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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

An Alignment of Strategic Partners
The Southern Tier region of New York State, and Steuben County in particular, possess several non-profit organizations founded specifically to assist new businesses in relocating to the area and help improve business conditions for existing business. These various organizations work closely together and are described in greater detail below.

Attractiveness of the Area for Businesses
"The Southern Tier's strategic location and well developed highway transportation infrastructure place it within easy distance of the major ports of call in the Northeast, providing quick and reliable access to the markets of the world. Within a 350-mile radius are 51 percent of all US and Canadian manufacturing plants and 78 million people."

Business Development Center
Corning Community College has a branch office, the Small Business Development Center, which facilitates roundtable discussions, and offers workshops, training and certificate programs for small business owners in the area. Since 1987, "the expert advisors of the CCC Small Business Development Center have worked directly with 6359 businesses, helping them to invest almost $38 million in the area's economy, which have created or saved 2214 jobs." Not only does the Center offer these programs for the benefit of emerging and existing organizations, the services are offered free of charge! What more could a relocating or originating business desire than to receive free advice from local advisors who not only know the economy of the area, but also are familiar with the residents and their thought processes?

Ceramics Corridor Innovation Center
Built in 1992, funded by the New York State Urban Development Corporation, and operated by Alfred Technology Resources, Incorporated, this Center is a "business incubator targeted at ceramic industries. Its purpose is to facilitate business development along a 'ceramics corridor' [from Elmira to Olean] and to play a key role in sustaining the regional economy." Partners for this Center include Corning Incorporated, Alfred University, Allegany County and Steuben County. The center offers clients work and office areas, conference rooms, libraries and lounges, equipment and secretarial assistance, engineering and manufacturing professionals, and business advice. Finally, CCIC allows "entrepreneurs the opportunity to launch their venture at a prestigious address, while surrounded by successful and experienced professional and businesses."

Three Rivers Development Corporation
Steuben County relies on its developers for advice and important information in regards to zoning, regulations, and current building stipulations. Three Rivers Development Corporation is a "private, not-for-profit development corporation responsible for developing and maintaining a planning and implementation program regarding all aspects related to community-wide commercial and industrial development in the Corning area. Three Rivers' activities encompass financing, utility development, transportation, promotion and marketing materials, and prospect development. The corporation is under contract with the Erwin IDA to market and develop the Erwin Industrial park. The Three Rivers Committee of 50 assists local industrial employers in maintaining and expanding operations, as well as recruiting new businesses to the Corning area."

Town of Erwin IDA
"The Erwin Industrial Development Agency provides the financial mechanism for the operation of the Erwin Industrial park. The actual staff services necessary to administer the IDA are provided through a contract with Three Rivers Development Corporation."

City of Hornell IDA
"The Hornell IDA provides all the functions described above for the Steuben County IDA, within the boundaries of the City of Hornell. The Hornell IDA also provides support to the Coordinator of the recently designated Hornell-Corning-Steuben County Empire Zone."

Empire State Development Corporation
Supported by state government, the economic development agency, Empire State Development (ESD), provides the "highest level of assistance and service to businesses in order to encourage economic investment and prosperity in New York State." The organization's goal is to help businesses: Start up a company in New York State, relocate or establish a presence in New York State, expand already existing operations in New York State, retain and enlarge their work force in New York State, and compete more effectively and profitably in the domestic and global marketplace. The State has also supported tax cuts (36 times in the past five years), controlled its spending, and is working to eliminate red tape for small businesses. It has cut workers' compensation costs, streamlined regulations, and offered tax credits or exemptions, and financial assistance for business relocation or expansion, The Southern Tier has seen business growth due to assistance from the state.

City of Corning
In addition to the State and Regional assistance available, the City of Corning has several Economic Development Agencies within its borders. These are Corning Enterprises, Corning Intown Futures, and Three Rivers Development Corporation. Corning Enterprises "is the community and economic development division of Corning Incorporated. Production and location decisions made by Corning, Inc., can have profound effects on the economy of both the Corning area and Steuben County as a whole. Corning Enterprises has become a very active player in local economic development." Corning Intown Futures "is a private, not-for-profit development corporation created in 1981 to plan for the development of the Intown area of the City of Corning. A major activity of Intown Futures is the maintenance of demographics and market data to be used to attract businesses."

Regional Economic Development & Energy Corporation
REDEC "provides financial assistance for business start-ups and expansions which have job creation potential."

NYLovesSmallBusiness.com
"Small businesses are the bedrock of the small-town economy and the growth engine of the new economy. Your ideas, vision and entrepreneurial spirit bring exciting new products and services to market, and create jobs and opportunity for New Yorkers." - NYS Governor George Pataki

Appalachian Regional Commission
Many local counties fall into an area considered "Appalachia" which extends south through the Carolinas. The Tri-county area of the Southern Tier is included in these Appalachian counties. This area has a strong industrial tradition, and is supported by an industrious workforce. Due to the advancement of technology which was being incorporated in the factories, many workers had to have additional education in order to succeed. The Appalachian Regional Commission has provided an Allegany Country training program three "grants at the recommendation of the New York State Department of State, which include welding, machining, and computer-related technologies; its goal is to preserve the county's existing manufacturing base and promote the area's future growth."

Regional Assistance
Regionally, the Southern Tier has many organizations fom which to draw business assistance and advice for relocation. Some of these organizations include: the Economic Development area of Corning Enterprises, Incorporated, the Planning and Economic Development department of the City of Corning, Small Business Development Center of Corning Community College, the Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board, the Regional Economic Development office, the organization for Southern Tier Economic Growth, and Three Rivers Development Corporation.

Workforce Preparation
Employers should be flocking to the Southern Tier to take advantage of our educated and dedicated workforce. In addition to the excellent training residents have garnered from the local school districts and area universities, the area provides ongoing training for interested individuals. One such training program is Chemung-Schuyler-Steuben Workforce New York, a "not-for profit organization overseen by a board of directors with representatives from both the private and public sectors, which provide a no-fee, business-driven workforce preparation system to ensure that employers have access to workers with appropriate skills." This program was initially mandated in 1982-83 with the Job Training Partnership Act and the Private Industry Council. It now "encompasses the entire system of workforce development efforts including career exploration, job-employee matching tools, training, and human resource consulting."