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Monthly Feature Article: Adopting a 'Lean Attitude'
Written by Peter Wohl, Co-Regional Director of ESD’s North Country Regional Office
February 2010 Issue
Today, it seems everyone is learning to do more with less. Globally and locally, companies have been conserving resources, reassessing their operations and adopting a ‘lean attitude’. For communities and companies across New York State, this new reality means new challenges and adapting to a different way of doing business. The North Country is no exception to this trend as shifts in local economies have left many wondering what the future has in store.
But even in the face of these tough times, we have been able to pull together and realize tremendous successes. Empire State Development (ESD) has formed strong public- private partnerships, with our fellow economic development leaders like The Development Corporation, our community and business leaders in Clinton County and our colleges and universities like SUNY Plattsburgh, working towards a common goal of spurring economic growth, attracting businesses and creating jobs.
Together, we have leveraged the North Country’s unique assets—our superior quality of life, our skilled workforce and respected educational institutions, our access to water and other natural resources, and our proximity to marketplace. Time and time again, we’ve seen our proximity to Ontario and Quebec play a pivotal role in the attraction of new businesses. In fact, Clinton County is home to more than two hundred businesses with Canadian parent companies. It’s a driving reason Nova Bus chose Plattsburgh for its new U.S. location, bringing with it, 300 new jobs. Just a year and a half later, with the help of ESD’s Regional Office team, the local economy has seen a great boost with an influx of spin-off Nova supplier companies to the area. In addition to Nova Bus, we’ve also had a hand in helping projects like the Plattsburgh Airport take shape and companies like Akrimax making the North Country home.
Going forward though, we too, will look to do more with less. At the direction of Governor Paterson, ESD Chairman and CEO Dennis Mullen is working to better position the region to compete and encourage businesses to locate and expand here. A newly proposed economic development plan considers the state of the economy and focuses on rebuilding New York. In fact, the Excelsior Jobs Program is the centerpiece of the most innovative job creation agenda in the history of the state and is geared to grow the high-tech/clean energy jobs of tomorrow. The Manufacturing Legacy Program will breathe new life into old abandoned industrial facilities, repurposing them to manufacture the products of the New Economy. And, for the businesses at the heart of our economy, the newly proposed Small Business Revolving Loan Fund will support a more diverse and competitive business climate by providing much needed access to capital for the state’s small businesses.
As we prepare for the upcoming Mud Season here in the North Country, which like today’s economy, is a sometimes unpleasant interlude between the ebbs and flows of our seasons, it’s a time we as residents and businesses need to roll up our sleeves and work together. Only our collaborative efforts will ensure the success of our programs and put New York and the North Country on a path of recovery and growth for years to come. 
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