OSWEGO COUNTY – Shane Broadwell, Chairman of the Oswego County Legislature, announced today (December 10) an expanded joint venture between the County, the Oswego County Industrial Development Agency and the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity.
The new partnership builds on a recent year-long effort by the County Legislature and the IDA to develop and adopt a Strategic Economic Advancement Plan for Oswego County.
The plan was designed to be used to guide and stimulate development in the county for the next several years.
“We spent a significant amount of time and effort in a public/private initiative that helped us identify existing resources as well as areas that need increased attention and investment if we hope to grow the economy in Oswego County,” Broadwell said. “This process also helped us realize that, in order to be successful in today’s economic development environment, we needed to reach out to our neighbors and work regionally to create opportunities that will not only impact Oswego County but the greater Central New York region as a whole. It was this realization that inspired us to bring CenterState CEO to the table as a partner. We are excited about the resources they add to our team.”
The county’s Strategic Plan took a deep look at items such as infrastructure, workforce development programs, the needs of existing employers, and industry clusters as well as existing workforce skills, abilities and availability.
From this analysis, target industry sectors were identified as well as priority measures for focusing energy on those areas most likely to have the greatest impact.
Legislator Tim Stahl, chairman of the County Legislature’s committee on Economic Development and Planning, said, “Bringing in Centerstate CEO as a neutral third party can help us look more objectively at how we deploy our own resources while also helping our efforts to identify outside assistance on a regional and state level. I think that it is imperative that we work together if we hope to grow Oswego County and the region. I believe that CenterState can help us do that without losing our individual identity as a county.”
Based in Syracuse, CenterState CEO is an independent economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce that serves the greater Syracuse region.
When asked for his thoughts on this initiative, Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO said, “We are excited to work collaboratively with economic development, business and academic leaders in Oswego County to craft strategies that will further advance the growth happening across the community. Through this new partnership we will enhance our existing business relationships to bring a stronger regional approach to our work.”
Also involved in the initiative and representing the third major partner was Nick Canale, vice chairman of the Oswego County IDA.
“The IDA is thrilled to be working with our partners in Oswego County by bringing on CenterState CEO for a fresh perspective on our Economic Advancement Plan” he said. “We look forward to working with local business, industry and education leaders to keep the county moving forward and driving new growth in the local economy.”
Efforts are under way to report on recent progress and to solicit the most current needs from key stakeholders in targeted industry groups.
For more information on how residents can be involved in these initiatives contact [email protected].
For a summary and components of the Economic Advancement Plan, go to http://www.oswegocounty.com/planning/advancement%20plan.html.
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