Verrier to depart Cayuga County Chamber and CEDA

AUBURN, N.Y. — Cayuga Strategic Solutions, Inc. — the joint venture and umbrella organization of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and Cayuga Economic Development Agency (CEDA) — announced Friday that Tracy Verrier, executive director, is leaving for another job.

Verrier, who has been executive director for the last five years, has accepted a new position as senior analyst with MRB Group, a Rochester–based professional-services firm providing engineering, architecture, and local-government services. MRB also has offices in Geneva, Waterloo, and Salina.

Verrier’s last day at Cayuga Strategic Solutions will be Friday, Sept. 10.

Cayuga Strategic Solutions’ member organizations have named interim directors to lead the organizations while a search is conducted to find a permanent executive director. The search for a new executive director will begin immediately, with a search committee comprised of members of the two boards. The plan is to find a permanent hire for the new executive director within the next four months, according to a news release from the organization.

Amy Fuller, Cayuga County Chamber manager, has been named interim director of the chamber. Danielle Szabo, economic-development specialist, has been named interim director of CEDA and will also manage both Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) and Auburn Industrial Development Agency (AIDA).

During her time as executive director of Cayuga Strategic Solutions, Verrier oversaw and participated in economic-development initiatives resulting in more than $250 million of investment committed by businesses and organizations in Cayuga County, assisted by over $35 million in incentives, loans, and grants, and resulting in the retention of more than 800 jobs and anticipated creation of over 600 jobs. She also worked with the chamber to introduce new member-benefit programs, increase the use of technology for event registration, communication, and information sharing, and streamline various events and programs, per the release. She and her staff also helped secure and implement the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative program.