Economic Development Task Force 2011 Formed By Leading Business Group

Representatives of Major Private-Sector Businesses and Organizations to Join in Coordinated Effort to Bolster County’s Economic Base
By: Frank Pagani
 
Nov. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- Citing continuing weakness in Westchester’s economic climate, the Westchester County Association, the leading business advocacy organization in the county announced today that it was forming a broad-based private-sector economic development taskforce.  The taskforce, the members of which will be named in the coming days, will include representatives of key private economic sectors and will work to identify current issues and conditions and to develop action steps and public policy recommendations designed to rejuvenate the county’s economic base.

In announcing the major new initiative, Bill Mooney, President of the Westchester County Association (WCA,) said that the decision to form the taskforce followed months of discussion among the group’s Board of Directors and members.  For the last 60 years the WCA has spearheaded economic development efforts in the county.

Referring to the recent editorial in The Westchester County Business Journal titled “Who’s going to the mat for the private sector?” Mooney said:  “It’s a timely question that we can answer:  No organization is better prepared and qualified to tackle this serious challenge than ours.  We have the top business leaders who are ready to take action and we will be moving ahead quickly and assertively.”  

He added:  “As the recession has continued and the financial problems confronting both our state and local governments have continued to grow at an alarming rate, our members have expressed an increasing level of concern about the economic climate of the state, the county and its municipalities.  We are seeing that no place, including Westchester, is immune from today’s enormous economic pressures.”

Mooney said that while there are a few economic sectors showing some signs of economic growth, most are not.  “There are a few encouraging pockets in limited areas of business.  Unfortunately, many of the key sectors that form the economic underpinning of the county are stalled or shrinking.  It’s a disturbing situation and our board and membership are unanimous in seeing the need for a serious private sector initiative to make sure that the county’s economy remains stable.”

Mooney noted that with the public sector facing serious financial constraints and ever more challenging economic problems, “the government, be it federal, state, or local, can no longer be relied on to carry the ball as it has been doing for the last 10 years or more.  He said: “In the 1990s the private sector formed the Westchester Business Partnership and had great success in both attracting and retaining important businesses for Westchester.  Many of the companies that are part of our economic backbone today came at least in part as a result of efforts by that group.”

Mooney said that before the Thanksgiving holiday, the County Association held a day-long, off-site strategy summit at which the economic stability of the county was the major focus.  He said that the off-site meeting capped a series of discussions, forums and small group meetings that the WCA has held over the last six months as the weak economic situation has raised growing concern within the WCA’s membership.

“The WCA Call-To-Action Campaign that focused on the recent election and the financial and dysfunctional problems of New York State brought us to form alliances with several major state-wide and regional business organizations,” Mooney said.  “That outreach provided us with a vantage point from which to see the true breadth and scope of the state-wide economic crisis, and it is daunting.”

Further impetus was provided when Robert Selander, former CEO of Westchester-based MasterCard International spoke at the WCA’s 60th Anniversary dinner four weeks ago.  His speech emphatically stated that “business, not government, provides the energy and the ideas to build the nation’s economic future.”

“Those words provided inspiration to virtually every one of the more than 700 people attending the dinner,” Mooney said, “and re-enforced our decision to form the new taskforce.  We left that evening knowing that the need is here and the time is now and we will move forward this crucially important initiative.  In the coming days, the WCA Chairman will be announcing the members of our Taskforce 2011 that will work to bolster the county economy for the 21st century.”

The Westchester County Association (www.westchester.org) is the preeminent business membership organization in Westchester County.  The Association is committed to business advocacy, economic vitality and to providing a strong and clear voice for the interests of businesses on the regional, national and international levels. Its key objectives are: promoting positive economic development in the region; fostering business development; and providing its members with access and interaction with key public and private sector individuals, agencies and organizations.
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Source:Frank Pagani
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Tags:Westchester, Business, Taskforce, Economy, Economic Climate, Private Sector
Industry:Business, Economy
Location:Briarcliff Manor - New York - United States
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