Economic group hawks 'shovel ready' sites on Web

By: Jonathan Ment , Freeman Staff Daily Freeman April 23, 2005

COXSACKIE - Type "New York State shovel ready" into Google's Internet search-engine and among the first few results you will likely find a link to part of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. Web site.


Those visiting www.hvedc.com/shovelready will access information about shovel ready sites throughout the region, including those in the Greene Business and Technology Park, run by the Greene County Industrial Development Agency.
Site selectors for companies planning to expand are the target audience, Anthony Campagiorni, president of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp, explained to members of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency Thursday.
Since its launch in 2003, funded in part by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., the corporation has invested in the pursuit of new jobs through its Web site, direct mailings to brokers and companies, and face-to-face contact with decision makers at trade shows and other events.
"Ultimately the site selection and real estate (process) has gone from 24 months ... to where people, once they've made a decision, want to be in the ground in three months," said Campagiorni.
Campagiorni said the Web site is receiving over 400,000 hits per month and 56 times since April 1 visitors have looked at the Greene County pages.
"You won't see any other international brokerage firm have as much information as this," he said adding the intention is to translate Internet visits in to physical site visits.
"I think you guys (Greene County Industrial Development Agency) are on the right track with what you're doing," said Campagiorni. "When Orange can't satisfy something because they don't have something ready, you jump over Ulster and Dutchess because they don't have much and you do. I think you have the right strategy."
Also Thursday, agency board members approved a 10 month contract with consultant LaMar Hill, former director of business development at the state university's Albany NanoTech research site.
Under a 10-month contract, Hill will be paid $2,000 per month for which he will devote at least one and a half days, each month, to the agency. The money will come from an existing contingency fund, said Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, executive director of the agency.
Hill said the county, with a heritage of manufacturing over the past 150 years, needs to now align itself with value-added industries where innovation is more important than low cost.

©Daily Freeman 2005

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