"It's The Economy..."

We just need to keep working at it.

Over the past two years, we’ve been fortunate throughout the 53rd Senate District to celebrate noteworthy economic victories, including:

> Corning, Inc., a worldwide leader in research and development, undertakes a major, six-year expansion of its Sullivan Park Research and Development campus in Erwin, Steuben County. This expansion’s expected to create hundreds of new jobs and position Corning, Inc. for a new generation of growth and success;

> The new Sikorsky HAWK WORKS @ Schweizer Aircraft represents a major economic expansion in Chemung County, creating new Southern Tier jobs, positioning Schweizer to acquire additional military work in the future, and maintaining our region as a leader in the aviation manufacturing industry;

> The arrival of Sitel to the Southern Tier, another major economic expansion for our region anticipated to produce high-quality economic opportunities for hundreds of area workers and their families. Sitel, a leading global business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, is opening a new customer care facility in Steuben County. The new contact center will strengthen Sitel's ability to provide high-quality customer care, acquisition, and retention programs and technical support solutions to leading companies in industries such as financial services, communications, technology, consumer electronics, and travel and tourism;

> SYNTHES USA, one of the world’s premiere manufacturers of orthopaedic instruments and implants, begins a more than $8-million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Big Flats, creating approximately 100 new manufacturing jobs;

> Cornell University, an absolute mainstay of the Tompkins County economy, positions our entire region on the cutting edge of high-tech industry, research, and development. Now a new state initiative, the nation’s first legislatively established "Center for Rural Schools," which will be located at Cornell University, seeks to make New York a national leader in its commitment to rural education. If we’re serious about strengthening upstate New York, we need to aggressively recognize that a rural school district can be a driving force for upstate revitalization. The New York Center for Rural Schools at Cornell will be charged with exploring ways schools can help address a variety of rural challenges, including poverty and population loss, particularly among young people;

> The renovation of the former Lagonegro School in Elmira into the new Corning Community College Academic and Workforce Development Center has provided hundreds of opportunities for area workers to strengthen their employment options through education. It’s been a meaningful work force development initiative, one that provides programming to address needs for skilled employees, help attract new jobs, and assist entrepreneurs and established businesses. The Center serves as a one-stop employment and training facility. Since its opening last August, more than 200 credit courses have been offered in a wide variety of program areas including manufacturing, human services, and basic remediation. More than 400 community and workforce development activities have been held in the building;

> The Horseheads-based General Revenue Corporation, which over the past two years has brought more than 400 jobs to the region, announces another expansion that could create upwards of 125 new positions;

> One of our smartest and most worthwhile investments is in the wineries, organic farms, and all of the diverse segments of the agricultural industry in Yates County. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Yates County economy and one of the few places in New York State where the number of farms is increasing. Farming in Yates County, which includes over 40 percent of the Finger Lakes region’s nearly 100 organic farms and businesses, employs approximately 1,400 workers and contributes more than $50 million annually to the economy. A new initiative will help the Finger Lakes Economic Development Center launch the "Yates County Organic and Viticulture Market Expansion Program" to establish a new center to assist organic and viticulture businesses in Yates County with their production, storage, processing, and marketing efforts.

All of these victories, as well as many others not highlighted here, have been exciting and energizing for the Southern Tier-Finger Lakes region. They represent the kind of economic development that can create a solid, secure, steady economic foundation for the entire region. They warrant top billing in any discussion of upstate revitalization.

They are the kinds of economic victories that can have a ripple effect across upstate.

And the key is that they’re victories achieved through strong public-private, state-local partnerships.

Now we need to keep growing and strengthening these partnerships, because we’ve proven they can work.

Now we need to forge ahead with actions that bolster the underpinnings of our long-term economic security.

Now we need to remain focused on what I’ve called the four corners of future success: lower taxes, lower costs, fewer regulations, and better jobs.

The upstate revival agenda remains a long and substantive one. The victories that we’ve seen here locally, true bright spots on the upstate landscape, can only make us hopeful and determined to do more.

We just need to keep working at it.