GOALS
To achieve this Vision, the region should attempt to achieve the following five economic development goals:
Human Capital
To develop a skilled labor force capable of creating a knowledge-based and innovation-based economy, and that encourages businesses to start, locate, and expand in the region
Traditional and Non-Traditional Infrastructure
To maintain and improve the region’s built environment and services that are requisite for retaining and expanding existing businesses and attracting new businesses
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
To catalyze innovation and new business development and growth, especially as regards technology-based, value added, and net export businesses
Quality, Connected Places
To create quality, connected, safe, convenient and healthy places to live and work, that make the region attractive as a place to live, work and do business
Collaborative Leadership
To encourage coordinated governance and rational and coordinated systemic investment in targeted economic development initiatives
The strategic recommendations (i.e., strategies, projects, programs, and other activities) contained in this CEDS are consistent with and designed to achieve these five stated goals.
This CEDS document uses data-driven analytical techniques to inform its SWOT analysis, to evaluate the region’s capacity for innovation, to identify significant target industry clusters, to identify significant target occupational clusters, and to discuss the development of strategies and projects based on these analytical results.
By incorporating these analytical techniques relating to innovation and clusters, and by incorporating the Vision of moving toward a more regional-net-export-surplus, knowledge-based, innovation-based economy, Southern Tier West is using this CEDS to attempt to transform the paradigm of economic development within our region from a philosophy that often is “deal-driven” or “specific-opportunity-driven” – sometimes even reactive – to a philosophy that clearly also embraces and encourages – as a primary strategy – a reinvigorated emphasis on proactive initiatives related to economic inputs, knowledge, and innovation. The result is the following CEDS strategic foci.
CEDS Strategic Foci
1. Target economic development activities and initiatives toward significant regional industry clusters and occupation clusters that are value-added and net export clusters
2. Promote and catalyze entrepreneurship
3. Increase the quantity and quality of human capital through education and job training, to develop a highly skilled, tech-savvy regional labor force
4. Augment our region’s educational services to encourage improved STEAM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics skills) and entrepreneurial skills
5. Maintain and improve transportation infrastructure, consistent with smart growth principles
6. Maintain and improve utility infrastructure, including broadband and energy infrastructure, consistent with smart growth principles and with green infrastructure principles
7. Develop, improve, and expand industrial sites, acreage, parks, and buildings (“shovel readiness”), consistent with smart growth principles
8. Improve communities through initiatives including downtown revitalization and building renovation / redevelopment; development of more sustainable neighborhoods and walkable communities; brownfield remediation and redevelopment; protection and restoration of water resources, waterfronts, open spaces, and habitats; enhancement of public access to waterfront areas; and enhancement of recreational / tourism assets
9. Incentivize and catalyze innovation, technology transfer, and adoption of new technologies
10. Provide adequate and innovative development finance resources and technical assistance as needed to catalyze and incentivize (new and existing) private sector business development
11. Assist in the retention and expansion of existing regional businesses
12. Attract new businesses to the region
13. Maintain and improve the region’s cornerstone and community-based and civic institutions and quality of life assets, capacities, and services to improve area quality of life
14. Encourage, at the community, county, and regional levels, comprehensive and strategic economic development planning; and develop and implement community and economic development projects consistent with those plans and with smart growth principles and sound environment principles
15. Improve quality of life assets that impact economic development
16. Improve collaborative leadership, including increased strategic comprehensive planning and economic development planning and project implementation; enhanced levels of partnership and collaboration; increased investment in business development / business assistance capacity, entrepreneurial development, and innovation; and innovation with respect to government operating practices
17. Capture the potential of the Seneca Nation of Indians as a driver of economic development
18. Improve economic resilience in response to natural disasters and other (non-natural) disasters
PARADIGM SHIFT
It will be a challenge in our rural, economically challenged region, which often must limit the expenditure of its financial resources to essential services, programs, and initiatives, to bring about an evolution of the region’s economic development paradigm. Future returns from building economic development capacity initially may not seem as guaranteed or even as intuitive as a case-by-case development focus on immediate opportunities. However, it is Southern Tier West’s hope that this CEDS will encourage an ongoing regional dialogue that will result in a shared consensus that capacity building is essential to the region’s economic future. As this vision becomes more generally accepted and incorporated into our regional strategy, our region will become a national leader in making progress toward becoming a rural region with a healthy, competitive, and sustainable economy.
In developing this CEDS, Southern Tier West is pleased to play a coordinating and catalyzing role in helping to guide the region’s future.
– September 2020
Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board
H. Kier Dirlam, Chairman
Richard Zink, Executive Director
Thomas Barnes, Senior Regional Economic Development Coordinator