Starting from the end and working backwards, the challenge from Saturday’s Economic Summit will be to keep moving forward.
“At every level, we have the challenge of holding up economic development with other social issues,” Assemblyman Pete Lopez told an audience of 130 by way of introduction.
“But it has to start with you. If you don’t step up and embrace this, it’s not going anywhere. The challenge is going to keep moving forward.
A project of Schoharie County’s Four Partners—the Chamber, Farm Bureau, government, and education--the Summit was a follow-up to one in 2005 focusing on outside solution to local problems.
The ’08 Community and Economic Development picked the brains of 140 “insiders” to brainstorm challenges and solutions in four areas: Tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and micro-enterprise.
Forty-five pages later, the real work begins.
“My challenge is: Listen, think, and give us your input,” urged Earl Van Wormer, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “Then let’s move forward and implement this.”
Mr. Van Wormer came back to that thought at the end of the day, after representatives from all four groups had kept to the promised 45-minutes each sharing what they’d come up with.
“One thing I’m hearing is that we need to do a better job of coordinating what we’re doing,” he said. “I don’t care who does it as long as someone does. It’s going to be a lot of small steps and that works best on the local level where we know each other and where we’re all working toward the same thing.”
Although tourism and agriculture are probably two of the county’s better known concerns—and both groups offered some novel solutions to their “challenges”--Chuck Finin and Wynn Kintz from manufacturing and Angela Kogler and Michelle Linnane from micro-enterprise opened some eyes as well.
Today’s manufacturing doesn’t need smokestacks, said Mr. Finin.
It’s a high-value industry with good wages that relies increasingly on technology and can complement other industries like agriculture.
“Where will you children work? How far will you travel to visit your grandchildren? When you retire, how long will you be able to live here?” without the economic base and solid jobs at all skill levels that manufacturing provides, he asked.
Though “officially” there are 40 manufacturers listed in the county, Mr. Finin, who runs his Mesa Technical Associates out of the old Interknitting “North Plant” in Cobleskill after outgrowing two previous locations, said he thinks the number is higher than that.
Mr. Kintz of Kintz Plastics, the county’s first Empire Zone business, said that if the county can attract more manufacturing, it can do a better job of keeping homegrown and local talent.
“Manufacturing pays very well,” he said. “It pays a lot more than flipping burgers and the need is there.”
The need is also there for broadband computer access, said Ms. Kogler, who runs Information Technology, a computer business out of her Cobleskill homes, and Ms. Linnane, who’s spent 30 years working in the field.
The two hadn’t even met till Saturday; they did all their work for the Summit by email.
Mom and pop businesses like hers do a lot of communicating by email, she said, and Ms. Linnane spoke to the emerging BPL technology that provides broadband access over existing power lines.
“This is not just a home solution; it’s a business solution,” she said.
It’s faster and cheaper than other services, she added, and there’s grant money available.
Broadband access is a concern all four groups shared.
Others?
Consistent zoning and land-use regulations, better use of the Empire Zone, the need for water and sewer facilities, grant-writing workshops, and a business incubator.
“From where I sit, I find it exciting that these four groups met in isolation and yet, there are these things in common,” said Alicia Terry as the Summit wound down—or up.
“This is an invaluable tool. I do see that marketing is something we need to focus on more as a community. I also see some opportunities to fill some of these gaps—things like getting zoning and planning regulations on the county website—that can be done pretty quickly.”
A copy of the plan presented Saturday is available in PDF format by going to the Chamber’s website, schohariechamber.com.
Hard copies are also available from the Chamber office.