Empire State Development announces Western New York Economic Development entities working together under one roof

ESD, Erie County IDA and the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. are now sharing office space in downtown Buffalo, providing "one stop shopping" for businesses

Empire State Development Regional President Sam Hoyt, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown have announced the Erie County Industrial Development Agency and the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. have centralized their offices at the vacant space at 95 Perry St., in Buffalo, where Empire State Development's Western New York regional office is currently located. The move allows the state, county and city to have all their economic development entities located in one building, achieving long-term savings for New York taxpayers and the "one-stop shopping" goal the economic development community has supported for years.

"We are rolling out the red carpet for businesses," Hoyt said. "Empire State Development, Erie County Industrial Development Agency and the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. are now located under one roof, creating a collaborative network of resources for business people. Gov. Cuomo knows that by making this excellent first impression with perspective businesses, Western New York is sending an important message about our commitment to growing the economy and creating new jobs."

A business person walking through the door at 95 Perry St., can find information about state, county and City of Buffalo grants, loans, tax incentives, job training, technical assistance, potential shovel-ready sites and existing facilities, to name just a few services provided. This group of economic professionals can handle projects ranging from the small start-up home business to enormous facilities costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

"I want to thank my fellow ECIDA board members for joining with me to streamline our approach to economic development, and for realizing the importance of having all these agencies under one roof," Poloncarz said. "This move was long-needed, creates a critical mass of economic development agencies, and will give businesses access to a wide range of services, helping them to find what's available quickly without spending time and effort traveling from office to office. I promised to the people of Erie County to create a 'one-stop shop' for economic development, which will be a tremendous asset in bringing business to Erie County, will make it easier to showcase our region to interested businesses looking to locate here, and will serve as a single destination for business assistance for companies already located in Erie County. I'm happy we were able to deliver on this promise and look forward to the economic development projects that will follow"

"With over $1.7 billion in economic development projects moving forward in Buffalo - spurring additional investment and job growth - this is a great opportunity for city, county and state agencies to further promote economic development opportunities in our city," Brown said. "I'd like to thank Gov. Andrew Cuomo for adding another critical component to our city's economic development strategy that will help continue to grow our economy, create jobs and put people back to work."

Cuomo said this is more than just a building; it is part of a strategic plan to encourage collaboration and cooperation. These interactions between development professionals will help ignite future growth, he said.

ECIDA and BUDC moved from 143 Genesee St., in Buffalo. ECIDA and BUDC are sub-leasing the space on the fourth floor, which is owned by Savarino Companies.

"The ECIDA's move to 95 Perry St., embodies the importance of streamlining services to better assist the companies, entrepreneurs, developers and individuals in Erie County to grow and be competitive," said interim ECIDA Board Chairman Chris Johnston.

"For far too long, the business community has had to negotiate a maze of economic development acronyms, now start-ups and veteran companies, alike, can go to one place to have their needs addressed in an efficient manner with communication at all levels including the county and state and other stakeholders. This represents a business-first approach," Johnston said.

Other organizations located at 95 Perry include the New York Power Authority and Arts Services Initiative of Western New York. NYPA representatives are able to direct interested entities to information on energy-efficiency opportunities, and low-cost power and other economic development benefits the statewide public power utility can provide. ASI promotes the cultural sector's role in economic development and the community through capacity building, collaboration and advocacy.

"Consolidating the offices of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency and the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. in one building supports Gov. Cuomo's streamlined, business-friendly approach to economic development," said NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones. "We anticipate this will contribute to the continuing efforts to revitalize Western New York."

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency and administrator of the statewide business resource portal New York First (www.NYfirst.NY.gov). ESD's mission is to promote business investment and growth that leads to job creation and prosperous communities across New York. ESD also oversees the marketing of "I LOVE NY," the state's iconic tourism brand.

For more information on Empire State Development, visit www.esd.ny.gov.