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Come Grow with New York

With job growth on the rise over the past three years, New York State proves it is a prime spot for business.

By Ellen James

New York State has the 11th largest economy in the world, and it is an economy that keeps on growing. According to a report put out in March by the New York State Department of Labor, the state’s economic expansion continued in 2006, extending a trend of job growth that has been in place since mid-2003. New York added 260,600 private-sector jobs (seasonally adjusted) between August 2003 and December 2006, showing signs of improvement from the economic slowdown associated with the national recession and the September 11th attacks.

After annual year-end data revisions, New York’s private- sector job count (not seasonally adjusted) averaged 7,125,200 in 2006, up 81,100 (1.2%) from 2005. Nationally, private-sector jobs moved up 2.0% between 2005 and 2006. Total nonfarm jobs (including government jobs) in the state increased 78,800 (0.9%) over the same period, while the number of U.S. nonfarm jobs rose 1.8%.

Felix Schoeller Technical Papers in Richland, NY Felix Schoeller Technical Papers in Richland, NY will expand its production capabilities, adding 125 new full-time jobs to the 80 current full-time jobs.

Job data is revised at the end of each year for all states as more information becomes available. These recent revisions resulted in relatively small adjustments to New York’s annual average private-sector job counts for 2005 and 2006; there were 3,600 more private-sector jobs in 2005 than initially estimated and, to date, there are 15,000 more private-sector jobs in 2006 than first estimated.

Eight of the state’s 14 metro areas experienced stronger private-sector job performance in 2006 than in 2005. Improvement was especially notable in Binghamton, Elmira, and Kingston. Binghamton went from a job loss of 0.5 % in 2005 to a gain of 1.4 % in 2006. Kingston and Elmira went from flat private-sector job growth in 2005 to ranking among the fastest-growing metro areas in 2006.

There is plenty of room in the Empire State for your business to grow. Here are some locations in New York that can provide a nurturing environment for your business.

Marcy NanoCenter is Ready For Business

Marcy NanoCenter—a 300-acre greenfield site in the town of Marcy, NY in Oneida County—is poised for occupation by a chip fabrication plant. Located on the campus of the State University of New York Institute of Technology, the site’s reputation was boosted last year when it was identified as the second site choice of chip manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for its new 300-mm semiconductor fabrication plant.

After AMD selected a site 100 miles east of Marcy, company Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz called Marcy a “world class site.”

“We were impressed by the number of locations, including Marcy, that would make an excellent location for a semiconductor fabrication facility,” said Dr. Ruiz.

Dr. Ruiz’s mention of Marcy was noted in press reports worldwide, and Mohawk Valley EDGE—the economic development agency for Oneida and Herkimer counties—seized the opportunity this presented. In the last six months, Mohawk Valley EDGE has met with companies in several states, Europe, and Asia.

“We feel Marcy is poised to be the next North American site selected by a semiconductor manufacturer for a greenfield development,” says Steven J. DiMeo, president, Mohawk Valley EDGE. “AMD validated Marcy NanoCenter as an excellent location for a semiconductor plant, and confirmed the Mohawk Valley can attract and support the global workforce that such a development would attract.”

The Empire Zone program and state and local incentives make New York State a highly competitive location for the semiconductor and nano-electronics industry, and were factors that helped AMD pick New York over other global site options.

Mohawk Valley EDGE, with support from a grant from National Grid, has committed to invest several hundred thousand dollars in Marcy NanoCenter this year. A $4 million commitment from New York State will also help improve Marcy NanoCenter’s shovel-ready site.

AMD’s investment decision has bolstered the presence of the semiconductor industry in New York. Along with AMD, the Albany Center of Excellence, SEMATECH North, IBM’s chip-fabs in East Fishkill, Tokyo Electron Limited, ASML, Applied Materials, and INVENT are all part of New York’s powerful semiconductor industry cluster.

Operate in Oswego County

Operation Oswego County (OOC), in collaboration with other entities, assisted Northeast Biofuels (NEB) and partner Permolex International with funding and other support for what will be the third largest ethanol plant in the nation, and the largest east of the Mississippi River. The plant will occupy nearly a quarter of the 420-acre Riverview Business Park (RBP) in the town of Volney, NY. RBP is being developed as an industrial park with a focus on renewable energy and agribusiness.

Once operational, the project will help create more than 1,500 spin-off jobs in agriculture, transportation, and other sectors of the Central New York economy, in addition to NEB’s on-site staff of 50.

Biodiesel manufacturer GS Fulton Biodiesel will also locate at RBP. The multi-million dollar plant will produce 10 million gallons of biodiesel a year from soybeans for heating purposes, creating 15 jobs. Additional businesses such as Venture Milling (Perdue Farms) will operate and sell dried distilled grain for animal feed derived from the processing of corn to ethanol, and BOC Energy will establish a $15 million liquefaction plant to process carbon dioxide from the NEB operation for use in the beverage industry. These projects will help to create 30 to 50 jobs.

Another successful economic development project facilitated by OOC in the past year was Felix Schoeller Technical Papers, which announced plans to make a $4 million investment in new equipment, building renovations, and other facility modernizations in Richland, NY. The company expects to add 125 new full-time jobs.

Why do these companies—and many others—choose to stay and grow in Oswego County? The availability of attractive, low-cost financing options with the county of Oswego IDA, SBA 504 loans, and Empire State Development programs is part of the reason. Utilizing the incentives afforded by the New York State Empire Zone designation can virtually eliminate tax liability for 10 years for new, qualified businesses.

Not to mention, the county has affordable power offered through three nuclear power plants, 10 hydroelectric plants, and four natural gas and fossil fuel power plants.

With 2,000 miles of highways, a CSX Rail System, a fully-equipped county airport just 45 minutes from Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, and the deepwater Port of Oswego, companies can have all their transportation needs met.

And last, but certainly not least, Oswego County has a 59,000-strong workforce. County and state agencies provide employers with custom training services as needed, plus other services such as on-the-job training opportunities, skills assessment, and apprenticeship development.

Syracuse is At the Center of Success

New York State - prime spot for business With job growth on the rise over the past three years, New York State proves it is a prime spot for business.

Known as a center of innovation since the mid-19th century, Syracuse is maintaining its spirit of innovation in the 21st Century through two new initiatives—the Center of Excellence and the Central New York (CNY) Biotechnology Research Center. The Center of Excellence is on the leading edge of green and renewable energy. It is a collaboration of industry, academia, government, and business whose mission is to create innovations in environmental and energy technologies that improve human health and productivity, security, and sustainability in urban and built environments.

The CNY Biotechnology Re-search Center is a project that will help establish the Syracuse area as a hub for plant and animal biotechnology research. It is an aggressive three-phase plan that envisions an $80 million, 240,000-square-foot facility containing research labs, technology-transfer space, offices, and conference rooms dedicated to biotechnology research and economic development efforts.

Phase one of the research center is currently being designed as a 60,000-square-foot teaching facility. The center will be the largest bioprocess engineering teaching center in the world. At the core of the facility is a 5,000-square-foot bio-production plant that will be used to teach bioprocess engineering scale-up and GMP manufacturing technologies and activities in a real-world setting, with both certificate and degree programs offered.

Syracuse’s skilled and available workforce, affordable cost of operation, diverse economic incentive programs, and less-burdensome regulatory climate all help contribute to successful business growth.

Plus, companies find it easy to get the type of inexpensive real estate they need in Syracuse. Options include quaint office space in the historic section of Armory Square, downtown complexes, suburban parks, and abundant green space, including the 250-acre Clay Business Park. Located in a suburban section of Onondaga County, the business park features the seclusion of a rural setting with access to housing, shopping, downtown, and an airport, each only minutes away.

Syracuse also has the infrastructure to help companies succeed. Sitting at the crossroads of two interstate highways, companies can reach the major population centers of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in one day, while the Syracuse Hancock International Airport offers over 150 daily flights to East Coast locations with one-stop global connections.

A Great Choice for Growing Companies

Greater Binghamton, NY’s location, concentration of high technology, and quality of life make it a prime destination for growing businesses. The Greater Binghamton region (part of Broome County) is comprised of Binghamton, Endicott, and Johnson City, as well as surrounding suburban and rural towns. Conveniently located along the Interstate 81 corridor between Scranton and Syracuse in New York’s Southern Tier, Binghamton is three hours from midtown Manhattan, and is close to Philadelphia, Albany, Cleveland, Toronto, and Boston.

The Binghamton region supports a variety of industries, including aerospace, software, advanced manufacturing, communications, simulation, distribution, and services, and it is home to an impressive mix of big-brand companies such as Lockheed Martin, Gannett, Rockwell Collins, BAE Systems, Universal Instruments, Endicott Interconnect, Frito-Lay, and IBM. A range of smaller firms also find the region a great place to operate.

Last year, the Broome County Industry Development Agency (BCIDA)—a non-profit economic development organization that works to improve the overall economy of the Greater Binghamton region—made a loan to Modern Marketing Concepts to assist in the purchase of new machinery and equipment for use at its new location in the Kirkwood Industrial Park in Binghamton.

The BCIDA approved a sale/lease back for a one-story, 76,400-square-foot addition to Maines Paper & Food Service Inc.’s corporate headquarters in the Broome Corporate Park. The agency also approved a sale/lease back for a one-story, 77,000-square-foot food distribution facility in the park. Together, the two projects represent a $15 million investment in Conklin, NY and Greater Binghamton.

One of the most significant projects BCIDA has dealt with recently is the Millennium Pipeline. Millennium is designed to deliver power to urban markets to the south. The economic impact on the Southern Tier is projected to be more than $200 million, and more than $70 million in Broome County alone. About 3,000 jobs are expected to be created along the entire line during construction.

Within a two-hour radius of Greater Binghamton is the largest concentration of college students in the U.S. Your business would be able to draw talent from Cornell, Syracuse, Colgate, Wells, LeMoyne, Hamilton, Hartwick, plus SUNY Binghamton, Cortland, and Oneonta, among other higher-education institutions.

It’s easy to live and work in Binghamton and stay connected to the world. With technology that is better than communities many times its size, the area can provide connectivity up to an OC-92, as well as a range of other state-of-the-art services including Metro Ethernet, NLAN, Voice, and VOIP trunks.

In terms of affordability, last fall Business Week ranked Binghamton as one of the 50 most affordable housing markets in the United States. Add to that modest commute times and a great quality of life, and Binghamton makes a strong case for itself as a superior place to work, live, and play.

 

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