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Clarkson Pres. Collins to head new North Country Economic Development Council, Gov. Cuomo announces during Potsdam visit

Posted 7/28/11

POTSDAM – Clarkson University Pres. Tony Collins will co-chair a new North Country Regional Economic Development Council, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced during a visit this afternoon to SUNY …

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Clarkson Pres. Collins to head new North Country Economic Development Council, Gov. Cuomo announces during Potsdam visit

Posted

POTSDAM – Clarkson University Pres. Tony Collins will co-chair a new North Country Regional Economic Development Council, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced during a visit this afternoon to SUNY Potsdam.

The council is one of ten created around the state. Cuomo says the councils "redesign the relationship between state government and businesses to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs."

The Governor was joined by local officials, business leaders, and community members during his appearance in the Barrington Student Union.

"Governor Cuomo's plan for Regional Councils empowers our local stakeholders to pursue their own destiny across the North Country region. Colleges and universities across all ten regions are positioned to leverage the energy of our campuses to help create jobs and economic opportunities in their own backyards,” said Collins.

Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh, who will serve with Collins as the other co-chair. The Regional Council will coordinate economic development of St. Lawrence County, as well as Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson and Lewis counties.

Other members of the North Country Regional Council include:

John Martin, Operations Director, Alcoa Inc.

Donna Wadsworth, Communications Director, International Paper Company - Ticonderoga Mill

Jon Greenwood, Dairy Farmer/Former VP of NYS Farm Bureau

Richard Wilt, Vice President, Wilt Industries, Inc.

Lisa Weber, CEO, Timeless Frames and Timeless Decor

John R. Donoghue, President, Plattsburgh-Saranac Lake Building and Construction Trades Council

Dr. John Ettling, President, SUNY Plattsburgh

Cali Brooks, Executive Director, Adirondack Community Trust (ACT)

Mark E. Tryniski, President & CEO, Community Bank

Ron Davis, Plant Manager, Agri-Mark/McCadam Cheese Company

Carl A. McLaughlin, Executive Director, Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization

Terry Gach, Vice President Institutional Advancement, Trudeau Institute

James W. Wright, Executive Director, Development Authority of the North Country

Kate Fish, Executive Director, Adirondack North Country Association

Anne L. Merrill, Executive Director, Lewis County Chamber of Commerce

William P. Murray, Executive Director, Council for International Trade, Technology, Education and Communication

James McKenna, President & CEO, Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau/Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism

Adoré Flynn Kurtz, President & CEO, The Development Corporation of Clinton County

The elected chairmen of the Jefferson, Clinton, St. Lawrence County and Franklin County legislatures, chairmen of the Essex, Hammilton and Lewis board of supervisors, the mayors of Watertown and Plattsburgh and the town supervisor of Potsdam will also serve on the council. Elected officials will serve in an ex-officio basis and will participate in discussions and the planning process, said a prepared statement from the governor’s office.

“As we thrive, our communities will thrive through partnerships that create, innovate, and reach globally. Governor Cuomo's community-based, competitive approach will generate strategies for creating jobs and investing in new business, and will enable us to preserve the unique character and natural beauty of the region,” said Collins. “It will also bring real results by offering competitive grants and tax incentives to the most promising businesses. I look forward to working with Governor Cuomo, Lieutenant Governor Duffy, and my fellow Council members as we move forward with this plan."

Cuomo said the Regional Councils represent a fundamental shift in the state's approach to economic development, from a top-down development model to a community-based approach that emphasizes regions' unique assets, harnesses local expertise, and empowers each region to set plans and priorities.

Currently, New York State's economic development efforts are managed through dozens of separate state and local agencies. The Regional Councils will now bring together stakeholders in every region of the state to serve as a coordinated point of contact for economic development.

Each Regional Council will be chaired by Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy and will be led by two Regional Co-Chairs from the business and academic communities. Additional membership is comprised of local leaders from business, academia, labor, agriculture, nonprofits, and community-based organizations.

Each Regional Council will develop a plan for the development of their region. The state will work with the Regional Councils to align state resources and policies, eliminate unnecessary barriers to growth and prosperity, and streamline the delivery of government services and programs to help the Regional Councils carry out their plans for development.

The ten Regional Councils and their areas of coverage:

• Capital Region (Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington)

• Central New York (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego)

• Finger Lakes (Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates)

• Long Island (Nassau, Suffolk)

• Mid-Hudson (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester)

• Mohawk Valley (Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie)

• New York City (Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond)

• North Country (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence)

• Southern Tier (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins)

• Western New York (Alleghany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara)

For more information about the regional councils, visit www.nyopenforbusiness.com