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). As you’ll recall, the CenterState NY Smart Systems coalition was named a finalist in the nationwide BBBRC, and if selected as a winner, could be awarded up to $100 million to implement its strategies and projects.
The visit by these federal leaders provided us an opportunity to showcase the exciting, growing companies that are contributing to and aligned with regional efforts to develop a “smart systems” cluster. It was a truly exceptional visit that highlighted our region’s successful efforts to drive results through collaboration and targeted strategies. Our guests were impressed with our [coalition’s] vision to position Central New York as a global tech hub by expanding its semiconductor-manufacturing industry, growing its existing UAS and quantum-computing industries, and creating the potential to attract more than 5,000 new jobs and train workers to enter in-demand fields.
I’m incredibly excited to see how all of these efforts drive progress and new opportunities for Central New York. If your company’s work aligns with these efforts to advance our regional smart-systems cluster, I encourage you to reach out to CenterState CEO’s chief of staff, Ben Sio, at bsio@centerstateceo.com to learn more. Thank you for your continued engagement.
Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This article is drawn and edited from the “CEO Focus” email newsletter that the organization sent to members on Feb. 3.